Louis of Nassau (10 January 1538-14 April 1574) was the third son of William I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg and Juliana of Stolberg and the brother of William the Silent and Henry of Nassau-Dillenburg. Louis was one of the original leaders of the Dutch Revolt, and Louis and Henry were both killed at the Battle of Mookerheyde.
Biography[]
Louis of Nassau was born on 10 January 1538, the son of William I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg and Juliana of Stolberg. In 1566, he was one of the Dutch nobles who signed the Compromise of Nobles, which aimed to moderate punishments against Protestants in the Spanish Netherlands. In 1568, when the Duke of Alba was sent to invade the Netherlands with a Spanish army, Louis assisted his brother with the capture of the northern provinces. In 1568, he defeated the Spanish at Heiligerlee, but his brother Adolf of Nassau was killed in the battle. Louis was defeated at the Battle of Jemmingen near Groningen later that year, losing 7,000 men in the battle. However, the Dutch were winning by 1572, and Louis succeeded in diverting the Duke of Alba's attention to Mons as Holland was taken over by the Dutch. In 1574, however, Louis was killed at the Battle of Mookerheyde alongside his brother, Henry of Nassau-Dillenburg.
Gallery[]
