Everything about Maurice Of Nassau Prince Of Orange totally explained
Maurice of Nassau (
Dutch:
Maurits van Nassau) (
14 November 1567 –
23 April 1625),
Prince of Orange (
1618–
1625), son of
William the Silent and
Princess Anna of Saxony, was born at the
castle of
Dillenburg. He was named after his maternal grandfather, the
Elector Maurice of Saxony, who was also a noted general.
Maurice never married but was the father of illegitimate children by
Margaretha van Mechelen (one of which was
Louis of Nassau, lord of den Lek and Beverweerd) and
Anna van de Kelder. He was raised in
Dillenburg by his uncle
Johan of Nassau (Jan the Old). Together with his cousin
Willem Lodewijk he studied in
Heidelberg and later with his brother
Philip in
Leiden where he met
Simon Stevin. The States of
Holland and
Zeeland paid for his studies, as their father had run into financial problems after spending his entire fortune in the early stages of the
Dutch revolt.
Only 16 when his father was murdered in
Delft in
1584, he soon took over as
stadtholder (
Stadhouder), though this title wasn't inheritable (The monarchs of England and France had refused, and there simply was no one else to take the job). He became stadtholder of
Holland and
Zeeland in
1585, of
Guelders,
Overijssel and
Utrecht in
1590 and of
Groningen and
Drenthe in
1620 (following the death of Willem Lodewijk, who had been Stadtholder there and in
Friesland).
Maurice was preceded as
Prince of Orange (not a Dutch title) by his elder half-brother
Philip William. However, Philip William was in the custody of
Spain, remaining so until
1596, and was thus unable to lead the Dutch cause.
He was appointed captain-general of the army in
1587, bypassing the
Earl of Leicester, who returned to
England on hearing this news.
Maurice organised the rebellion against
Spain into a coherent, successful revolt. He reorganised the army together with
Willem Lodewijk, studied
military history,
strategy and
tactics,
mathematics and
astronomy, and proved himself to be among the best strategists of his age. Paying special attention to the siege theories of
Simon Stevin, he took valuable key fortresses and towns:
Breda in
1590,
Steenwijk in
1592, and
Geertruidenberg in
1593. These victories rounded out the borders to the Dutch Republic, solidifying the revolt and allowing a national state to develop behind secure borders. They also established Maurice as the foremost general of his time. Many of the great generals of the succeeding generation, including his brother
Fredick Henry and many of the commanders of the
English Civil War learned their trade under his command.
His victories in the cavalry battles at
Turnhout (
1597) and at
Nieuwpoort (
1600) earned him military fame and acknowledgment throughout
Europe. Despite these successes, the
House of Orange didn't attain great respect among European Royalty, as the Stadtholdership wasn't inheritable.
Maurice and Oldenbarnevelt
Maurice started out as the protégé of Landsadvocaat (
Land's Advocate, a kind of secretary)
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. But gradually tensions rose between these two men. Against Maurice's advice, and despite his protests, Van Oldenbarnevelt decided to sign the
Twelve Years' Truce with Spain, which lasted from
1609 -
1621. The required funds to maintain the
army and
navy, and the general course of the war were other topics of constant struggle.
With the religious troubles between
Gomarists (
Calvinist) and
Arminians, the struggle between Van Oldenbarnevelt and Maurice reached a climax. Van Oldenbarnevelt was arrested, tried and decapitated despite numerous requests for
mercy. From
1618 till his death Maurice now enjoyed uncontested power over the
Republic.
Maurice urged his brother
Frederick Henry to marry in order to preserve the
dynasty.
In
1621 the war resumed, and the Spanish, led by
Ambrogio Spinola, had notable successes, including the
recapture of
Breda, the Nassau's old family residence, in
1625. Maurice died with the siege still underway.
Ancestors
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