II
WILLIAM THE SILENT
1533-1584
Je maintiendrai
William of Orange of Nassau, or William the
Silent as he is known, was an extraordinarily interesting
man, if only from the fact that everything
about him, from his titles and his circumstances to
his character, was a contradiction. For one thing,
the name "Silent" gives quite a wrong impression
of him. It sounds as though he might have been
taciturn, shy, or difficult to get on with, but he happened
to be particularly easy and sympathetic, delightful
as a companion, and eloquent in speech. How
this misnomer came about will be related later.
William of Orange took his title from the smallest of his lands, a tiny province in France, near Avignon, of which he was the sovereign prince. He was a German count and a Flemish magnate; a Lutheran by birth, he was educated as a Catholic, but died a Calvinist. His character was just as varied and full of contrasts as his circumstances, so he interests
