If the title's a bit vague, I'm sorry. But basically what I'm wondering, several people took a stab at the Netherlands governorate/leadership over the course of the latter half of the 16th century - Habsburg (legitimate and illegitimate, Austrian and Spanish), Valois, Farnese, Alba, the earl of Leicester, and not to mention there are quite a few local noble families. Yet somehow, the house of Nassau-Orange became the leader.
Now, I have 2 questions. The first one being, as above. Was there anyone besides Willem der Zwijger (William the Silent) who could've somehow ended up as ruler? Would they be ruling more or less than he did? Could they establish a lasting dynasty?
And question 2 is more of separate WI:
WI: Renatus of Nassau-Orange has legitimate male issue, No William the Silent?
Renatus, only son of Hendrik III of Nassau-Dillenburg and Claude de Châlons, inherited the title of Prince of Orange via his mother after Claude’s brother, Philibert, Prince of Orange died with no legitimate issue in 1530. Renatus married Anne of Lorraine but their only child, a daughter, Marie, died at the age of three weeks. And Renatus died at Saint Dizier in the same year. In Renatus’ will he specified that the title of ‘Prince of Orange’ was to pass to his Nassau cousin, Wilhelm of Nassau-Dillenburg (aka William the Silent), on condition that he tack the name of ‘Orange’ onto his surname of Nassau.
Now, Renatus had an illegitimate son (not sure when the boy was born), and he’d been married to Anne since 1540. So, what-if somewhere in the window between August 1540 (when he married Anne) and July 1544 (when he died), they were to have a surviving son? Obviously Marie could be born male and survive whatever killed her, or maybe the illegitimate son is born on the right side of the blanket.
It’s not a big change (at least, I don’t think it is, since the Principality of Orange was in the old kingdom of Arelate (Burgundy), and the cousin who became William the Silent married a Low Countries’ heiress in any case – Anna of Egmond, Countess of Buren, Leerdam and Lingen, but that could be because he inherited the title from Renatus or simply independent of it), but I thought it would be interesting to see what ramifications it might have.
Now, I have 2 questions. The first one being, as above. Was there anyone besides Willem der Zwijger (William the Silent) who could've somehow ended up as ruler? Would they be ruling more or less than he did? Could they establish a lasting dynasty?
And question 2 is more of separate WI:
WI: Renatus of Nassau-Orange has legitimate male issue, No William the Silent?
Renatus, only son of Hendrik III of Nassau-Dillenburg and Claude de Châlons, inherited the title of Prince of Orange via his mother after Claude’s brother, Philibert, Prince of Orange died with no legitimate issue in 1530. Renatus married Anne of Lorraine but their only child, a daughter, Marie, died at the age of three weeks. And Renatus died at Saint Dizier in the same year. In Renatus’ will he specified that the title of ‘Prince of Orange’ was to pass to his Nassau cousin, Wilhelm of Nassau-Dillenburg (aka William the Silent), on condition that he tack the name of ‘Orange’ onto his surname of Nassau.
Now, Renatus had an illegitimate son (not sure when the boy was born), and he’d been married to Anne since 1540. So, what-if somewhere in the window between August 1540 (when he married Anne) and July 1544 (when he died), they were to have a surviving son? Obviously Marie could be born male and survive whatever killed her, or maybe the illegitimate son is born on the right side of the blanket.
It’s not a big change (at least, I don’t think it is, since the Principality of Orange was in the old kingdom of Arelate (Burgundy), and the cousin who became William the Silent married a Low Countries’ heiress in any case – Anna of Egmond, Countess of Buren, Leerdam and Lingen, but that could be because he inherited the title from Renatus or simply independent of it), but I thought it would be interesting to see what ramifications it might have.