Maurice of Nassau
Main question: Why was Maurice important in the golden age???
-How did he become important( his youth??)?
-which wars did he fight???
-what was the time and cause of death???
Table of content,
1. Introduction
2. The Old Times
3. Wars…
4. Last Years
5. Summary/Conclusion
]
Introduction,
Why chose I Maurice?
I chose Maurice because I think there is lots of information I can find about him and I want to know more things about his life. This essay will be based on the main question; Why was Maurice important in the golden age? I’ll divide this in 3 sub questions;
How did he become important(his youth)?
Which wars did he fight?
What was the time and cause of death?
The Old Times(1567-1587)
Before Maurice of Orange was born, his father Willem was one of the rulers in the Habsburg Court in Brussels, he was one of the advisors of monarch Karel V but when his adherent Fillip II became monarch it all went different, Maurice and Fillip couldn’t get across with each other because there is a big difference between them, this was because there were 2 problems the 1st one was about the centralisation about the authority. The 2nd one was about the reformation from Luther. In the Low Lands people were Reformated but there were also a few Calvinists who didn’t want to give up their believe. But Fillips was a catholic who saw it as a mission to keep the Low Lands catholic. Fillips sent general Alva with 10000 soldiers to the Netherlands to make some disturbance. Willem didn’t wait for that army but went to Dillsburg. His oldest son stayed behind and was taken caught by Fillips, he was brought to Spain and got a Spanish childhood.
The family Nassau lived in Dillsburg. There lived Jan of Nassau and his brother Willem, sons of Willem the rich (Because of his may children). Although he was a Lutheran, he raised his child Willem catholic in the Habsburg Court. Willem would inherit all the land of Orange, that’s how he got the name of Orange. His first wife was Anna from Buren who died early. They got 2 children; Maria and Fillips Willem.
After dying of Anna, Willem married with Anna from Saksen. They didn’t married for the love but just for each other’s wealth. The first child there was Anna but she died at a young age. After her Maurice was born but also died a few days after that. The second Maurice (the stadholder) was born after that on 14 November 1567. After him another girl was born; Emilia from Nassau. Maurice’ mother couldn’t get used to the life on the quiet castle so after the birth of Emilia she went to Keulen where she had a happy life. She lived that plentiful that Willem divorced from her in 1571 (it was unusual in that time to divorce). In the same year she was taken caught and six years later, crazy as she was, she died. Maurice never saw Anna again when she left and her big sister took care of the household.
Willem turned back to the Low Lands to lead the Netherlands Revolt against Fillips. Earlier he was defeated, but when he came back in 1572 he stayed commanding officer against Spain.
Because Willem couldn’t raise Maurice (because he was at war with Spain) his brother Jan raised Maurice. That’s how he became an important person in Maurice’ life. Together with 25 other children from Jan, Maurice got on Dillsburg, Religion, French and Latin. He learned to fight, ride a horse and to jump with it, like a real noble. Later when he went together with his cousins to university. First he studied in Heidelberg in the Calvinists land Palts (nowadays Germany) and moved to the Netherlands to study in Leiden in 1582. He was living in that time with the famous humanist, philologist and historian Justus Lipsius and he learned Maurice history and mathematics. He also keeps practising riding a horse, fighting, swimming and the use of weapons.
On his 18th birthday Maurice became stadholder of Holland and Zealand. In that position he was representative of those provinces, he could appoint regents in cities and grace granted to convicts. At the same time he was given the title Prince of Orange, although that is not right: that title came to his older brother, Philip William. Though this title gave him in the low countries. After France tried to get help from England. The sovereignty wanted the English Queen Elizabeth I. Instead, she was prepared to support the rebels with money and soldiers in Exchange for control over the country by the appointment of the states general. The person working in this post became her confidant, the Englishman Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.
