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William the Silent

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Historical figures

   William I (William the Silent).
   Enlarge
   William I (William the Silent).

   William I of Orange- Nassau ( April 24, 1533 – July 10, 1584), also
   widely known as William the Silent (Dutch: Willem de Zwijger), was born
   in the House of Nassau, and became Prince of Orange in 1544. He 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.

   A wealthy nobleman, William originally served at the court of the
   Spanish regent. Unhappy with the lack of political power for the local
   nobility and the Spanish persecution of Dutch Protestants, William
   joined the Dutch uprising and turned against his former masters. The
   most influential and politically capable of the rebels, he led the
   Dutch to several military successes in the fight against the Spanish.
   Declared an outlaw by the Spanish king in 1580, he was assassinated by
   Balthasar Gérard (also written as 'Gerardts') in Delft at a time when
   William's popularity was waning.

   There are several explanations for the origin of this nickname "William
   the Silent". The most common one is that he rarely spoke out clearly on
   controversial matters at the court or in public, or (by some accounts)
   even completely avoided speaking about such topics.

   In the Netherlands, he is also known as the Vader des vaderlands,
   "Father of the fatherland", and the Dutch national anthem, the
   Wilhelmus, was written in his honour.

   On April 13, 2005, an online searchable archive of his complete (known)
   correspondence was made publicly accessible by Het Instituut voor
   Nederlandse Geschiedenis (ING), the Institute for Dutch History.

Early life

   A picture of William of Orange in his years at the court in Brussels.
   Enlarge
   A picture of William of Orange in his years at the court in Brussels.

   William was born in the castle of Dillenburg in Nassau, present-day
   Germany. He was the eldest son of William, Count of Nassau and Juliana
   of Stolberg-Werningerode, and was raised a Lutheran. He had four
   younger brothers and seven younger sisters: John, Hermanna, Louis,
   Mary, Anna, Elisabeth, Katharine, Juliane, Magdalene, Adolf and Henry.

   When his cousin, René of Châlon, Prince of Orange, died childless in
   1544, the eleven-year-old William inherited all Châlon's property,
   including the title Prince of Orange and vast estates in the
   Netherlands (present-day Netherlands and Belgium). Because of his young
   age, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V served as the regent of the
   principality until William was fit to rule. However, Charles V demanded
   that William receive a Roman Catholic education. William was sent to
   Brussels to study under the supervision of Maria of Austria, the sister
   of Charles V and regent of the Habsburg Netherlands ( Seventeen
   Provinces). In Brussels, he was taught foreign languages and received
   military and diplomatic education.

   On 6 July 1551, he married Anna van Egmond en Buren, the wealthy heir
   to the lands of her father, and William earned the titles Lord of
   Egmond and Count of Buren. They had three children:
    1. Maria (1553 – 1554);
    2. Philip-William (1554 – 1618); and
    3. Maria (1556 – 1616).

   Later that same year, William was appointed captain in the cavalry.
   Favoured by Charles V, he made quick promotions, and became commander
   of one of the Emperor's armies at age 22. He was made a member of the
   Raad van State, the highest political advisory council in the
   Netherlands ^1 in 1555; the same year Charles abdicated in favour of
   his son, Philip II of Spain.

   His wife Anna died on March 24, 1558. Later, William of Orange had a
   brief relationship with one Eva Elincx, leading to the birth of their
   illegitimate son, Justinus van Nassau: William of Orange officially
   recognised him and took responsibility of his education - Justinus
   would become an admiral in his later years.

   In 1559, Philip appointed William as the stadtholder (governor) of the
   provinces Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht and Burgundy, thereby greatly
   increasing his political power.

From politician to rebel

   The Battle of Heiligerlee, fought on May 23, 1568, is usually given as
   the beginning of the Eighty Years' War.
   Enlarge
   The Battle of Heiligerlee, fought on May 23, 1568, is usually given as
   the beginning of the Eighty Years' War.

   Although he never directly opposed the Spanish king, William soon
   became one of the most prominent members of the opposition in the Raad
   van State, together with Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn and
   Lamoral, Count of Egmont. They were mainly seeking more political power
   for the Dutch nobility, and complained that too many Spaniards were
   involved in governing the Netherlands.

