William the Silent

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

From politician to rebel

Although he never directly opposed the Spanish king, William soon became one of the most prominent members of the opposition in the Raad van State, together with Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horn and Lamoral, Count of Egmont. They were mainly seeking for more political power for the Dutch nobility, and complained that too many Spaniards were involved in governing the Netherlands.

Related Topics:
Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horn - Lamoral, Count of Egmont

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William was also dissatisfied with the increasing persecution of Protestants in the Netherlands. Although he was brought up as both a Lutheran and Catholic, William was not a very religious person, and a proponent of freedom of religion. The inquisition policy in the Netherlands, carried out by Cardinal Granvelle, prime minister to the new regent Margaret of Austria (natural half-sister to Philip II), increased opposition to the Spanish rule among the – then mostly Catholic – population of the Netherlands.

Related Topics:
Protestants - Inquisition - Cardinal Granvelle - Regent - Margaret of Austria

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On 25 August 1561, William of Orange married for the second time. His new wife, Anna of Saxony, is described by contemporaries as "ugly and ill-tempered", and it is generally assumed that William married her to gain more influence in Saxony, Hesse and the Palatine. The couple had five children:

Related Topics:
25 August - 1561 - Anna of Saxony - Saxony - Hesse - Palatine

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• Anna (1562);
• Anna (1563 – 1588);
• Maurice August Philip (1564 – 1566), Maurice (1567 – 1625); and
• Emily (1569 – 1629).

In early 1565, a large group of lesser noblemen, including William's younger brother Louis, formed the Confederacy of Noblemen. On 5 April, they offered a petition to Margaret of Austria, requesting an end to the persecution of Protestants. From August to October 1566, a wave of iconoclasm (known as the Beeldenstorm) spread through the Low Countries. Calvinists, angry with their prosecution by the Spanish and opposed to the Catholic images of saints (which in their eyes conflicted with the Second Commandment), destroyed statues in hundreds of churches and monasteries throughout the Netherlands.

Related Topics:
1565 - Louis - 5 April - 1566 - Iconoclasm - Calvinists - Second Commandment - Church - Monasteries

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Following the Beeldenstorm, unrest in the Netherlands grew, and Margaret agreed to grant the wishes of the Confederacy, provided the noblemen would help to restore order. She also allowed more important noblemen, including William of Orange, to assist the Confederacy. In late 1566, and early 1567, it became clear that the regent would not be allowed to fulfill her promises, and when several minor rebellions failed, many Calvinists (the major Protestant denomination) and Lutherans fled the country. Following the announcement that Philip II, unhappy with the situation in the Netherlands, would dispatch his loyal general Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva (also known as "The Iron Duke") to restore order, William retreated to his native Nassau. He had been (financially) involved with several of the rebels.

Related Topics:
Calvinists - Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva

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After his arrival in August 1567, Alva established the Council of Troubles (known to the people as the Council of Blood) to trial those involved with the rebellion and the iconoclasm. William was one of the 10,000 to be summoned before the Council, but he failed to appear. He was subsequently declared an outlaw, and his properties were confiscated.

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As one of the most prominent and popular politicians of the Netherlands, William of Orange emerged as the leader of an armed resistance. He financed the Watergeuzen, refugee Protestants who formed bands of corsairs and raided the coastal cities of the Netherlands (often killing Spanish and Dutch alike). He also raised an army, consisting mostly of German mercenaries to fight Alva on land. Led by his brother Louis, the army invaded the northern Netherlands in 1568. On 23 May, the army won the Battle of Heiligerlee against a Spanish army led by the stadtholder of the northern provinces, Jean de Ligne, Duke of Aremberg. Aremberg was killed in the battle, as was William's brother Adolf. Alva countered by killing a number of convicted noblemen (including the Dukes of Egmont and Hoorn on 6 June), and then by leading an expedition to Groningen. There, he annihilated Louis's forces in the Battle of Jemmingen on 21 July, although Louis managed to escape. These two battles are now considered to be the start of the Eighty Years' War.

Related Topics:
Corsair - Mercenaries - 1568 - 23 May - Battle of Heiligerlee - Jean de Ligne, Duke of Aremberg - 6 June - Groningen - Battle of Jemmingen - 21 July

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