I

A. C.

THE

HISTORY

OF

King WILLIAM III.

PART L

Comprehending the time from his Birth, to the Beginning of King James II. Reign.

T

HE House of Naffau, is without Dif-Confidera pute one of the most confiderable in bleness of all Germany; whether we confider the the Houfe Ancientnels of its Extraction, the Mul- of Naffau. tiplicity of its Noble Branches, or the

Grandeur of its Potent Alliances. Some Hiftori- Antiquity ans deduce the Antiquity of the Name of Naffau, of itsName. from one *Nafua, who, according to Julius Cafar,* Cæfar's with his Brother Cimberius, led, a Body of Ger-Comm. mans out of Suabia, and fettled upon the Banks of Lib. 1. the Rhine, near Triers. This is the more Worthy Obfervation, in that befides the Affinity of the Names, which only differ in the Tranfpofition of a Letter, there is an Eftate upon that very spot of Ground mentioned by Cefar, which belongs to the Naffovian Family to this Day. But without having Recourfe to a dubious Derivation, it fufB fices

A. C. hices to fay that this Illuftrious Houfe has been eftablifh'd by an undeniable and uninterrupted Succeffion of Ten entire Centuries, and that it had the Honour about Four Hundred Years ago, to be grac'd with the Imperial Dignity in the Perfon of Adolphus of Naffau, Emperor of Germany, and Succeffor to Rodolphus of Habsburg.

To come clofer to the Pedigree of him who is The Pedi- the Subject of this Hiftory, OTHO, Count of gree of the Princes of Nalau, who lived above Six Hundred Year ago, Orange. had two Wives, the first of which brought him See Hiftory in Marriage the Country of Guelderland, and the of Willi- other the Province of Zutphen, which remain'd for am Prince above three Centuries in the Poffeffion of the of Orange. House of Nassau. Afterwards, about Three Hun

dred Years fince, another Count OTHO of NafJau, married the Countess of Vianden, the Heiress and Miftrefs of feveral other confiderable Territories in the Low Countries.

His Grandchild ENGILBERT, the first of that Name, Count of Nassau, elpoufed the Heiress of Locke and Breda in 1404. and was Grandfather to ENGILBERT the Second of Naffau. He was a Prince no less experienc'd in War, than in Politicks; he won the Battel of Ginnegate, fuppreft the Rebellion of Bruges, and was Governor General of the Low-Countries for the Emperor Maximilian I. He died without Iffue, leaving to his Brother 70H N of Naffau the Inheritance of all his Poffeffions.

This Count John had two Sons, HENRY and WILLIAM. To his Eldeft Son Henry, he gave all his Territories in the Low Countries; and to William all his Demeans in Germany. This fame Henry of Nassau it was to whom Charles V. was beholden for his Advancement to the Empire, by means of his active and prevailing Solicitati ons against Francis I. of France; and who upon the day of the Emperor's Coronation, fet the Imperial Crown' upon his Head. Nevertheless, after the Peace was concluded between those two Potent Princes, when the Emperor fent him into France, to do Homage for the Counties of Flan

der's

ders and Artois, King Francis, out of an unparal- A. C. lel'd Generofity, forgetting what had paft, Match-n ed him to Claudia de Chalons, the only Sister of Philibert de Chalons, Prince of Orange, and who had been bred up under Queen Anne of Bretagne, her Mother-in-Law. By Virtue of which Marriage, his only Son Reneus of Naffau and Chalons, came to be Prince of Orange, after the Deceafe of his Uncle by the Mother's fide, who died without Iffne.

WILLIAM Count of Naffau, Brother to Count. Henry, embrac'd the Reformation, and expell'd the Roman Catholick Religion out of his Dominions in Germany. He had Five Sons and Seven Daughters by Juliana, Countess of Stolburg. His eldest Son was the GREAT WILLIAM of Naffau, who attain'd to be Prince of Orange, and Lord of all the Poffeffions of the House of Chalons, by the Laft Will and Teftament of Reneus de Naffau, his Coufin German, who was killed at the Siege of St. Difier, and left no Children behind him. The youngest was John of Naffau, who left behind him a numerous Pofterity. His three other Sons were Lodowick, Adolphus, and Henry of Naffau, who fignaliz'd themfelves as well in the Civil Wars of France, as of the Low Countries, and who having never been Married, all three died in the Field, generously Fighting for the Liberty of their Country, and feconding the noble Designs of their Eldeft Brother: As for the Seven Daughters of William Count of Naffau, they were Married the one to the Count of Bergues, and the other Six to Sovereign Counts of Germany.

