William of Orange

William of Orange was born into a noble German family - the Nassaus. When he was eleven, he inherited the principality of Orange and entered the court of King Charles V. He was so popular with the king that when he abdicated, the king leaned on William's shoulder. To his son and successor Philip II, the king said: 'Keep this young man in honour, he can be your most valuable adviser and support'. No one suspected then that William and Philip would become arch-enemies

In time, Philip II appointed William of Orange as stadholder of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht. As he climbed the social ladder, however, William's aversion to Philip II also increased. This was because the king wanted to forcibly create one big European state, with Roman Catholicism as its only religion. William, on the other hand, fought for freedom of religious practice.

Protestants in the Low Countries were increasingly harshly oppressed. The conflict reached a climax and William had to flee with his family to Germany in April 1567. From there, he attacked the Spanish ruler with an army he had gathered, despite being a Roman Catholic himself. However, he failed to halt Philip II's advance.

On 15 March 1580 the king declared William of Orange an outlaw. Several attempts on his life were made. He spent the last period of his life in Delft, in what is now the Prinsenhof. There he felt relatively safe. However, the Frenchman Balthasar Gerards managed to enter and fatally shot him from a short distance. His last words (spoken in French, according to legend), were: 'My God, My God, have mercy on me and on this poor people.'

Normally, William of Orange would have been buried in Breda were it not for the fact that this city was occupied by the Spaniards. So, he was buried in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft. Since then, all members of the Dutch Royal House find their final resting place here.