William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg
Encyclopedia
William Louis of Nassau-Dillenburg (13 March 1560, Dillenburg
, Hesse
– 13 July 1620, Leeuwarden, Netherlands
) was Count of Nassau-Dillenburg from 1606 to 1620, and stadtholder
of Friesland
, Groningen
, and Drenthe
. He was the eldest son of John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg.
William Louis served as a cavalry officer under William the Silent
. Together with his cousin (and brother-in-law) Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
, he commanded the Dutch States Army
and helped plan the military strategy of the Dutch Republic
against Spain
from 1588 to 1609.
On 25 November 1587, he married his cousin, Anna of Nassau, daughter of William the Silent
and Anna of Saxony
, and older sister of Maurice of Nassau. Anna died less than six months later on 13 June 1588, and William Louis never remarried.
He was nicknamed "Us Heit" (West Frisian
for "our father"). He died in his home, the Stadhouderlijk hof
in Leeuwarden, the city which honored him with a statue on the Gouvernment square. His body was laid to rest in the Jacobijnerkerk.
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Dillenburg
Dillenburg is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis....
, Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
– 13 July 1620, Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) was Count of Nassau-Dillenburg from 1606 to 1620, and stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
of Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
, Groningen
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
, and Drenthe
Drenthe
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...
. He was the eldest son of John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg.
William Louis served as a cavalry officer under William the Silent
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
. Together with his cousin (and brother-in-law) Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange from 1618, on the death of his eldest half brother, Philip William, Prince of Orange,...
, he commanded the Dutch States Army
Dutch States Army
The Dutch States Army was the army of the Dutch Republic. It was usually called this, because it was formally the army of the States-General of the Netherlands, the sovereign power of that federal republic...
and helped plan the military strategy of the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
against Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
from 1588 to 1609.
On 25 November 1587, he married his cousin, Anna of Nassau, daughter of William the Silent
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
and Anna of Saxony
Anna of Saxony
Anna of Saxony was the only child and heiress of Maurice, Elector of Saxony, and Agnes, eldest daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. She was the second wife of William the Silent.Anna was born and died in Dresden...
, and older sister of Maurice of Nassau. Anna died less than six months later on 13 June 1588, and William Louis never remarried.
He was nicknamed "Us Heit" (West Frisian
West Frisian language
West Frisian is a language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands. West Frisian is the name by which this language is usually known outside the Netherlands, to distinguish it from the closely related Frisian languages of Saterland Frisian and North Frisian,...
for "our father"). He died in his home, the Stadhouderlijk hof
Stadhouderlijk hof
Stadhouderlijk Hof in Leeuwarden is a former residence of the Dutch royal family and was owned by them until 1971.- History :The palace was originally built in 1564 by Boudewijn van Loo, the rentmaster-general of the Spanish king and leader of the Hof van Friesland...
in Leeuwarden, the city which honored him with a statue on the Gouvernment square. His body was laid to rest in the Jacobijnerkerk.
External links
- Biography Channel profile
- Worldroots.com entry for William Louis
- Encyclopædia Britannica entry (subscription required)
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