William II de La Marck

Wilhelm II von der Mark (* 1542, † May 1, 1578 ), was Admiral of the Sea Beggars and governor of Holland. In Dutch history he is known as Willem van der Mark, bijgenaamd " Lumey ".

Life

William II of the Mark was a great-grandson of Count William I of the Mark. He was of the same boldness as his great-grandfather and a major participant in the Dutch rebellion. As a cousin Brederode he took in 1567 on compromise in part, belonged to the Beggars, which first took up arms, and was sentenced to death by Alba.

He fled to William of Orange and swore allegedly not to shave beard and hair more until he had avenged the death of the Count of Egmond and Philippe Lamoraal of Hoorn. After the unfortunate outcome of the first company of the prince, he went to England and was set up by William of Orange as an admiral at the head of the Sea Beggars, with which he conquered the city in the Briel on the Maas estuary on 1 April 1572. One of his captains Lenaert Jansz de Graeff had been. Wilhelm thereupon appointed him governor of the Netherlands. He conquered Schoonhoven, won Rotterdam, Delft and other cities, but in vain besieged Amsterdam and soiled his reputation by crude cruelty.

He was therefore deposed as governor in 1573 and brought to Gouda to prison, but released in 1574. He sat out of Liege from the fight against the Spaniards on their own away and died on May 1, 1578 by poison.