Maurice, Prince of Orange

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For other uses, see Prince Maurits (disambiguation).

Maurice of Orange
Stadtholder of Groningen
In office
1620 – 23 April 1625
Preceded byWilliam Louis
Succeeded byErnst Casimir
Personal details
Born14 November 1567
Dillenburg, County of Nassau, Holy Roman Empire
Died23 April 1625(1625-04-23) (aged 57)
The Hague, County of Holland, Dutch Republic
Resting placeNieuwe Kerk, Delft, Netherlands
Parents

Maurice of Orange (

Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince of Orange upon the death of his eldest half-brother Philip William
in 1618, he was known as Maurice of Nassau.

Maurice spent his youth in

Dutch rebellion against Spain into a coherent, successful revolt and won fame as a military strategist. Under his leadership and in cooperation with the Land's Advocate of Holland Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, the Dutch States Army achieved many victories and drove the Spaniards out of the north and east of the Republic. Maurice set out to revive and revise the classical doctrines of Vegetius and pioneered the new European forms of armament and drill. During the Twelve Years' Truce, a religious dispute broke out in the Republic, and a conflict erupted between Maurice and Van Oldenbarnevelt, which ended with the latter's decapitation. After the Truce, Maurice failed to achieve more military victories. He died without legitimate children in The Hague in 1625 and was succeeded by his younger half-brother Frederick Henry
.

Life

Maurice was the son of

Maurice of Saxony
, who was also a noted general.

Maurice never married but was the father of illegitimate children by

Johan of Nassau
("Jan the Old"). Together with his cousin,
Dutch revolt
.

Maurice as a child

Only 16 when his father was murdered in

Friesland
).

Protestant Maurice was preceded as Prince of Orange (not a Dutch title) by his Roman Catholic eldest half-brother Philip William, Prince of Orange, deceased 1618. However, Philip William was in the custody of Spain, remaining so until 1596, and was thus unable to lead the Dutch independence cause.

William I, Prince of Orange, (assassinated 1584), to wealthy and powerful aristocrat Anna van Egmont
(1533–1558), and a contender to Maurice over the estate of their father.

He was appointed captain-general of the army in 1587, bypassing the

Earl of Leicester
, who returned to England on hearing this news.

Military career

Main article: Eighty Years' War
The Cavalcade of princes of the House of Orange and Nassau, 1. Front Row: Maurice (1567–1625), Philip William (1558–1618), Frederick Henry (1584–1647), 2. Second Row: William Louis (1560–1632), Ernst Casimir (1573–1632) und Johann Ernst. after a print by W. J. Delff (1621) after a painting from A. P. van de Venne

Maurice organized the

Ootmarsum, and Oldenzaal and closed off the year with the capture of Lingen. These victories rounded out the borders to the Dutch Republic, solidifying the revolt and allowing a national state to develop behind secure borders. They also established Maurice as the foremost general of his time. Many of the great generals of the succeeding generation, including his brother Frederick Henry and many of the commanders of the English Civil War
, learned their trade under his command.

For a series of maps showing Maurice's campaigns to extend and consolidate the borders of the Republic, see Gallery of Maps of the 80 Years War (in Dutch).

His victories in the pitched battles at

House of Orange
did not attain great respect among European royalty, as the Stadtholdership was not inheritable.

The training of his army was especially important to early modern warfare and the Military Revolution of 1560–1650. Previous generals had made use of drill and exercise in order to instill discipline or to keep the men physically fit, but for Maurice, they "were the fundamental postulates of tactics."[2]

This change affected the entire conduct of warfare, since it required the officers to train men in addition to leading them, decreased the size of the basic infantry unit for functional purposes since more specific orders had to be given in battle, and the decrease in herd behavior required more initiative and intelligence from the average soldier.[3] One major contribution was the introduction of volley fire, which enabled soldiers to compensate for the inaccuracy of their weapons by firing in a large group. It was first used in European combat at the battle of Nieuwpoort in 1600.[4]

Maurice and his followers on the Vijverberg (the Hofvijver embankment) in The Hague. Adam van Breen, 1618.

