William the Silent is to Holland what George Washington is to the United
States. As the principal opponent of Philip II of Spain he was the very
incarnation of the national spirit in the greatest period of Dutch
history. He dared to stand forth as the fearless leader of a persecuted
people in opposition to the mightiest monarch then on earth. William,
Prince of Orange and Count of Nassau, was surnamed “The Silent” not
because he was gloomy, but because he was able to hide his plans with
wonderful discretion. He was born on April 16, 1533. He was a great
favorite of Charles V of Spain, who appointed him, when he was only
twenty-two years old, governor of the provinces of Holland, Zealand, and
Utrecht. When the Low Countries came into possession of the Duke of
Alva, the Spanish governor, William set out on a short but useless
campaign to liberate the southern provinces. Four years later he was
invited by Holland and Zealand to command their troops against the
Spaniards. Shortly afterward he captured Middelburg and succeeded in
raising the siege of Leyden. The Union of Utrecht, the famous defensive
league of the North Netherlands, was formed in 1579. Soon afterward
William was exiled by Philip II; but the States General defied his
authority, and in 1581 formally threw off their allegiance to the
Spanish crown.
However, so anxious was Philip to have William out of the way that he
offered a reward of 25,000 crowns and a title of nobility to anyone who
would assassinate him. Many were the cowardly attacks made against the
brave Dutchman, eight attempts being made before the one that finally
succeeded.
On July 10, 1584, William, in company with his beautiful young wife, was
coming to dinner down the stairway of the Prinsenhof--his house in
Delft. Suddenly from the corner of the corridor a man stepped forth
holding a petition. The prince asked him to present it later when he was
not busy. During the meal William was as usual very cheerful; but his
wife seemed to have a premonition of danger. She spoke to him several
times of the strange man they had met in the hall, remarking that she
had never seen a more villainous face. This did not disturb William in
the least, and at the close of the meal he led the way back along the
corridor. As he approached the staircase, without a moment’s warning the
assassin sprang forth and shot him in the breast. The prince reeled
backward a few steps and fell into the arms of his wife. A few minutes
later the founder of Dutch liberty had passed into history.
William the Silent was the foremost statesman of his time. He gave up
great position, vast wealth, and at last his life, to rescue the
Netherlands from the tyrannical power of Spain; and he had the
satisfaction of knowing before he died that the cause for which he had
suffered so much would succeed.
His murderer, Balthazar Gerard, was executed by having the flesh torn
from his body with redhot pincers.
[Illustration: STREET SCENE, AMSTERDAM]
_HOLLAND_
_Amsterdam_