Philip William, Prince of Orange (1554 – 1618). He was the eldest son of William the Silent by his first wife Anna van Egmond en Buren. Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1599. Prince of Orange in 1584.
When William the Silent ignored Alva's summons to return to Brussels, remaining in Germany. Philip William, only a boy of 13, was studying at the university at Leuven. He was seized and taken to Spain partly as a hostage, but especially to be raised as a good catholic and loyal subject.
Philip William was sent to Spain in February 1568, resuming his education at the university of Alcalá de Henares. He remained in Spain until 1596 when he returned to the south Netherlands. His interests in the Dutch Republic were vigorously defended by his sister, Maria of Nassau, against his half-brother Maurice of Nassau who contested his brother's right to the barony and city of Breda.
In 1606 Philip William was recognized in the Republic as lord of Breda and Steenbergen, and his right to appoint magistrates was acknowledged, provided he did so maintaining the "Union and the Republic religion". He duly made his ceremonial entry into his town of Breda in July 1610 and from then until his death, regularly appointed the magistrates in his lordship. Though he restored Catholic services in the castle of Breda, he did not try to challenge the ascendancy of the Reformed Church in the city.
References
- The Dutch Republic. Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477-1806, Jonathan I. Israel, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1998 ISBN 0-19-820734-4. Pages 298-300.
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