   William was also dissatisfied with the increasing persecution of
   Protestants in the Netherlands. Brought up as both a Lutheran and later
   a Catholic, William was very religious but still was a proponent of
   freedom of religion for all people. The inquisition policy in the
   Netherlands, carried out by Cardinal Granvelle, prime minister to the
   new regent Margaret of Parma ( 1522- 1583) (natural half-sister to
   Philip II), increased opposition to the Spanish rule among the – then
   mostly Catholic – population of the Netherlands.

   On 25 August 1561, William of Orange married for the second time. His
   new wife, Anna of Saxony, is described by contemporaries as "ugly and
   ill-tempered", and it is generally assumed that William married her to
   gain more influence in Saxony, Hesse and the Palatine. The couple had
   five children:
    1. Anna (1562);
    2. Anna (1563 – 1588);
    3. Maurice August Philip (1564 – 1566);
    4. Maurice (1567 – 1625); and
    5. Emilia (1569 – 1629).

   In early 1565, a large group of lesser noblemen, including William's
   younger brother Louis, formed the Confederacy of Noblemen. On 5 April,
   they offered a petition to Margaret of Austria, requesting an end to
   the persecution of Protestants. From August to October 1566, a wave of
   iconoclasm (known as the Beeldenstorm) spread through the Low
   Countries. Calvinists, angry with their being persecuted by the Roman
   Catholic Church and opposed to the Catholic images of saints (which in
   their eyes conflicted with the Second Commandment), destroyed statues
   in hundreds of churches and monasteries throughout the Netherlands.
   Statue of William in The Hague.
   Enlarge
   Statue of William in The Hague.

   Following the Beeldenstorm, unrest in the Netherlands grew, and
   Margaret agreed to grant the wishes of the Confederacy, provided the
   noblemen would help to restore order. She also allowed more important
   noblemen, including William of Orange, to assist the Confederacy. In
   late 1566, and early 1567, it became clear that the regent would not be
   allowed to fulfill her promises, and when several minor rebellions
   failed, many Calvinists (the major Protestant denomination) and
   Lutherans fled the country. Following the announcement that Philip II,
   unhappy with the situation in the Netherlands, would dispatch his loyal
   general Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba (also known as "The
   Iron Duke") to restore order, William retreated to his native Nassau.
   He had been (financially) involved with several of the rebels.

   After his arrival in August 1567, Alba established the Council of
   Troubles (known to the people as the Council of Blood) to judge those
   involved with the rebellion and the iconoclasm. William was one of the
   10,000 to be summoned before the Council, but he failed to appear. He
   was subsequently declared an outlaw, and his properties were
   confiscated.

   As one of the most prominent and popular politicians of the
   Netherlands, William of Orange emerged as the leader of an armed
   resistance. He financed the Watergeuzen, refugee Protestants who formed
   bands of corsairs and raided the coastal cities of the Netherlands
   (often killing Spanish and Dutch alike). He also raised an army,
   consisting mostly of German mercenaries to fight Alba on land. Led by
   his brother Louis, the army invaded the northern Netherlands in 1568.
   On 23 May, the army won the Battle of Heiligerlee against a Spanish
   army led by the stadtholder of the northern provinces, Jean de Ligne,
   Duke of Aremberg. Aremberg was killed in the battle, as was William's
   brother Adolf. Alba countered by killing a number of convicted noblemen
   (including the Counts of Egmont and Hoorn on 6 June), and then by
   leading an expedition to Groningen. There, he annihilated Louis's
   forces in the Battle of Jemmingen on 21 July, although Louis managed to
   escape. These two battles are now considered to be the start of the
   Eighty Years' War.

War

   The so-called Prinsenvlag (Prince's flag), based on the colours in the
   coat of arms of William of Orange was used by the Dutch rebels, and
   forms the basis of the current flag of the Netherlands.
   Enlarge
   The so-called Prinsenvlag (Prince's flag), based on the colours in the
   coat of arms of William of Orange was used by the Dutch rebels, and
   forms the basis of the current flag of the Netherlands.

