 |
| Royal Coat of Arms of the Netherlands |
Originally attributed to William the Silent, Prince of Orange and Nassau who later became William I, Stadholder of the Netherlands in the 16th century, this motto appears on the family crest containing symbolic elements of political power that have evolved over the last 500 years.
These symbols include the three lions, referred to as the Dutch lions which represent power, and the sword which suggests the means by which the Dutch achieved their sovereignty.
Considered one of the most important in a long line of Dutch kings, William the Silent (1533 - 1584) was born in Germany but was assassinated in Delft, Holland.
 |
| Adriaen Thomasz. Key Portrait of William I, Prince of Orange c. 1579, oil on panel 48 x 35 cm Rijksmuseum |
Before he was murdered, he led the Dutch revolt against Spain, a country which had colonized the region under the Hapsburg Empire. It was during Philip II's reign that the colossel battle between Spain and Holland, between Catholic and Protestant, came to a head.
Because William the Silent led the rebellion, which began in 1568, and unified the northern and southern regions of Holland, he is often referred to as De Vader des Vaderlands, the Father of the Fatherlands.
It took another 80 years but the revolt he had begun finally achieved an independent Dutch republic in 1648. Protestant Holland was victorious.
Unfortunately for William I, he was assassinated in the early days of the rebellion after Philip II sent a killer to Het Prinsenhof in Delft, William's court in Zuid-Holland.
On 16 January, just a few days after arriving in The Netherlands, Hope and I went to Het Prinsenhof in Delft.
 |
| Wheel lock pistol and key c. 1570 on loan from Stichting Hulp aan Delftse Jongeren, voorheen Het Meisjeshuis |
Today it is a museum containing objects related to the House of Orange-Nassau. Some of those objects include the weapon that the assassin used to kill William I.
This assassin has a name: Balthasar Gérard was a French Catholic who admired Philip II and despised William I for his revolt against Hapsburg authority.
After presenting himself as a Protestant nobleman who had fled from France, Gérard used this handgun on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 10, 1584.
William I had just finished lunch and was stepping out of the dining hall when Gérard fired. Two of the bullets passed through William's body, striking the wall behind him. Today those bullet holes are memorialized behind a plate of plastic and a plaque cemented into the wall.
In 1565, nearly twenty years before he was murdered, William I explained the motto which appears on the family crest. His explanation was originally written in a letter in French -- which was the language of power at the time -- but here's a translation into English: "I will maintain the virtue and nobility; I will maintain the majesty of my name; I will uphold the honor, the faith and the law of God, of the King, of my friend and me."
I may not be a king. I may not have a family name to uphold. But I do respect William's steadfast resolve and so will claim it as my own. It is with this kind of strength of mind and spirit that I reject the flu and declare: I will maintain.
And with that, we are off to Belgium.
No comments:
Post a Comment