William the Silent

by Frederic Harrison

CONTENTS Family - Birth - Education - Early Life General and Minister - Second Marriage - In Loyal Opposition The Protestant Revolution Sedition - Rebellion - War Alva - Terror - Defeat In Exile and Affliction - The Nassau Family Beggars of the Sea - Brill - St. Bartholomew - Defeat The Death Grapple - Negotiations - Abandonment Requesens - Leyden - Charlotte de Bourbon Don John - General Union - Apogee Discord - Ban - Apology United States - Anjou - Assassins Louise de Coligny - Death - Conclusion

272 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2003

About the author

Frederic Harrison was a British historian, literary critic, essayist, and historical novelist.

Reviews

[Emma Filbrun]

As we studied Reformation history, we learned about William the Silent, or William of Orange. I found myself quite intrigued by him, wondering where his nickname came from. So, I decided to read a biography aloud to the children. This book turned out to be a lot longer than I expected it to be, but it was quite interesting. Not only did we learn why he was called “the Silent,” but we also learned about the Sea Beggars, about the Low Countries and how the Spanish tried to maintain dominion over them, and about William’s four wives. What a tragic life in some ways! We learned a lot from this book about the days of Elizabeth I of England and Philip of Spain.