Written by Kurt Snow
William III is not as well-known as his grandfather, William of Orange (a.k.a. William the Silent), but he should be. As one history book says: “As a result of his brave and determined stand William had saved Holland, England, and America for Protestantism and liberty against the Catholicism and despotism of Louis XIV and James II of England.”
“I Will Maintain,” written by Marjorie Bowen and part of a series of historical fiction titles published by Inheritance Publications, begins when smallpox claims William II and Mynheer (a title of courtesy) Johan de Witt becomes the Grand Pensionary—the civil leader of the United Dutch Provinces. De Witt, who is devoted to the Republic, despises the office of the Stadtholder (a de facto hereditary head of state) and during the Treaty of Westminster negotiations he most likely slipped in the secret clause forbidding the Dutch to appoint William III as Stadtholder.
Conveniently, one of de Witt’s duties is to act as William III’s guardian. As his tutor, he is kind—suffocatingly kind. William chafes under his tutelage and restrictions, and at age seventeen makes a bold move, arranging for the Princess Dowager Amalia (his grandmother) and the Electors from Zeeland province to declare him of age, and thus able to assume his civil and military duties. Echoing his great-grandfather, William declares “I will maintain.” But de Witt is a match for him, convincing Amalia to reverse her decision.
He is scornful of those who are dull, conniving, and Catholic; and, warm, gracious and insightful to his friends. He is an enigma, and that is the pull of the story. One asks continual questions: is De Witt, a seemingly godly man, truly William’s enemy? Can William stand up against the wiles of a French spy? Will he submit under his Grandmother’s pressures? His character, resolve and beliefs are in full display during an exchange with the spy from France…
The Dutch dominate world trade and are the wealthiest nation in the world. In concert with England, Louis XIV makes preparation to invade the Provinces for France. The ambassadors from France and England are recalled. The Dutch Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter (who is beloved among Hungarian Protestants for his role in liberating a number of their pastors held as galley slaves) is dispatched to confront the French fleet on the high seas. Against this backdrop William finally achieves his first aim: appointment as the Captain Generalship.
He overrules his advisors on the battlefield and, with a force less than half the size of the French, William moves to defend Utrecht. By the end of the campaign he will have gone more than 48 hours without sleep and 24 hours without food, hampered by inept commanders and the lack of men and supplies (owing to de Witt’s refusal to adequately prepare for war). Throughout the ensuing fight he traverses the battlefield, staunching rumblings of mutiny, rebuking, encouraging and rallying his troops who are retreating, stemming all-out disaster by drawing his sword against the cowards; he is wounded. Although the day ends in defeat, the Prince has passed the test.
Later that night, one of de Witt’s cohorts, who had surrendered his position to the enemy without a fight, reports to Prince William:
Half the country is under French control. Louis, thinking he is on the verge of total conquest, offers onerous peace terms while in secret joining England in sending emissaries promising to make William a commander in the French army and install him as a puppet King of a reduced Holland. But the envoys make a crucial error, demanding William convert to Roman Catholicism. William refuses. Louis’s emissaries stomp out, flustered and angry. As they leave, messengers from Dordt, a former hotbed of republicanism, come to declare the Prince the Statholdter. The final prize, the necessary authority to save the country, comes into William’s hands.
Then the final, horrific irony plays out: while the pupil rises, the tutor falls. The man who educated him, raised him, and trained him—Johan de Witt—refuses to acknowledge that the Prince is now by law the King. It is a fatal choice. A forged letter lures de Witt to the prison that houses Cornelius his brother. While there a mob does its work. Johan de Witt is shot, hung; his heart carved out and publicly exhibited.
With the French pressing in for the final battle, the Dutch turn to their old ally: the sea. To stop the advance of their enemies, William orders the army to open the sluices and flood the Low Countries. Surrounded by the rising tide, Louis XIV has no other choice but to retreat.
Such is the force of the author’s skill that the reader roots for the Prince throughout the story, a man who stood his ground, not just on the battlefield, but more importantly, for the Gospel, thus enabling the expansion of the Protestant faith.
The story of William III, and his bride Mary, is continued in “Defender of the Faith.” Visit Inheritance Publications on the web.
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