William the Silent: German or Dutch?

[Visitor_22]

William the Silent, also known as 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 Nassau as Count of Nassau-Dillenburg. He became Prince of Orange in 1544 and is thereby the founder of the branch House of Orange-Nassau and the ancestor of the monarchy of the Netherlands.

He was born german (Hessen), but he fought for independence of the Netherlands... So who he really was?

[Visitor_22]

Wilhelmus van Nassouwe
ben ik, van Duitsen bloed,
den vaderland getrouwe
blijf ik tot in den dood.
Een Prinse van Oranje
ben ik, vrij, onverveerd,
den Koning van Hispanje
heb ik altijd geëerd.


Mijn schild ende betrouwen
zijt Gij, o God mijn Heer,
op U zo wil ik bouwen,
Verlaat mij nimmermeer.
Dat ik doch vroom mag blijven,
uw dienaar t'aller stond,
de tirannie verdrijven
die mij mijn hart doorwondt.
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In English:



William of Nassau, scion
Of a German and ancient line,
I dedicate undying
Faith to this land of mine.
A prince am I undaunted,
Of Orange, ever free,
To the king of Spain I've granted
A lifelong loyalty.

A shield and my reliance,
O God, Thou ever wert.
I'll trust unto Thy guidance.
O leave me not ungirt.
That I may stay a pious
Servant of Thine for aye
And drive the plagues that try us
And tyranny away.
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"Duitsen" here originally was "Duytchen".


He looked very german like...

[Visitor_22]

...

[Visitor_22]

(...!)

[The Lawspeaker]

I'd say German. If we were to look at his heritage: he didn't speak Dutch, he was born in Germany and his family owned land here and there but they weren't Dutch (in fact the very titles say so: d'Orange, von Nassau. Doesn't sound very Dutch now, does it ?) But he died as the greatest patriot that ever lived.

[Rudel]

(in fact the very titles say so: d'Orange, von Nassau. Doesn't sound very Dutch now, does it ?)

Must be French, then

The notion of nationality wasn't really prevalent at the time, so the debate is inane.

[Virtuous]

Looks more Dutch to me.

[The Lawspeaker]

Must be French, then

The notion of nationality wasn't really prevalent at the time, so the debate is inane.

Probably a mixture of both French and German but it doesn't really matter all that much. There was no real concept of nationality. You had nobility on one side and regional identities (for the common folk) on the other. Most people in the 16th century considered the village three miles down the road to be alien territory. And Dutch ? There was no such thing. Every fiefdom here hated each others gut. The Hollanders vs Frisians vs Guelders vs Brabant. Forever and ever and ever. Until the Burgundians and then the Spanish came in. And then we suddenly had a common enemy.

[Wolf]

He was born german (Hessen), but he fought for independence of the Netherlands... So who he really was?

He was both because the difference between Dutch and Germans is not really ethnical. BTW, the high nobility is mostly of mixed origin.

[The Lawspeaker]

He was both because the difference between Dutch and Germans is not really ethnical. BTW, the high nobility is mostly of mixed origin.

We're all boche anyway.