As part of his efforts to find allies against Spain, Maurice received Moroccan envoys such as

Al-Hajari. They discussed the possibility of an alliance between Holland, the Ottoman Empire, Morocco and the Moriscos, against the common enemy Spain.[5][6] Al-Hajari's journey chronicles, authored in 1637, mentions in detail the discussion for a combined offensive against Spain.[7]

Maurice was known in his time and by historians as the first general of his age. His reputation rests not as much on his ability to win and exploit field battles as it does on his expertise as a siege commander, military organizer, and innovator. Of his two great adversaries,

Ambrogio Spinola, he cautiously never allowed himself to be brought to battle with Parma and did not follow up chances to offer Spinola battle with forces in his favour on the Yssel in 1606. He was, however, dealt a defeat by the Spanish general at the battle of Mülheim in October 1605.[8] Based on his preference for sieges and small-scale actions, historian David Trim states that it is difficult to reach a verdict on his ability as a tactician.[9] Jonathan Israel notes that on one of the rare occasions when he did have to fight a major battle in the open – the 1600 Battle of Nieuwpoort – it did end with a Dutch victory, but this outcome was highly risky, and Maurice took care to extricate his army and avoid a second such battle.[10]

Maurice founded a whole new school of military professional practice. These pointed the way to the professional armies of the future by reapplying Roman tactics and innovating in the fields of logistics, training, and economics (e.g. paying troops regularly and on time). Many graduates of service under Maurice, such as his nephew, the

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, applied the Mauritian reforms to great effect in the remainder of the 17th century.[11]

Maurice and Oldenbarnevelt

Maurice disbands the waardgelders (municipal mercenary army) on the Neude (town square) in the city of Utrecht on 31 July 1618, a pivotal event in the Remonstrant/Counter-Remonstrant tensions, by Joost Cornelisz Droochsloot

Maurice started out as the protégé of Landsadvocaat (Land's Advocate, i.e. secretary to the nobility of Holland and legal counsel to the States of Holland, but functioning as de facto chief minister of Holland and the States-General) Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, but gradually tensions rose between these two men. Against Maurice's advice, and despite his protests, Van Oldenbarnevelt decided to sign the Twelve Years' Truce with Spain, which lasted from 1609 to 1621. The required funds to maintain the army and navy and the general course of the war were other topics of constant struggle.

With the religious troubles between

Senate of the Netherlands. In 1618, he also succeeded his elder half-brother Philip William as Prince of Orange
, a title he seems rarely to have used.

Maurice urged his cadet half brother

Frederick Henry to marry in order to preserve the dynasty
.

Thirty Years' and Eighty Years' War

Historian

Battle of the White Mountain
. This ill-considered decision proved disastrous to the Bohemians, who were thereby plunged into prolonged oppression, and to Frederick who lost his ancestral lands. It also worsened the Dutch Republic's own strategic position.

In 1621 the war with Spain resumed after a 12-year period of truces. The Spanish, led by

Ambrogio Spinola, had notable successes, including the Siege of Breda
, the old Nassau family residence, in 1625.

Maurice died on 23 April 1625, with the siege still underway.

Justin of Nassau
surrendered Breda in June 1625 after a costly eleven-month siege.

