William of Nassau (1601-1627)

Willem van Nassau, heer van de Lek or Willem van Nassau-LaLecq (1601-1627) was a Dutch soldier from 1620 until 1627.

Life

He was the illegitimate son of stadholder Maurice of Nassau and his mistress Margaretha van Mechelen. Like their other illegitimate children, he was recognized with the title (Nassau-LaLecq) and was granted lands, and he went by the title "Des Heiligen Roomsen Rijksgraaf van Nassau-LaLecq". After 1625 he was also "Heer van de Lek" (Lord of the Lek), in short French: Willem LaLecq. He received his heerlijkheid of the Lek as a bequest from his father to him and his descendants. His brother Lodewijk van Nassau gained the title "Lord of Beverweerd and Odijk".

From his 19th year on, Willem served in the Dutch army fighting Spain in the Dutch Revolt (1568-1648). Aged only 24 he received the rank of lieutenant-admiral of Holland and West Friesland, replacing stadholder Frederik Hendrik. In the summer of 1627 he was present at the Siege of Grol. On the 18th of August, not long before the end of the siege, fighting with the French troops at the front, Willem received a bullet wound which later proved fatal . [Hugo de Groot(1629): "Beleegeringh der stadt Grol", Vertaling van Grollae Obsidio door J. Goris, Amsterdam, 1681] Thus he died on his 26th birthday, with Lodewijk inheriting Willem's fiefdom.

Op 4 April 1627, 4 months before his death, Willem married Anna van der Noot, lady of Hoogwoud and Aartswoud, in Sluis. Though he had no children with Anna, he had one illegitimate son by Barbara Augustinus Cocx, Willem Jonker van Nassau (1620-1679) .

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