William the Silent

William the Silent
William the Silent
	Portrait by Adriaen Thomasz. Key, c. 1570–1584
Prince of Orange
Reign	15 July 1544 – 10 July 1584
Predecessor	René
Successor	Philip William
Stadtholder of Friesland
	In office; 1580–1584
Preceded by	George de Lalaing
Succeeded by	William Louis of Nassau-Dillenburg
Stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland
	In office; 1572–1584
Preceded by	Maximilien de Hénin-Liétard
Succeeded by	Maurice of Nassau
	In office; 1559–1567
Monarch	Philip II of Spain
Preceded by	Maximilian of Burgundy
Succeeded by	Maximilien de Hénin-Liétard
Stadtholder of Utrecht
	In office; 1572–1584
Preceded by	Maximilien de Hénin-Liétard
Succeeded by	Adolf van Nieuwenaar
	In office; 1559–1567
Monarch	Philip II of Spain
Preceded by	Maximilian of Burgundy
Succeeded by	Maximilien de Hénin-Liétard
Born	24 April 1533; Dillenburg, County of Nassau, Holy Roman Empire
Died	10 July 1584 (aged 51); Delft, County of Holland, Dutch Republic
Spouse	; Anna of Egmond; (m. 1551; died 1558) ; Anna of Saxony; (m. 1561; div. 1571) ; Charlotte of Bourbon; (m. 1575; died 1582) ; Louise de Coligny; (m. 1583)
Issue	16
House	Born into the House of Nassau; founder of the Orange-Nassau branch; ancestor of the monarchy of the Netherlands
Father	William I, Count of Nassau-Siegen
Mother	Juliana of Stolberg-Werningerode
Signature
Military service
Battles/wars	Italian War of 1551–1559 Siege of Metz; Battle of St. Quentin; ; Eighty Years' War Battle of Jodoigne; Battle of Le Quesnoy; Siege of Middelburg; Siege of Leiden; Battle of Delft; ;

William the Silent or William the Taciturn (Dutch: Willem de Zwijger;^[1]^[2] 24 April 1533 – 10 July 1584), more commonly known in the Netherlands^[3]^[4] as William of Orange (Dutch: Willem van Oranje), was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs that set off the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. Born into the House of Nassau, he became Prince of Orange in 1544 and is thereby the founder of the Orange-Nassau branch and the ancestor of the monarchy of the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, he is also known as Father of the Fatherland (Latin: Pater Patriae; Dutch: Vader des Vaderlands).

A wealthy nobleman, William originally served the Habsburgs as a member of the court of Margaret of Parma, governor of the Spanish Netherlands. Unhappy with the centralisation 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 Balthasar Gérard in Delft in 1584.

^ Abelous, Louis David (1872). William the Taciturn. Translated by Lacroix, J. P. The Library of Congress catalogued with subject "William I, Prince of Orange (1534–1584). New York: Nelson & Phillips; [etc.]
^ John Whitehead Historian, Oxford, Oriel College, weblog page about William I Once I was a clever boy
^ "Willem van Oranje". Canon van Nederland (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 May 2023.
^ "Hoe wordt Willem van Oranje vader des vaderlands?". NPO Kennis (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 October 2021.

[1] Abelous, Louis David (1872). William the Taciturn. Translated by Lacroix, J. P. The Library of Congress catalogued with subject "William I, Prince of Orange (1534–1584). New York: Nelson & Phillips; [etc.]

[2] John Whitehead Historian, Oxford, Oriel College, weblog page about William I Once I was a clever boy

[3] "Willem van Oranje". Canon van Nederland (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 May 2023.

[4] "Hoe wordt Willem van Oranje vader des vaderlands?". NPO Kennis (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 October 2021.

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