Dudley saw the young stadtholder as a competitor to his own authority and the relationship between them was not that well. In his role as governor general Dudley also got to do with many failures, often due to his own personality. This gave Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, since 1586 the State advocate of Holland, the chance to power the States General enlarge that that of the Englishman. Oldenbarnevelt was a civil servant who was moved up from pensionary of the city of Rotterdam, to state Attorney of Holland. Through his studies, he was able in the usually divided States General the people got in the same direction: the Dutch side. Maurice didn’t interfered with politics and focused exclusively on the leadership of the army. His first achievement was the conquest of Axel in 1586 which he led together with Philip Sidney. Dudley was also next to Governor-General Commander-in-Chief of the army. When he temporarily went to England, he was looking for a suitable substitute for Oldenbarnevelt by Holland and Zeeland paid troops. That was the young Maurice, for whom this feature was also attractive. Maurice on 24 January 1587 was Captain-General of Holland and Zeeland.
Wars…(1588-1597)
After the failed invasion of England with the Spanish Armada 1588 Invencible beat Parma in the siege of Bergen op Zoom. Because the city could not be fully enclosed, it was possible to continue to supply the city. Maurice even went talking three times on to the troops there to courage them. That it the risk of their lives was didn't bother him. A year later he could not prevent that Geertruidenberg in Spanish hands fell.
The ten years was the period of the eighty years ' war in 1588 to 1598, which under the military leadership of Maurice, and under the political leadership of Oldenbarnevelt many victories over the Spanish troops were achieved, allowing large areas to the Republic of the United Netherlands could be added. The Spanish troops were expelled from the North and East, with which supposedly, the garden of Union was closed. After this period was Maurice' reputation as a great general finally established.
In 1591 there was more financial space and the army was expanded with 3000 man so Maurice could begin his campaign in 1591. It would be most successful year of Maurice, while his army with 20000 man a piece was smaller than that of the Spanish Commander. The Duke of Parma had about 60000 men. Parma, however, his troops could not effectively bets because of mutinies. In addition, he was forced to a large number of soldiers in France in Spain, which also was at war and that for Philip, had a higher priority.
In the following year the States wanted to repeat a successful year. Every province had its own requirements as regards the cities they conquered like saw in 1592. So Friesland wanted that Maurice to Steenwijk and Coevorden went, Holland and Zeeland wanted Geertruidenberg would be conquered, and Gelderland and Overijssel would like to see Groenlo in Dutch hands. Eventually it was decided first to besiege Steenwijk, Zealand, that refused to pay. To get the strong fortress small they chose to blow up the walls, through the digging of tunnels. This w
as the first great siege where engineering played a big role.
During the siege was Maurice in his cheek touched by a deviated ball. Although it's only a flesh wound was, the States warned Maurice to caution. With this they prove how indispensable Maurice was for the Republic. After the surrender of Steenwijk, Maurice went to Coevorden. Coevorden was important, because with a conquest, the Spanish Groningen would hit isolated whereby the city could be more easily taken by people. Coevorden was also by a cousin of Maurice, Frederik van den Berg, defended. Apart from holding out and waiting for a relief army could Frederick didn't do much against the besiegers. That battle came from the North on 7 september under the leadership of Verdugo. Although the Spanish attack was a surprise for Maurice, the besiegers could easily turn Verdugo's attack. Maurice' victory would have been even greater if his army chased the fleeing Spaniards, but that was not done to not delay the siege. After 17 days of siege the city surrendered. Coevorden was the last city that was conquered in 1592.
The following year it was decided once again to undertake an attack. It was Geertruidenberg. This city located by the water was difficult to close, because it's easy to resupply. The risk of a Spanish relief army was great. For that reason the besiegers had to in addition to a statement towards the city, also a theorem from the town. Between these two objectives could the besiegers then stop. After a month lying for Geertruidenberg, a came a relief army led by Mansfeld, which followed up Parma after his death. Mansfeld has tried to get Maurice away from his army with his army, but that was to no avail. The besieged in June, after 3 months to be besieged, surrendered . The conquest had a heavy pressure on the finances and thereby found afterwards no large things more place. However, it was still tried to carry out a surprise attack on Bruges, but that was called off.
