OC Mag 01-22

and legend are repeated in books, songs
and more.
The 11 provinces of the Netherlands
were united in 1648. There are now 12.
While Holland has been invaded — Napoleon
did so in the early 19th century,
declaring it the Kingdom of Holland
and placing his brother Louis Bonaparte
on the throne — and the Nazis did so
during World War II, it has maintained
itself as a free and independent nation.
It became a constitutional monarchy in
1815.
Four wives, 16 children
William the Silent was married four
times. His first wife, Anne of Egmont
and Buren, died in 1588. They had
three children, two of whom survived
into adulthood.
He then married Anne of Saxony,
in 1861, but that unhappy marriage
— she was described as “ugly and illtempered”
— is considered to have
been a political arrangement. It ended
when she left him for another man and
William had her declared insane. They
had five children, with three surviving
to adulthood.
In 1575, he married Charlotte de
Bourbon, a French princess and a runaway
nun. This was reportedly the happiest
union of his life. The couple had
six daughters, all of whom survived
childhood, which was remarkable, even
for wealthy families, in that era. Charlotte
grew ill caring for him after the
first assassination attempt and died.
William then married Louise
de Coligny, in 1584. They
had one son.
William had 16 children
in his four marriages, along
with one illegitimate son
whom he officially recognized
and had educated. That son,
Justinus van Nassau, would become
an admiral in the Dutch fleet.
Three of his four sons from his marriages
survived to adulthood.
His son Phillip William — named
in an effort to garner favor from King
Philip II — was taken to Spain to be educated
and never saw his father again.
He later served a ceremonial role in
Breda and was called the prince of Orange,
but had no real authority.
William’s son Maurice — not to be
confused with his brother Maurice August
Philip, who died as an infant —
was considered a great military leader.
His brother Frederick Henry followed
with further successes and ushered
in the Golden Age of the Netherlands,
when it was a mighty world
power.
William the Silent’s grandson William
III was king of England, Ireland
and Scotland. He was known as William
II in Scotland.
The Eighty Years War came to an
end on Jan. 30, 1648, with the Peace
of Münster, a treaty between the Netherlands
and Spain. It was part of the
Peace of Westphalia, which also ended
the bloody Thirty Years War, as the
Holy Roman Empire had been torn
apart, with up to 8 million people dying
in the conflicts.
The Netherlands’ rulers today can
trace their ancestry to William the Silent.
King Willem-Alexander, the first
male heir born to the royal family since
WILLIAM THE
SILENT’S 16
CHILDREN
William had a total of 16 children
with five different women (four
wives, one mistress). All 16 received
traditional first names, but four of
his daughters were given locationinspired
middle names — symbols of
the political alliances between William
and countries and regions.
Maria (born in 1553)
Philip William, (b. 1554)
Maria (b. 1556)
Justinus (b. 1559)
Anna (b. 1562)
Anna (b. 1563)
Maurice August Philip (b. 1564)
Maurice (b. 1567)
Emilia (b. 1569)
Louise Juliana (b. 1576)
Elisabeth (b. 1577)
Catharina Belgica (b. 1578)
Charlotte Flandrina (b. 1579)
Charlotte Brabantina (b. 1580)
Emilia Antwerpiana (b. 1581)
Frederick Henry (b. 1584)
1851, served as prince of Orange-Nassau
until he was crowned in 2013 after
his mother Beatrix abdicated.
He and his wife Queen Maxima have
three daughters: Princess Catharina-
Amalia (the princess of Orange), Princess
Alexia and Princess Ariane.
The king and queen visited Iowa on
Sept. 3, 2014, when King Willem-Alexander
cut a ribbon at the grand opening
of a cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg.
It’s a joint project of Royal DSM,
which is based in the Netherlands, and
POET, which is headquartered in Sioux
Falls, SD.
12 OC MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022