William the Silent, or William I, Prince of Orange and Count of Nassau, was the Dutch statesman, who led the revolt of the Low Countries against Spain and created the independent republic of the United Provinces. A nobleman by birth, he became the leader of a rebellion in the Netherlands against the king of Spain.
Background
William was born on April 24, 1533, at Dillenburg, the ancestral castle of the Nassaus near Wiesbaden, Germany, to Count William of Nassau-Dillenburg and Juliana von Stolberg. By birth, he was, through many generations, of the pure German race, the heir of one of the smaller ruling houses of the Empire, a House which had produced many chiefs illustrious in war and in council, and which, by a series of splendid alliances, had amassed titles, offices, and vast possessions in Germany, in the Netherlands, and in France. By a singular fortune the boy William, then aged eleven, was named by the will of his cousin Rene, dying on the field young and childless, as heir to the immense fiefs of the Nassau race in the Netherlands, together with the puny State of Orange on the Rhone, and the barren title of sovereign Prince of Orange.
His birth was as noble as any in Europe, fortune concentrated on him a singular array of honors and of estates. By his four marriages with princely and royal houses, Flemish, German, or French, he left a family of twelve children, whose descendants filled an even larger part in the annals of Europe than did the ancestors of William himself.
William's father acquiesced to this condition on behalf of his 11-year-old son, and this was the founding of the house of Orange-Nassau. Besides the principality of Orange (located today in France) and significant lands in Germany, William also inherited vast estates in the Low Countries (present-day Netherlands and Belgium) from his cousin. Because of his young age, Emperor Charles V, who was the overlord of most of these estates, served as regent until William was old enough to rule them himself.
Education
Young William was carefully brought up as a Catholic prince in the Netherlands, first at the family’s estate in Breda. Then he was sent to Brussels to study under the supervision of Maria of Austria, the sister of Charles V and regent of the Habsburg Netherlands (Seventeen Provinces). Be trained for high office, as a particular favorite of Charles V, who took the strongest interest in him, and gave him as tutor Jerome Perrenot, a brother of the famous Cardinal Granvelle, destined to be the Prince’s bitter enemy. Under this tuition William acquired a very wide education; he wrote and spoke with equal ease, French, German, Flemish, Spanish, and Latin. In Brussels, he was taught foreign languages and received a military and diplomatic education under the direction of Champagney (Jérôme Perrenot), brother of Granvelle. Educated under the direction of Emperor Charles V, he early gave proof of his political gifts.
Career
His career, like his nature and his circumstances, was made up of anomalies and filled with complex elements. William originally served the Habsburgs as a member of the court of Margaret of Parma, governor of the Spanish Netherlands. Unhappy with the centralization of political power away from the local estates and with the Spanish persecution of Dutch Protestants, William joined the Dutch uprising and turned against his former masters. The most influential and politically capable of the rebels, he led the Dutch to several successes in the fight against the Spanish. Declared an outlaw by the Spanish king in 1580, he was assassinated by Balthazar Gérard in Delft in 1584.
His heroic and brilliant career came to an early end in the fatal swamps of the Mookerheide, where he perished miserably at the age of thirty-six along with his young brother Henry. None knew how or where they fell, or where their bodies lay.
Given military commands in the war against France in 1555, William proved to have little talent as a warrior, but he clearly displayed political ability on diplomatic missions to Germany and in the peace negotiations at Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559. Philip II, who had inherited the Netherlands as well as Spain from Charles V, made William a member of the Council of State in 1555 and a knight of the Golden Fleece, the Burgundian chivalric order, in 1556. Philip II recognized William's preeminence among the nobility by making him stadholder of Holland, Zeeland, and Utrecht in 1559.
When in 1555 Philip II of Spain succeeded Charles V as sovereign of the Netherlands, William doubted the wisdom of his policy; though still himself a Roman Catholic, he opposed the persecution of Protestants. In 1559 he learned by accident details of Philip's further intentions but cautiously withheld comment, thus earning his nickname of "the Silent."
He held aloof from the abortive uprising of 1566-1567; but when Philip sent the Duke of Alva to put down the revolt, William withdrew to Germany, raised forces, and invaded the Netherlands. The attempt failed and for the next three years he organized the resistance movement known as les Gueux, "the Beggars." Some of these, the Sea Beggars, got together a fleet and seized Brill in 1572.
William again invaded the Netherlands, and the northern provinces of Holland, Friesland, and Zeeland rose against Alva under his leadership. He intended to restore the freedom of the Netherlands and end the religious persecution.
But the revolt became associated with the Calvinist religion which was strong in the northern provinces and which he himself adopted. Catholicism was still dominant in the south, and this, combined with a clash of economic interests, created a cleavage between north and south. Although he organized the struggle against Spain (1577 - 1583) chiefly from Brussels and Antwerp, his plan for a united Netherlands ultimately broke down and he had to retire to the north where his authority as stadholder of the Netherlands (the northern provinces) was paramount. In 1580 Philip II set a price on his head and William responded by issuing his famous Apology, declaring his unalterable devotion to the cause of the Netherlands.
A Spanish-inspired attempt on his life failed in 1583, but on July 10, 1584, he was shot and killed by an assassin at his house in Delft.
Achievements
He was the man, who organized the national rebellion of Holland, by birth a German count, became by inheritance a Flemish magnate and a sovereign prince. His early years were passed as a soldier and minister of the Empire, as ambassador and lieutenant of the King of Spain, and as a grandee of boundless magnificence. His memory is still passionately cherished in his adopted fatherland: first as the founder of an illustrious Commonwealth, then as the father of a long line of able statesmen and ruling princes, and finally as a man.
Among his services to the Dutch nation were his use of the Dutch language for official purposes and his foundation of the University of Leiden in 1575.
