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William of Orange

Type Figure Region Netherlands Time 1533–1584 Also known as William van Oranje、William the Silent

William of Orange was the core leader of the sixteenth-century Dutch independence movement, from the Nassau-Orange family, who served the Habsburg co…

Timeline

  1. 1533–1543Dillenburg · DillenburgBorn into the Nassau family in 1533, after his cousin inherited the title Prince of Orange in 1544 and died unexpectedly, William immediately succeeded to the title Prince of Orange and extensive lands in the Low Countries.
  2. 1544–1550Brussels · NetherlandsAfter inheriting the title Prince of Orange in 1544, he was sent to the court of Charles V for education, being trained in Brussels and Spain in the 1540s in politics, military affairs, and imperial governance, still loyally serving the Habsburgs at this stage.
  3. 1551–1584Netherlands · Dutch RepublicFrom the 1550s he gradually dissented from Spanish religious and fiscal policies, from 1568 led armed resistance, organized multi-national alliances and promoted the independence of the northern provinces, and was assassinated at Delft in 1584.

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