Maurice 1567-1625
Count of Nassau, Prince of Orange

Born in Dillenburg, Nassau, the second son of William I, the Silent, he was appointed stadtholder by the States General of the United Provinces upon his father's murder (1584), and took command of the republic's army in its struggle for independence from Spain. A master of siege warfare, with English aid he inflicted a series of defeats on the Spanish in the 1590s, leading to the Twelve Years' Truce (1609). His military reforms made the Dutch army the most advanced in Europe. He became Prince of Orange in 1618 on the death of his elder brother William and, after the execution of his rival, the veteran statesman Oldenbarnevelt (the only blot on his character), he established a virtually monarchical authority over the state, but left the constitution unchanged on his death. He died unmarried and was succeeded by his brother, Frederick Henry.