Not to be confused with William III of England or William I of the Netherlands.
"Willem van Oranje" redirects here. For the film, see Willem van Oranje (film).
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(1584-07-10) (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.
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