Philipp Wilhelm (Orange)
Philipp Wilhelm von Oranien-Nassau (born December 19, 1554 in Buren ; † February 20, 1618 in Brussels ) was Prince of Orange , Count of Nassau , Katzenelnbogen , Vianden , Büren , Leerdam , Baron von Breda and Vrijheer von Jaarsveld etc.
Life
Childhood and youth
Philipp Wilhelm was the eldest son of Wilhelm I of Orange and his first wife Anna of Egmond (1533–1558). He was named after his father and after King Philip II. He and his sister Maria were to remain the only children of this marriage. After the early death of his mother, he inherited the county of Büren. He and his sister were placed in the care of the Dutch governor Maria of Hungary .
In 1566 he began his studies at the University of Leuven , where he was visited by the Spanish governor Alba , which is why it was believed that their relationship was friendly. A year later, his father fled the terror of the Duke of Alba in the Netherlands after he had arrested Counts Egmond and Horn . Accompanied by his daughter Maria, he traveled to the relatives in Dillenburg, pretending to have a family reunion . Philipp Wilhelm stayed in Leuven because his father believed the young prince was safe here.
Hostage in Spain
On the advice of Cardinal Granvella , Philipp Wilhelm was removed from the Netherlands on February 14, 1568 and brought to Spain. His father's protests at Alba and Emperor Maximilian II remained fruitless.
In the spring of 1568 he arrived in Spain and was allowed to continue his studies here at the University of Alcalá de Henares . Philipp Wilhelm soon spoke six languages fluently. Obviously he was allowed to hunt, dance and have lovers here too. Although he was not allowed to have contact with his family, he had managed to secretly write to his father a few times. After this correspondence became apparent, Philipp Wilhelm was brought to Arévalo under somewhat stricter, but still permissive, conditions. Philipp Wilhelm was loyal to the Spanish king, whom he was also allowed to visit in the Escorial.
He was succeeded as Prince of Orange in 1584 after the murder of his father. His half-brother Moritz von Orange took over as governor of the Netherlands , while his sister Maria managed the maternal property and sent him an annual sum of money.
In 1595, Philipp Wilhelm Archduke Albrecht was allowed to accompany the new Governor General to the Netherlands. He was released from custody at Arévalo Castle on September 4, 1595.
Return to the Netherlands
On February 11, 1596, he reached Brussels with the Archduke and after 28 years returned to the Netherlands, where he was still subject to Spanish conditions. First he supported Archduke Albrecht in his attack on Calais . Without the knowledge of her half-brother Moritz, the prince met his sister for the first time in Kleve .
In 1598 he met stepmother Louise de Coligny in Paris, who gained influence over him and brought him away from Spain, closer to France and also proposed a French marriage project. He later married Éléonore de Bourbon-Condé (1587–1619), the daughter of Prince Heinrich de Condé , in 1606 , which led to resentment with Archduke Albrecht. The marriage was happy but remained childless.
After Moritz had defeated Archduke Albrecht in the Battle of Nieuwpoort in 1600, Philipp Wilhelm remained in his service. The relationship of the half-brothers also suffered from the dispute over the paternal inheritance. It was not until 1609 that King Henry IV of France was able to reconcile them. In return, Philipp Wilhelm successfully mediated between Moritz and his sister Emilia . Heinrich IV also guaranteed Philipp Wilhelm full sovereignty for his principality of Orange.
Philipp Wilhelm died in 1618 without an heir. According to Philipp Wilhelm's last will, his brother Moritz became Prince of Orange.
literature
- Johan Brouwer: Philips Willem. De Spaansche Prins van Oranje. Thieme, Zutphen 1940.
- Adriaan Willem Eliza Dek: De afstammelingen van Juliana van Stolberg tot aan het jaar van de Vrede van Munster. In: Mirror of History. Vol. 3, No. 7/8, 1968, ZDB -ID 428272-3 , pp. 225-304.
- Josephus Lodewijk Johannes van de Kamp: Nog een tak afstammelingen van Willem de Zwijger. In: De nederlandsche Leeuw. Vol. 74, No. 9, September 1957, ISSN 0028-226X , Col. 266-287.
- Olaf Mörke : Wilhelm von Oranien (1533–1584). Prince and "father" of the republic (= Kohlhammer-Urban-Taschenbücher 609). Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-17-017669-0 .
- Pieter Lodewijk Muller : Philipp Wilhelm, Prince of Orange . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 26, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1888, p. 15 f.
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Wilhelm I. |
Prince of Orange 1584–1618 |
Moritz |
| Wilhelm I. |
Count of Vianden Lord of Breda (confiscated from Spain until 1604) 1584–1618 |
Moritz |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Philipp Wilhelm |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Philips Willem |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prince of Orange |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 19, 1554 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Boers |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 20, 1618 |
| Place of death | Brussels |