Van de Hulst, W.G.
Prince and Heretic: A Novel on William the Silent (Bowen)
"The mind and the soul are not in the keeping of king nor priest — no man has a lordship over another man’s conscience. All history has proved that." —William of Orange
Here is a fascinating historical novel for teenagers and adults about one of the greatest heroes of all time. William of Orange, considered today the father of Europe (and who can also fittingly be called the step-father of North America and the whole free western world) sets the stage as stadtholder of the Roman Catholic King of Spain, Philip II. William, though a nominal Roman Catholic at the time, determines to help the persecuted Protestants and in the process marries the Protestant Princess Anne of Saxony. But will Anne truly be a helpmeet for her husband? When he is pressed to take up the sword against King Philip he does not hesitate.
In his struggles, William not only finds the God of his mother but grows in courage and the conviction that God has chosen him to be a faithful instrument to gain freedom for Christ’s Church. William sacrifices all his possessions to pay the hired soldiers, but is it of any use? His brothers, Lodewyk, John, Adolphus, and Henry, also give all they have for the cause of freedom of a country which can hardly be called their own. Behind these heroes, a faithful praying mother, Juliana of Stolberg, waits for news at the German castle of Dillenburg.