   William responded by leading a large army into Brabant, but Alba
   carefully avoided a confrontation, expecting the army to fall apart
   quickly. He proved to be right, as William lacked the money to support
   the army. William made several more plans to invade in the next few
   years, but little came of it, lacking support and money. He remained
   popular with the public, partially through an extensive propaganda
   campaign through pamphlets. One of his most important claims, with
   which he attempted to justify his actions, was that he was not fighting
   the rightful owner of the land, the Spanish king, but only the
   inadequate rule of the foreign regents in the Netherlands, and the
   presence of foreign soldiers.

   On April 1, 1572 a band of Watergeuzen captured the city of Brielle,
   which had been left unattended by the Spanish garrison. Contrary to
   their normal "hit and run" tactics, they occupied the town and claimed
   it for the prince. This event was followed by other cities in opening
   their gates for the Watergeuzen, and soon most cities in Holland and
   Zeeland were in the hands of the rebels, notable exceptions being
   Amsterdam and Middelburg. The rebel cities then called a meeting of the
   Staten Generaal (which they were technically unqualified to do), and
   reinstated William as the stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland.

   Concurrently, rebel armies captured cities throughout the entire
   country, from Deventer to Mons. William himself then advanced with his
   own army and marched into several cities in the south, including
   Roermond and Leuven. William had counted on intervention from the
   French Protestants ( Huguenots) as well, but this plan was thwarted
   after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre on 24 August, which signalled
   the start of a wave of violence against the Huguenots. After a
   successful Spanish attack on his army, William had to flee and he
   retreated to Enkhuizen, in Holland. The Spanish then organised
   countermeasures, and sacked several rebel cities, sometimes massacring
   their inhabitants, such as in Mechelen or Zutphen. They had more
   trouble with the cities in Holland, where they took Haarlem after seven
   months and a loss of 8,000 soldiers, and they had to give up their
   siege of Alkmaar.

   In 1574, William's armies won several minor battles, including several
   naval encounters. The Spanish, now lead by Don Luis de Zúñiga y
   Requesens who succeeded Alva in 1573, also had their successes, and
   their decisive victory in the Battle of Mookerheyde on 14 April cost
   the lives of two of William's brothers, Louis and Henry. Requesens's
   armies also besieged the city of Leiden. They broke up their siege when
   nearby dykes were cut by the Dutch. William was very content with the
   victory, and established the University of Leiden, the first university
   in the Northern Provinces.

   William married for the third time on 24 April 1575. He had his
   previous marriage legally disbanded in 1571, on claims of insanity of
   his wife Anna. Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier, a former French nun,
   was also popular with the public. Together, they had six daughters:
    1. Louise Juliana (1576 – 1644), married to Frederick IV, Elector
       Palatine;
    2. Elisabeth (1577 – 1642), married to Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne,
       vicomte de Turenne, duc de Bouillon;
    3. Catherina Belgica (1578 – 1648); married to Count Philipp Ludwig II
       of Hanau-Muenzenberg
    4. Charlotte Flandrina (1579 – 1640);
    5. Charlotte Brabantia (1580 – 1631); and
    6. Amelia Antwerpiana (1581 – 1657).

   After failed peace negotiations in Breda in 1575, the war lingered on.
   Things looked bright for the rebels when Don Requesens died
   unexpectedly in early 1576, and a large group of Spanish soldiers, not
   having received their salary in months, deserted. While the new regent,
   Don John of Austria, arrived, William of Orange managed to have most of
   the provinces and cities sign the Pacification of Ghent, in which they
   declared to fight for the expulsion of Spanish troops together.
   However, he failed to achieve unity in matters of religion. Catholic
   cities and provinces would not allow freedom for Calvinists, and vice
   versa.

   When Don John signed the Perpetual Edict in February 1577, promising to
   comply with the conditions of the Pacification of Ghent, it seemed that
   the war had been decided in favour of the rebels. However, after Don
   John took the city of Namur in 1577, the uprising spread throughout the
   entire Netherlands. Don John attempted to negotiate peace, but the
   prince intentionally let the negotiations fail. On 24 September 1577,
   he made his triumphal entry in the capital Brussels.

