William the Silent

:For other men named William of Orange, see William of Orange (disambiguation)

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William (I) of Orange-Nassau (April 24, 1533 – July 10, 1584), also widely known as William the Silent, was born in the house of Nassau, and became Prince of Orange in 1544. He was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648.

Related Topics:
Orange - Nassau - April 24 - 1533 - July 10 - 1584 - House of Nassau - Prince of Orange - 1544 - Dutch - Spanish - Eighty Years' War - United Provinces - 1648

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A wealthy nobleman, William originally served at the court of the Spanish regent. Unhappy with the lack of political power for the local nobility and 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 military successes in the fight against the Spanish. Declared an outlaw by the Spanish king in 1580, he was assassinated by Balthasar Gérard (also written as 'Gerardts') in Delft at a time when William's popularity was waning.

Related Topics:
Nobleman - Regent - Protestants - Outlaw - 1580 - Assassinated - Balthasar Gérard - Delft

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There are several explanations for the origin of this nickname "William the Silent". The most common one is that he rarely spoke out clearly on controversial matters at the court or in public, or (by some accounts) even completely avoided speaking about such topics.

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In the Netherlands, he is also known as the Vader des vaderlands, "Father of the fatherland", and the Dutch national anthem, the Wilhelmus, was written in his honour.

Related Topics:
National anthem - Wilhelmus

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On April 13, 2005, an online searchable archive of his complete (known) correspondence was made publicly accessible by Het Instituut voor Nederlandse Geschiedenis (ING), the Institute for Dutch History.

Related Topics:
April 13 - 2005

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