In 1594 Maurice tried to capture 's-Hertogenbosch and Maastricht through a list. A capture of a city in such a way was relatively inexpensive, though it was often the chances of success small. When both attempts failed, it was decided to take Groningen, who surrendered after a siege of two months. this was Maurice' largest city that he would conquer. Also during this siege Maurice was hit by a bullet on his shield and Maurice was again pushed by the members of the Parliament to be especially careful. After this expensive siege, they didn’t had any more money so the soldiers went to the garrison. Because of the weakness of Spain, Oldenbarnevelt tried to get Maurice to Groenlo. Maurice refused because he felt that he didn't had enough troops that he could have. Both held on to their position, which led to a small hassle.
Closure of these ten years was Maurice campaign of 1597. The campaign began with the battle of Turnhout, after which Maurice: Alphen, Radwan, Meurs, Groenlo, Oldenzaal, Enschede, Ootmarsum, Bredevoort and Lingen captured. At the end, the states general store several commemorative coins in Dordrecht. The County of Zutphen left a own currency store for Bredevoort and Groenlo. From 1597 there was also the tradition to show people the enemy captured flags in the Knight's Hall to the Hague's Binnenhof. Only by Maurice' campaign that first year all 48 banners could be placed. Some of these banners are still on display at the army museum in Delft. After this campaign was the Republic fully contiguous without Spanish enclaves North of the great rivers. During the successful Ten Years the Republic one of the European powers and while the Spaniards still wanted the Republic itself would reflect the southern Netherlands and would reconcile with the Spanish King, it seemed that at the end of the sixteenth century become unthinkable.
During the twelve years ' truce in a conflict broke out between two religious groups in the reformed church. It concerned a conflict over the interpretation of the Bible on the election that was explained by both schools of thought otherwise. The Armenians also called remonstrant, had a different interpretation than the hitherto prevailing in the Republic of the gomaristen, also called contraremonstrants. The Armenians who were among the people in the minority, but especially in Holland under the Regents, formed a majority, that got to do with resistance from the gomaristen. Thereupon they asked the help of the States of Holland to protect them. Soon degenerated this religious disagreement in a major political conflict.
Among the population and among the pastors was the majority contraremonstrants. They wanted to ban the teaching of the remonstrant. The States of Holland that for the majority of the remonstrant existed, including Oldenbarnevelt, tolerance would impose on the contraremonstrants majority. Maurice, who was still visiting the preaching of the remonstrant preacher Wtenbogaert, chose the side of the gomaristen. He wanted that there was only one flow because several currents could weaken the reformed church and with the Church also the country.
This was actually not a war but a conflict with Oldenbarnevelt
Maurice did fought way more fights this are just a few to mention that he fought a lot of wars.
Last years…(1620-1625)
Maurice in 1620 was, after the death of his cousin William Louis, appointed stadholder of Groningen and Drenthe; Friesland chose Ernst Casimir as stadholder. A year later the conflict with Spain continued. After the judicial murder on Van Oldenbarnevelt The Republic was no longer what it used to be and also Maurice defeats some important fights. Now the political leader of the country was away, it turned out that Maurice wasn’t be able to fill the void. From 1622 the health of the stadtholder began to go backwards. In 1623 someone made an attempt to kill him, devised by the sons of Johan from Oldenbarnevelt (Reinier and Willem), Claes Michielsz Bontenbal and other. The attack failed. Reinier van Oldenbarnevelt and Bontenbal were beheaded and Willem van Oldenbarnevelt fled to Brussels. At the Spanish siege of Breda in 1624 by Spinola, Maurice was powerless and refused to do something. Eventually he left because of his illness in November that year, while the siege was still ongoing, to the Hague. There he remained himself on his sickbed with Affairs of State. He died on 23 April 1625. His body was buried in the crypt of Orange-Nassau in the New Church in Delft. His half-brother Frederick Henry followed him up as stadholder and Captain-General.
Summary/Conclusion
Maurice was born at 14 November 1567, on his 18th birthday he became stadholder for the first time from Holland and Zealand. He fought many wars from 1588-1597, in all with an important role. My answer to the main question is:
Why was Maurice important in the golden age???
He was important in the Republic because he ruled a part from it he protected it well, he won may wars with the Republic and I think they were very happy with him in that time. He was important for the beginning of the Golden Age.
Sources:
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurits_van_Oranje
Book: digging deeper and Maurits van Nassau, 1567-1625 made by A.Th. van Deursen