Maurice of Orange (14 November 1567-23 April 1625), known as Maurice of Nassau before 1618, was Stadtholder of the United Provinces from 14 November 1585 to 23 April 1625 (succeeding William the Silent and preceding Frederick Henry) and Prince of Orange from 20 February 1618 to 23 April 1625 (succeeding Philip William and preceding Frederick Henry).
Biography[]
The son of William the Silent, Maurice of Nassau inherited the leadership of the Dutch Revolt. In a bid to match the professionalism of the Spanish, he studied military theory and instituted major army reforms. His officers were properly trained and his infantry drilled in more flexible battlefield tactics. Improvements in organization ensured the soldiers were reliably fed, equipped, and paid. None of this brought much success against superior Spanish forces, but Maurice was very competent at organizing sieges. He captured a series of fortified cities, including Breda in 1590, Steenwijk in 1592, and Groningen in 1594, bringing the northern Netherlands under Dutch control. His defeat of a small Spanish army at Nieuwpoort, achieved by a combined use of intanry adn cavalry, assured his international reputation as an innovative commander. After the end of the Twelve Years' Truce in 1621, Maurice failed to achieve further success, and he died of disease during the Siege of Breda.