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Maurice of Nassau (in Dutch Maurits van Nassau) ( 14 November 1567– 23 April 1625), Prince of Orange (1618–1625), son of William the Silent and Princess Anna of Saxony, was born at the castle of Dillenburg. He was named for his maternal grandfather, the Elector Maurice of Saxony .Maurice never married but was the father of illegitimate children by Margaretha van Mechelen and Anna van de Kelder. He was raised in Dillenburg by his uncle Johan_of_Nassau (Jan the Old). Together with his cousin Willem Lodewijk he studied in Heidelberg and later with his brother Filips in Leiden where he met Simon Stevin. The States of Holland and Zeeland paid for his studies, as their father had run into financial problems after spending his entire fortune in the early stages of the Dutch revolt. When his father was murdered in DelftDelft is a city in South Holland, Netherlands, located halfway between Rotterdam and The Hague. Delft is also a municipality. It has about 96,000 inhabitants ( 2000). City Hall History The city dates from the 13th century. It received its charter in 1246. in 1584Events June 1 With the death of the Duc d'Anjou, the Huguenot Henry of Navarre becomes heir-presumptive to the throne of France. July 5 Maronite College established in Rome July 10 William I of Orange assassinated Dates between October 5 14 ignored in the, he took over as stadtholderA stadtholder ( Dutch: stadhouder was the person that ruled an area in the name of the land owner, in the Netherlands (which includes present-day Belgium) from the 15th to the 18th century. After some of the Dutch provinces declared their independence in (Stadhouder), though this title was not inheritable. He became stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland in 1585Events January 12 The Netherlands adopts the Gregorian calendar Beginning of the Eighth War of Religion in France (also known as the War of the Three Henrys) August 8 John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in quest for the North West Passage. August 17 Captur, of GelderlandGelderland (English also Guelders is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Gelderland was a duchy in the Hol, OverijsselOverijssel is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. Geography The capital city is Zwolle. Other major cities include Almelo, Deventer, Enschede and Hengelo. There are three regions in Overijssel: Salland (in th and UtrechtUtrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country. It is bordered by the IJsselmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the nort in 1590Events March 14 Battle of Ivry Henry IV of France again defeats the forces of the Catholic League under the Duc de Mayenne. May August Unsuccessful siege of Paris by Henry IV of France. Henry is forced to raise the siege when the Duke of Parma comes to it and of Groningen and Drenthe in 1620 (following the death of Willem Lodewijk, who had been Stadtholder there and in Friesland).
He was appointed captain-general of the army in 1587, bypassing the Earl of Leicester, who returned to England on hearing this news.
The Prince organised the rebellion against Spain into a coherent, successful revolt. He reorganised the army together with Willem Lodewijk, studied military history, strategy and tactics, mathematics and astronomy, and proved himself to be among the best strategists of his age. Paying special attention to the siege theories of Simon Stevin, he took valuable key fortresses and towns: Breda in 1590, Steenwijk in 1592, and Geertruidenberg in 1593.
His victories in the cavalry battles at Turnhout (1597) and at Nieuwpoort 1600 earned him military fame and acknowledgment throughout Europe. Despite these successes, the House of Orange did not attain great respect among European Royalty, as the Stadtholdership was not inheritable.
