Justin of Nassau
Justinus I Bastard of Nassau (* 1559 ; † June 26, 1631 in Leiden ) was a Dutch admiral.
Life
Justinus was born the illegitimate son of Prince Wilhelm of Orange and Eva Elincx (* probably 1535), the daughter of the mayor of the city of Emmerich. He was recognized as a son by William of Orange and attended Leiden University . Then he accompanied the Duke of Anjou , at whose court he received a proper education, until this made himself impossible in the Netherlands .
As a volunteer he took part in various activities, including a. against 's-Hertogenbosch and the attempt to relieve Antwerp . When the latter failed and resulted in the resignation of Lieutenant-Admiral of Zeeland , Willem Bloys van Treslong , Justinus, although still very young, was elevated to this prestigious position. Although he had no nautical experience until then, he soon knew how to become so familiar with his service that the precautions to keep the Armada and the Parma's transport fleet separate from each other were directed by him with great skill and success. He was responsible for the blockade of Flemish ports and rivers, for which he received several awards from the States General and his half-brother Moritz von Orange . In 1595 he led a small Dutch troop detachment to France to assist Henry IV and excelled in the field just as he did at sea.
With Johan van Oldenbarnevelt he was then given the mission in 1595 to counter the peace between France and Spain through an embassy in France. Here without success it had all the better in England. He participated with distinction in all of Prince Moritz's military undertakings supported by the sea, until he was dismissed after the twelve-year truce in 1609 and became governor of Breda . In this capacity he defended the fortress against Ambrogio Spinola . Only the lack of food forced him to surrender in July 1625 after a siege of eleven months. He then lived in seclusion and died on June 26, 1631.
family
Justinus von Nassau married Anna von Merode on December 4, 1597 (* January 9, 1567 - † October 8, 1634). The couple had the following children:
- Wilhelm Moritz (June 1603; † 1638) ⚭ September 13, 1631 Maria van Aerssen van Sommelsdijk († 1641)
- Luise Henriette (* 1604; † between 1637 and 1645) ⚭ February 27, 1632 Sir Henri Philip Herbert († 1644)
- Philipp (* 1605; † between 1672 and 1676) ⚭ 1630 Anna Margaretha van Cortembach († 1662)
literature
- Pieter Lodewijk Muller: Justinus . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1881, p. 759.
- Petra Groen, Adri van Vliet, Militaire Geschiedenis van Nederland - De Tachtigjarige Oorlog (1568-1648). Van Opstand naar regulations oorlog. Amsterdam: Boom 2013
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Justin of Nassau |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Justinus I bastard of Nassau |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch admiral |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1559 |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 26, 1631 |
| Place of death | Suffer |