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William the Silent

Dutch statesman and revolt leader (1533-1584)

15 dated entries naming William the Silent, drawn from 9 separate years between 1533 CE and 1584 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

Also written as William I of Orange in the source articles; Wikipedia redirects those to the same subject, so their entries are on this page.

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16th century

  • 1533April 24 – William I of Orange (died 1584)source
  • 1567August 22 – The Duke of Alba is sent to the Netherlands with a strong Spanish force, to suppress unrest there. He replaces Margaret of Parma as Governor of the Netherlands. Prince William of Orange is outlawed, and Lamoral, Count of Egmont imprisoned.source
  • 1568May 23 – Battle of Heiligerlee: Troops under Louis of Nassau, brother of William the Silent, defeat a smaller loyalist force under Jean de Ligne, in an attempt to invade the Northern Netherlands. This effectively begins the Eighty Years' War.source
  • 1568October 5 – William the Silent invades the southeastern Netherlands.source
  • 1568October 20 – Battle of Jodoigne: Spanish forces under the Duke of Alba destroy William the Silent's rearguard and William abandons his offensive.source
  • 1568November 12 – Dutch rebels commanded by William the Silent defeat Spanish Habsburg troops led by Sancho d'Avila in the battle of Le Quesnoy in northern France.source
  • 1575February 8 – William I of Orange founds Leiden University.source
  • 1575June 24 – William the Silent, Prince of Orange, marries Charlotte of Bourbon.source
  • 1576April 25 – Documents for the Union of Delft are signed by Dutch leader Willem van Oranj to create a federation of Holland and Zeeland.source
  • 1578February 8 – The city council of Amsterdam in the Netherlands ratifies a treaty placing the city under the authority of Willem, Prince of Orange, and joining the States of Holland.source
  • 1579January 23 – The Union of Utrecht unites the northern Netherlands in a confederation called the United Provinces. William the Silent becomes Stadtholder, and the Duc d'Anjou, younger brother of Henry III of France, is invited to become hereditary sovereign.source
  • 1582February 10 – François, Duke of Anjou, arrives in the Netherlands, where he is personally welcomed by William the Silent.source
  • 1584July 10 – Willem van Oranje, the leader of the Dutch Republic as Stadtholder of Holland, is assassinated in Delft. Balthasar Gérard, who bought two wheel-lock pistols and then made an appointment with at the Prinsenhof, shoots William in the chest at close range and fatally wounds him, making William the first head of state to be assassinated with a handgun.source
  • 1584July 10 – William the Silent, Prince of Orange (assassinated; b. 1533)source
  • 1584July 14 – Balthasar Gérard, French assassin of William the Silent (executed; b. 1557)source

Named in the same entries