William I of Orange was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the Netherlands in 1648. A wealthy nobleman, William originally served at the court of the Spanish regent. Unhappy with the lack of political power for the local nobility and the Spanish persecution of Dutch Protestants, William joined the Dutch uprising and turned against his former masters. The most influential and politically capable of the rebels, William led the Dutch to several military successes in the fight against the Spanish. Declared an outlaw by the Spanish king in 1580, he was assassinated by Balthasar GĂ©rard in Delft at a time when his popularity was waning. In the Netherlands, he is also known as the Vader des vaderlands ("Father of the Fatherland") and the Dutch national anthem, the Wilhelmus, is named for him and commemorates his life.
Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I_of_Orange
Today's selected anniversaries:
1644 Areopagitica, a speech to Parliament for freedom of printing, was published by John Milton. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagitica)
1869 In Dumbarton, Scotland the clipper ship Cutty Sark was launched. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutty_Sark)
1890 King William III of the Netherlands died without a male heir and a special law was passed to allow his daughter Princess Wilhelmina to become Queen. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_of_the_Netherlands)
1971 The People's Republic of China was given China's permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_and_the_United_Nations)
2003 Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze resigned following weeks of mass protests over flawed elections. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Shevardnadze)
Wikiquote of the day:
"I'd rather be a climbing ape than a falling angel." ~ Terry Pratchett (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Terry_Pratchett)
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