WILLIAM of Naffau, Prince of Orange, was William taken away from his Father by Charles V. and of Naffau deliver'd to that Emperor's own Sifter Mary, Queen Prince of of Hungary, to be bred up in the Roman Religi- Orange, on; which he therefore profeft, in outward ap- Born in pearance, fo long as Charles V. liv'd; and for fome 1533. time after during the first Years of King Philip's Reign. Affoon as his Age permitted Chales V. made him Gentleman of his Bed-Chamber, in

B 2

which

A. C.

which Station he continued Nine Years, always
near the Emperor's Perfon, who all along admi-
red the Excellency of his Wit, accompanied with
an extraordinary Modefty; and who confeft to
his most intimate Favourites, that the Young
Prince would often furnish him with Notions
and Hints, which otherwife he never fhould have
thought of. And to fhew what Opinion he
had of his Courage and Conduct, the Emperor
(in the abfence of Philibert Emanuel, Duke of An-
jou, General of his Armies, advanc'd him to the
place of Generaliffimo, preferably to Count d'Eg-
mont, who was Twelve Years his Senior, the
Prince of Orange being then but Twenty Two
Years of Age. Thefe Marks of the Emperor's
Confidence and Favour, were the Occafion of his
glorious Misfortunes. For tho' the Emperor upon
his abdicating the Empire, had particularly re-
commended him to King Philip his Son, yet the
Spaniards who Govern'd him, bearing a mortal
Envy to the conftant Profperity of the Young
Prince, by their continual Calumnies and Accu-
fations, rendr'd him fo fufpected to King Philip,
that when His Majefty was at Flushing ready to
Embark for Spain, with a Countenance full of In-
dignation, he upbraided him for having hindred
the States from complying with his Demands by
his private Cabals. This publick Reproach made
fo deep an Impreffion in the Mind of the Prince,
that he afterwards openly afferted the Liberties
of the Netherlands, in Conjunction with Count
d'Egmont, and Count Horn; He raised several Ar-
mies both in France and Germany, which tho' of-
ten defeated, or disbanded for want of Pay, yet
he still return'd into the Field with greater Force,
till he had laid the Foundation of the Common-
wealth of the United Provinces. He was unhap.
pily Affaffinated at Delft the sift Year of his Age,
by one Balthafar de Guerard, a Gentleman of the
Franche Comté, with a Piftol loaded with three Bul-
lets. His Motto was Savis Tranquillus in Undis,
intimating the compofedness of his Soul, amidft

the

the greatest Storms and Dangers, to which he was A. C. expos'd.

This Prince made more noife in the World than all the Crown'd Heads of his Time put together, and left behind him a renowned Pofterity, who pursuing his Glorious Example have amaz'd all Christendom by their Immortal Actions. He had four Wives, of which the firft was Anne d' Egmont, Daughter to Maximilian d' Egmont Count of Buren and Leerdam, a great Heirefs, whom he Married by the favour of Charles V. and had by her PHILIP WILLIAM Prince of Orange, and a Daughter nam'd Mary de Nassau, who was Married to Philip Count de Hohenlo, commonly call'd de Holac, a great General.

His Second Wife was Anne of Saxony, Daughter to the Great Maurice Elector of Saxony, by whom he had the Famous Count MAURICE, and a Daughter Nam'd Emilia de Naffau, Married to Emanuel, Son of Anthony, King of Portugal.

His Third Wife was Charlotte de Bourbon, of the Houfe of Montpenfier, who had been a Nun, and by whom he had Six Daughters. I. Louise Julienne de Naffau, Married to Frederick IV. Elector Palatine, Father to Frederick V. Elected King of Bohemia, who Married the Princess Elizabeth, Sifter to Charles I. King of England; by whom amongst other Children he had the Princess Sophia, now Dutchefs of Hannover. 2. Elizabeth de Naffau, Wife to Henry de la Tour, Duke de Bouillon, a Famous General in the Wars of Henry IV. of France: 3. Catherine Belgique, or Catherina Belgica, Married to Philip Lewis Count of Hanau. 4. Charlotte Brabantine, or Charlotta Brabantina, Wife to Claude, Duke de la Trimouille and de Thouars, and Count de la val. . Charlotte Flandrine (or Charlotta Flandrina) de Naffau, who turn'd Roman Catholick, and died Abbefs of St. Croix in Poitiers. 6. Emilia de Naffau, Married to Frederick Cafimir, a Branch of the House of Deux-Ponts, call'd Duke of Lanfberg. This is the Illuftrious and great Pofterity of that Fruitful Nun.