William the Silent / William of Orange Nassau
Date: 10-07-1584
William the Silent or William of Orange Nassau is known in The Netherlands as the Father of the Fatherland. He was born as William of Nassau but after inheriting the small princedom of Orange (France), he became a prince as well. Being a rich nobleman he served the Spanish governor of The Netherlands and King Philip II of Spain. The relationship between Philip and William was tens. Philip was a Catholic fanatic and prosecuted many Dutch Protestants. Although William was a Catholic himself, he firmly believed that everyone was entitled to a freedom of faith.
William the Silent or William of Orange Nassau is known in The Netherlands as the Father of the Fatherland. He was born as William of Nassau but after inheriting the small princedom of Orange (France), he became a prince as well. Being a rich nobleman he served the Spanish governor of The Netherlands and King Philip II of Spain. The relationship between Philip and William was tens. Philip was a Catholic fanatic and prosecuted many Dutch Protestants. Although William was a Catholic himself, he firmly believed that everyone was entitled to a freedom of faith.
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This led to a moment that William joined the Dutch revolt against the Spanish. Being incredibly powerful, rich and a politicly influential he quickly became the main leader of this revolt. This effectively set off "The Eighty Years' War", a war that fought for Dutch independence which eventually led to the first Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.
William was declared an outlaw by King Philip II of Spain and killed on July 10th 1584 at the Prinsenhof, Delft. The killer was a loyalist of Philip called Balthasar Gerards. The bullet holes are stil found at the Prinsenhof, embedded in the walls. The current King of The Netherlands, William-Alexander, is a direct descendant of William of Orange Nassau and the Dutch National Anthem is completely dedicated to William of Orange. |
Bullet holes from the murder at the Prinsenhof. Foto by Juvarra.
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Did you know?
Nobody really knows why William has the nickname "The Silent", especially because he was known to be a very talkative person. Some think that it had something to do with the fact that he never really showed wat he thought.
Other people think that his actual nickname was "De Sluwe" meaning "The Cunning" but that this name was lost in translation and transformed to "The Silent".
Nobody really knows why William has the nickname "The Silent", especially because he was known to be a very talkative person. Some think that it had something to do with the fact that he never really showed wat he thought.
Other people think that his actual nickname was "De Sluwe" meaning "The Cunning" but that this name was lost in translation and transformed to "The Silent".
Location:
The Prinsenhof where William was killed, is in a city called Delft, Holland.
The Prinsenhof where William was killed, is in a city called Delft, Holland.
