OC Mag 01-22

TEXT BY TOM LAWRENCE | PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Prince of
Orange
Orange City named
for national hero
of the Netherlands
He was a man of many names.
Willem van Oranje, or William
of Orange, is considered
the greatest hero in Dutch history.
He also was known as William II or
William I of Nassau-Orange, Willem de
Zwijger, William the Silent and William
the Taciturn, Dutch Willem, Dutprins
van Oranje, graaf van Nassau, prince
of Orange, count of Nassau, Katzenelnbogen,
Vianden, Dietz, Buren, Lingen
and Leerdam, marquis of Veere and
Bergen op Zoom, viscount of Antwerp,
and baron of Breda, IJsselstein, Diest
and Cuyck.
He also is known as the “Father of
the Fatherland,” or Pater Patrice, “Vader
des Vaderlands” in Dutch.
While his names and titles make up
a long list, he is known for one color:
Orange. That comes from Arausio, a
Celtic water god in Gaul, now southeastern
France, where the historic city
of Orange exists.
William the Silent was born in what
is now Germany, grew rich and influential
because of lands he was deeded
in France — but he became an icon because
of his dedication and devotion to
the Netherlands.
William the Silent was not the king
of the Netherlands. He served as stadtholder,
a kind of governor who oversaw
an advisory council.
His name is honored across his land,
as well as in America. The Dutch national
anthem, “The Wilhelmus,” was
written in his honor.
Orange City, founded by Dutch immigrants
who came to N’West Iowa
from Pella, Iowa, in 1869, was named
in his honor.
Henry Hospers, Leendert Vander
Meer, Dirk Vanden Bos, and Hendrick
Jan Van De Waa were assigned to locate
fresh land for a new colony. They
found rich farmland and decided to
stake their claim on 38 sections of land.
“Here is the place!” they declared, naming
the townsite Holland and the first
community for the hero of the Netherlands.
William was known primarily as
William the Silent because he avoided
speaking on controversial topics in
public settings. He led the Dutch Revolt
against Spanish forces persecuted Protestants
in the Netherlands and limited
local input on governmental affairs.
That led to the Eighty Years War, which
lasted from 1568-1648.
“He is considered the George Washington
of the country, but even more,”
said John Buntsma of Orange City, who
will deliver a presentation on William
the Silent at the Dutch-American Heritage
Museum this year.
William was famed for his diplomatic
skills and for being of very high
character, Buntsma said. Born into a
family of modest means in the House of
Hapsburg in what is now Germany, he
was named prince of Orange, a region
in France, in 1544.
He was the founder of the House of
Orange-Nassau, and his descendants
serve as the Netherlands’ rulers, in a
constitutional monarchy, to this day.
The House of Orange was created
through political and marital unions
between royal families of that era.
Henry III of Nassau-Breda from Germany
and Claudia of Châlon-Orange
from French Burgundy married in 1515.
Their son René of Châlon was granted
control of the sovereign Principality of
Orange in 1530.
He died in 1544 and William of Nassau-Dillenburg
— yes, that’s another
name for the heroic figure — inherited
the lands and founded the House of
Orange-Nassau.
10 OC MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022