   At the same time, Calvinist revolters grew more radical, and attempted
   to forbid Catholicism in their areas of control. William was opposed to
   this both for personal and political reasons. He desired freedom of
   religion, and he also needed the support of the less radical
   Protestants and Catholics to reach his political goals. On 6 January
   1579, several southern provinces, unhappy with William's radical
   following, sealed the Treaty of Arras, in which they agreed to accept
   their regent, Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma (who had succeeded Don
   John).

   Five northern provinces, later followed by most cities in Brabant and
   Flanders, then signed the Union of Utrecht on 23 January, confirming
   their unity. William was initially opposed to the Union, as he still
   hoped to unite all provinces. Nevertheless, he formally gave his
   support on 3 May. The Union of Utrecht would later become a de facto
   constitution, and would remain the only formal connection between the
   Dutch provinces until 1795.

Declaration of independence

   The Duke of Anjou, who had been attracted by William as the new
   sovereign of the Netherlands, was hugely unpopular with the public.
   Enlarge
   The Duke of Anjou, who had been attracted by William as the new
   sovereign of the Netherlands, was hugely unpopular with the public.

   In spite of the renewed union, the Duke of Parma was successful in
   reconquering most of the southern part of the Netherlands. Because he
   had agreed to remove the Spanish troops from the provinces under the
   Treaty of Arras, and because Philip II needed them in Spain's war with
   Portugal, the Duke of Parma was unable to advance any further until the
   end of 1581.

   In the mean time, William and his supporters were looking for foreign
   support. The prince had already sought for French assistance on several
   occasions, and this time he managed to gain the support of François,
   Duke of Anjou, brother of king Henry III of France. On September 29,
   1580, the Staten Generaal (with the exception of Zeeland and Holland)
   signed the Treaty of Plessis-les-Tours with the Duke of Anjou. The Duke
   would gain the title "Protector of the Liberty of the Netherlands" and
   become the new sovereign. This, however, required that the Staten
   Generaal and William would let go of their formal support of the King
   of Spain, which they had maintained officially up to that moment.

   On July 22, 1581, the Staten Generaal declared their decision to no
   longer recognise Philip II as their king, in the Oath of Abjuration.
   This formal declaration of independence enabled the Duke of Anjou to
   come to the aid of the resisters. He did not arrive until February 10,
   1582, when he was officially welcomed by William in Flushing.

   On March 18, the Spaniard Juan de Jáuregui attempted to assassinate
   William in Antwerp. Although William suffered severe injuries, he
   survived thanks to the care of his wife Charlotte and his sister Mary.
   While William slowly recovered, the intensive care by Charlotte took
   its toll, and she died on May 5.

   The Duke of Anjou was not very popular with the population. In their
   view, the French were enemies, and the Duke of Anjou was not very
   concerned with the people's religious issues. The Duke was even accused
   of planning Jáuregui's failed attempt to kill the prince. The provinces
   of Zeeland and Holland refused to recognise him as their sovereign, and
   William was widely criticised for what were called his "French
   politics". When the Anjou's French troops arrived in late 1582,
   William's plan seemed to pay off, as even the Duke of Parma feared that
   the Dutch would now gain the upper hand.

   However, the Duke of Anjou himself was displeased with his limited
   power, and decided to take the city of Antwerp by force on January 18,
   1583. The citizens, who were warned in time, defended their city in
   what is known as the " French Fury". The position of Anjou after this
   attack became impossible to hold, and he eventually left the country in
   June. His leave also discredited William, who nevertheless maintained
   his support for Anjou. He stood virtually alone on this issue, and
   became politically isolated. Holland and Zeeland nevertheless
   maintained him as their stadtholder, and attempted to declare him count
   of Holland and Zeeland, thus making him the official sovereign.

   In the middle of all this, William had married for the fourth and final
   time on April 12, 1583 to Louise de Colligny, a French Huguenot and
   daughter of Gaspard de Coligny. She would be the mother of Frederick
   Henry (1584 – 1647), William's fourth legitimate son.

Assassination

   William the Silent was killed at his home by Balthasar Gérard on July
   10, 1584.
   Enlarge
   William the Silent was killed at his home by Balthasar Gérard on July
   10, 1584.