Maurice at the battle of Nieuwpoort, 1600. By Pauwels van Hillegaert
Janssonius

List of battles

Maurice participated in these battles as principal commander of Dutch forces:

Maurice on Horseback
Engraving of Maurice on horseback
Muarice as a General
Maurice at the height of his power
Prince Maurice of Nassau

Namesakes

  • The island nation of Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean, was named after him. The island was named in the prince's honour by Wybrant Warwijck in 1598 and Dutch emigrants first settled it in May 1638.[13]
  • In 1611, the Dutch variously named what is now known as the Hudson River the Mauritius River or the Mauritz River, in honour of the prince. It was also similarly referred to as the Nassau River.[14]

Coat of arms and titles

The coat of arms used by Maurice showing the county of Moers (top left center and bottom right center) and his mother's arms of Saxony (center)[15][16][17]

Maurice, besides being stadtholder of several provinces and Captain-General, both non-hereditary and appointive titles, was the hereditary sovereign of the principality of Orange in what is today Provence in France. He also was the lord of many other estates, which formed his wealth:

During his lifetime he kept using the arms as during his father's life-time shown here, and never changed to the simpler arms used by his father and half brothers.

Descendants

Maurice never married but was the father of several illegitimate children:

by Margaretha van Mechelen:

by Cornelia Jacobsdochter:

by Ursula de Rijck:

  • Elisabeth (1611–1679)[21]
  • Karl (Carel) (ca. 1612–1637)

by Anna van de Kelder:

  • Karl (Carel) Maurice[21]

by Deliana de Backer:

  • Eleonora (?–1673)

See also

  • Dutch Empire
    (begun during his reign, circa 1603–1605)

References

  1. ^ a b "Maurits benoemd als stadhouder, 1585". www.europeana.eu (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  2. ISBN 978-0-8133-2054-0
  3. ^ Roberts, op. cit. p. 15
  4. ^ Geoffrey Parker, "The Limits to Revolutions in Military Affairs: Maurice of Nassau, the Battle of Nieuwpoort (1600), and the Legacy", Journal of Military History (2007) 71#2 pp. 331–372.
  5. ISBN 0472110926
    . Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  6. ISBN 978-3823351733
    . Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  7. ISBN 0-41-593228-9
    . Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  8. ISBN 978-90-04-27491-4
    , p. 38.
  9. ISBN 1-135-95977-3
    , p. 825.
  10. ^ Jonathan I. Israel, The Dutch Republic, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995, Ch. 12, "The Republic becomes a Great Power".[ISBN missing]
  11. ^ Keegan, John; Wheatcroft, Andrew (2014). Who's Who in Military History: From 1453 to the Present Day. London: Routledge..[ISBN missing]
  12. ^ Israel, Jonathan I. The Dutch Republic. Clarendon Press, 1995, Ch. 21, "The Republic under siege, 1621–1628".
  13. ^ Ramerini, Marco (11 January 2014). "The Dutch on Mauritius 1638–1658, 1664–1710". Colonial Voyage. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  14. ^ Arthur G. Adams, The Hudson River Guidebook, Fordham University Press, New York, 1996, p. 10[ISBN missing]
  15. ISBN 0-15-518473-3
    .
  16. ^ Anonymous. "Wapenbord van Prins Maurits met het devies van de Engelse orde van de Kouseband". From an exhibit of a painted woodcut of Maurice's Arms encircled by the Order of the Garter in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  17. ^ Rietstap, Johannes Baptist (1861). Armorial général, contenant la description des armoiries des familles nobles et patriciennes de l'Europe: précédé d'un dictionnaire des termes du blason. G.B. van Goor. p. 746.
  18. ^
    ISBN 978-1-317-12990-5
    .
  19. ^
    ISBN 978-1-317-26636-5
    .
  20. ISBN 978-1-317-12990-5
    .
  21. ^
    ISBN 978-1-317-12990-5
    .

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maurice, Prince of Orange.
Maurice, Prince of Orange
Cadet branch of the House of Nassau
Born: 14 November 1567 Died: 23 April 1625
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Philip William
 Prince of Orange
Baron of Breda
1618–1625 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
William of Orange
 Stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland
1585–1625 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Guelders and Overijssel

1590–1625
Preceded by Stadtholder of Groningen
1620–1625 		Succeeded by
Ernst Casimir
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