He had, however, already laid the foundation of Dutch independence, and it was finally secured by his sons, Maurice (1568 - 1625) and Frederick Henry (1584 - 1648).
Religion
At various times a Lutheran (1533-1544), a Roman Catholic (1544-1573), and a Calvinist (1573-1584), William was most of all dedicated to Erasmian tolerance in religion; yet in the end he had to rely upon fanatical Calvinists in order to stand up to the assaults of conquering Spanish armies.
Politics
Although he never directly opposed the Spanish king, William soon became one of the most prominent members of the opposition in the Council of State, together with Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn, and Lamoral, Count of Egmont. They were mainly seeking more political power for themselves against the de facto government of Count Berlaymont, Granvelle and Viglius of Aytta, but also for the Dutch nobility and, ostensibly, for the Estates, and complained that too many Spaniards were involved in governing the Netherlands. William was also dissatisfied with the increasing persecution of Protestants in the Netherlands.
Views
Passionately devoted to the cause of the unity of the Netherlands, he saw the country dividing into distinct northern and southern states under the impact of military events and religious antagonisms. He the mainspring of a national and religious insurrection, his best energies was spent in moderating the political and religious passions, which were at once the cause and the result of the struggle. Personally a devout man, he professed in succession all the three great forms of Christian belief, whilst steadily opposing all that was extreme and all that was violent in each.
Quotations:
"All in the world I have is yours; Next to God, you are the one I love best, and if I did not know that your love for me is the same, I could not be so happy as I am: May God give us both the grace to live always in this affection without any guile. I am in the hands of God, my worldly goods and my life have long since been dedicated to his service."
The last words attributed to him, "God, have pity on me and this poor people," expressed his devotion to the cause for which he had fought so long.
Personality
Contemporary sources bear witness to the magnetism of his personality and his gift of leadership. A competent rather than a brilliant soldier, he was outstanding as organizer, diplomat, and statesman, and showed a moderation and humanity unusual in his age. He fully deserved the title "Father of the Fatherland" bestowed on him by his people.
Physical Characteristics:
Connections
July 6 1551, He got married to his first wife, Anna van Egmond en Buren who is a wealthy heiress to the lands of her father. William thus gained the titles Lord of Egmond and Count of Buren. They had three children namely, Maria, Philip Williams and the youngest Maria named after her eldest sister who died in infancy. He had an illegitimate son named Justinus van Nassau with having a brief relationship with Eva Clinx.
August 25 1561, He had his second marriage with Anna of Saxony. They had five children Anna who died at birth, Anna, Maurits August Philips who died during infancy, Maurice and Emilia.
April 24 1575, He had a married Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier, A former French nun. They had six daughters: Louise Juliana, Elisabeth, Catharina Belgica,Charlotte Flandrina, Charlotte Barbantina and Emilia Antwerpiana.
He had a fourth and final marriage on the 12th day of April 1583 to Louise de Coligny, A French Huguenot who was the mother of William’s fourth illegitimate son Frederick Henry.
Father:
Wilhelm “the Rich” von Nassau-Dillenburg
1487–1559, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, Siegen, Vianden, Dietz and (since 1557) Katzenelnbogen
Mother:
Juliane von Stolberg-Wernigerode von Nassau-Dillenburg
Born Louise de Coligny, the daughter of Gaspard II de Coligny, Comte de Coligny and Charlotte de Laval.
Daughter:
Maria van Nassau
Son:
Philipp William Prince of Orange
1554–1618
Daughter:
Maria van Nassau Countess of Hohenlohe
In 1595 she married Philipp Count of Hohenlohe (1550-1606), since 1575 lieutenant-general in the army of William the Silent.
Son:
Justinus van Nassau
Illegitimate son of Prince William the Silent by Eva Elinx.
Daughter:
Anna von Nassau von Nassau-Diez
1563–1588
Son:
Maurits van Nassau
He was the son of William the Silent and Princess Anna of Saxony, and was born at the castle of Dillenburg. He was named after his maternal grandfather, the Elector Maurice of Saxony, who was also a noted general.
Daughter:
Louise Juliane von Nassau-Oranien
Nobility, daughter of Willem I and Charlotte de Bourbon-Montpensier. She married Friedrich IV von der Pfalz in 1593 and bore him eight children.
Daughter:
Catharina Belgica van Nassau
Countess Catharina Belgica of Nassau was the third daughter of William the Silent and his third spouse Charlotte of Bourbon. She married Philip Louis II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg (1576-1612) by whom she had ten children. The Countess became regent for her son Philipp Moritz after her husband's death in 1612.
Emilia Secunda Antwerpiana von Nassau von Zweibrucken-Landsberg
In 1616 she married Friedrich Casimir palsgrave of Zweibrucken-Landsberg (1585-1645). In 1622 she settled in Montfort, in Burgundy, which belonged to her family.
Son:
Frederick Hendrik von Nassau-Dillenburg
Frederick was born to Prince Willem (the Silent) of Orange-Nassau and his fourth wife Marie-Louise de Coligny.
On 04 April 1625, he married Emelie von Solms-Braunfels.
Official Titles and Coat of Arms:
William I of Orange of the House of Nassau.
Lord of Egmond and Count of Buren
Marquis of Veere and Vlissingen
Count of Nassau-Dillenburg
Katzenelnbogen, and Vianden
Viscount of Antwerp
Baron of Breda, Lands of Cuijk, City of Grave, Diest, Herstal, Warneton, Beilstein, Arlay, and Nozeroy; Lord of Dasburg, Geertruidenberg, Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe, Klundert,Montfort, Naaldwijk, Niervaart, Polanen, Steenbergen, Willemstad, Bütgenbach, Sankt Vith, and Besançon