   The Catholic Frenchman Balthasar Gérard (born 1557) was a supporter of
   Philip II, and in his opinion, William of Orange had betrayed the
   Spanish king and the Catholic religion. After Philip II declared
   William an outlaw and promised a reward of 25,000 crowns for his
   assassination, which Gérard found out in 1581, he decided to travel to
   the Netherlands and kill him. He served in the army of the governor of
   Luxembourg, Peter, Count of Mansfelt for two years, hoping to get close
   to William when the armies met. This never happened, and Gérard left
   the army in 1584.

   He went to the Duke of Parma to present his plans, but the Duke was
   unimpressed. In May 1584, he presented himself to William as a French
   nobleman, and gave him the seal of the Count of Mansfelt. This seal
   would allow for forgeries of messages of Mansfelt. William sent Gérard
   back to France to pass the seal to his French allies.

   Gérard returned in July, having bought pistols on his return voyage. On
   10 July, he made an appointment with William of Orange in his home in
   Delft, nowadays known as the Prinsenhof. When he left the dining room
   and climbed down the stairs, Gérard shot him in the chest from close
   range, and fled. According to official records, his last words are said
   to have been:

          "Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, ayez pitié de moi et de ton pauvre peuple",
          which translates as "My Lord, My Lord, have pity on me and your
          poor people".

   Although commonly accepted, his last words might have been modified for
   propaganda purposes.

   Members of the Nassau family were traditionally buried in Breda, but as
   that city was in Spanish hands when William died, he was buried in the
   New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) in Delft. His grave monument was originally
   very sober, but it was replaced in 1623 by a splendid new one, made by
   Hendrik de Keyser and his son Pieter. Since then, most of the members
   of the House of Orange, including all Dutch monarchs have been buried
   in the same church. William the third, King of England and Scotland and
   Stadholder in the Netherlands was buried in Westminster Abbey

   Gérard was caught before he could flee Delft, and imprisoned. He was
   tortured before his trial on 13 July, where he was sentenced to be
   brutally—even by the standards of that time—killed. The magistrates
   sentenced that the right hand of Gérard should be burned off with a
   red-hot iron, that his flesh should be torn from his bones with pincers
   in six different places, that he should be quartered and disemboweled
   alive, that his heart should be torn from his bosom and flung in his
   face, and that, finally, his head should be cut off.

Legacy

   A statue of William of Orange in The Hague. His finger originally
   pointed towards the Binnenhof, but the statue has since been moved. A
   similar statue stands in Voorhees Mall on the campus of Rutgers
   University.
   Enlarge
   A statue of William of Orange in The Hague. His finger originally
   pointed towards the Binnenhof, but the statue has since been moved. A
   similar statue stands in Voorhees Mall on the campus of Rutgers
   University.

   At the suggestion of Johan van Oldenbarneveldt, William's eldest son
   from his first marriage, to Anna of Egmond, Phillip William, succeeded
   him as Prince of Orange. Phillip William died in Brussels on February
   20, 1618 and was succeeded by his half-brother Maurice, the eldest son
   from William's second marriage, to Anna of Saxony, who became Prince of
   Orange. A strong military leader, he won several victories over the
   Spanish. Van Oldenbarneveldt managed to sign a very favourable
   twelve-year armistice in 1609, although Maurice was unhappy with this.
   Maurice was a heavy drinker and died on April 23, 1625 from liver
   disease. Maurice had several sons with Margaretha van Mechelen, but he
   never married her. So, Frederick Henry, Maurice's half-brother (and
   William's youngest son from his fourth marriage, to Louise de Coligny)
   inherited the title of Prince of Orange. Frederick Henry, continued the
   battle against the Spanish. Frederick Henry died on March 14, 1647 and
   is buried with his father William "The Silent" in Nieuwe Kerk, Delft^
   The Netherlands became formally independent after the Peace of
   Westphalia in 1648.

   The son of Frederick Henry, William II of Orange succeeded his father
   as stadtholder, as did his son, William III of Orange. The latter also
   became King of England and King of Scotland. Although he was married to
   Mary II, Queen of Scotland and England for 17 years, he died childless
   in 1702. He appointed his cousin Johan Willem Friso (William's
   great-great-great-grandson) as his successor. Because Albertine Agnes,
   a daughter of Frederick Henry, married William Frederik of
   Nassau-Dietz, the present royal house of the Netherlands descends from
   William the Silent through the female line. See House of Orange for a
   more extensive overview.

   As the chief financer and political and military leader of the early
   years of the Dutch revolt, William is considered a national hero in the
   Netherlands, even though he was born in Germany, and usually spoke
   French. Many of the Dutch national symbols can be traced back to
   William of Orange:
     * The flag of the Netherlands (red, white and blue) is derived from
       the flag of the prince, which was orange, white and blue.
     * The coat of arms of the Netherlands is based on that of William of
       Orange. Its motto Je maintiendrai (French, "I will maintain") was
       also used by William of Orange, who based it on the motto of his
       cousin René of Châlon, who used Je maintiendrai Châlon.
     * The national anthem of the Netherlands, the Wilhelmus was
       originally a propaganda song for William. It was probably written
       by Philips van Marnix, lord of Sint-Aldegonde, a supporter of
       William of Orange.
     * The national colour of the Netherlands is orange, and it is used,
       among other things, in clothing of Dutch athletes.
     * The Prussian Order of the Black Eagle was in honour of the Dutch
       Dynasty of William the Silent.

   In 2004 he ended second place in the election of De Grootste
   Nederlander (The Greatest Dutchman). Pim Fortuyn ended first place.
   However, this was a controversial result. The final being between the
   top 2 (of which Fortuyn listed highest) being broadcast on the last
   evening. The rules allowed people who voted for other favourites to
   change their vote on this evening. However, when many people did this,
   the mechanisms to prevent voting fraud dramatically delayed counting of
   the votes. As the vast majority of last evening votes, that were
   submitted timely but counted too late, were in favour of William it was
   discovered later that Fortuyn received only 130,000 votes and William
   of Orange 161,000. The Dutch tv channel KRO, who organised the
   election, wanted to respect their stated procedure, that only votes
   counted at the end of the broadcast determined the winner (although
   their own faulty technology caused the problem in the first place).

Issue

                           Name Birth Death Notes
   By Anna of Egmond (married 6 July 1551; b. est 1534, d. 24 March 1558)
   Gräfin Maria von Nassau 22 Nov 1553 After 23 Jul 1555 Died in infancy,
                                  no issue
      Phillip William, Prince of Orange 19 Dec 1554 20 Feb 1618 married
                        Eleanor of Bourbon, no issue
   Gräfin Maria von Nassau 7 Feb 1556 10 Oct 1616 married Graf Philipp zu
                    Hohenlohe-Neuenstein, one male child
   By Anna of Saxony (married 25 August 1561 annulled 1571; b. 23 December
                            1544, d. 18 Dec 1577)
      Gräfin NN von Nassau 1 Nov 1562 unknown never married, no issue
     Gräfin Anna von Nassau 5 Nov 1563 13 Jun 1588 married Graf Wilhelm
                        Ludwig von Nassau-Dillenburg
    Graf Maurice August Phillip von Nassau 18 Dec 1564 8 Dec 1566 Died in
                              infancy, no issue
      Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange 13 Nov 1567 23 Apr 1625 never
                                   married
   Gräfin Emilia of Nassau 10 Apr 1569 16 Mar 1629 married Don Emanuel of
                            Portugal, 10 children
   By Charlotte of Bourbon (married 24 April 1575; b. about 1546, d. 5 May
                                    1582)
    Gräfin Louise Juliana of Nassau 31 March 1576 15 March 1644 married
                          Frederick IV, 3 children?
      Gräfin Elisabeth of Nassau 1577 1642 married to Henri de La Tour
                                 d'Auvergne
   Gräfin Catherina Belgica 1578 1648 married to Count Phillip Ludwig II
                        Charlotte Flandrina 1579 1640
                        Charlotte Brabantia 1580 1631
                        Amelia Antwerpiana 1581 1657
     By Louise de Coligny (married 24 April 1583; b. 23 Sep 1555, d. 13
                               November 1620)
    Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange, Graf von Nassau b. 29 Jan 1584 d.
     14 Mar 1647 married to Gräfin Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, father of
    William II and grandfather of William III, King of England, Scotland,
                 Ireland and Stadtholder of the Netherlands

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