Dutch hero of independence pledges loyalty to Spain in its anthem

The Dutch national anthem opens with its founding father pledging lifelong loyalty to the enemy. “William of Nassau, scion of a Dutch and ancient line,” it begins, before declaring, “To the king of Spain I’ve granted a lifelong loyalty.”

William was the leader of the Dutch revolt against Spain, his country's equivalent of George Washington. It would be as if the American anthem had Washington swearing allegiance to the British king George III.

The pledge to Spain was a useful fiction. Dutch rebels in Holland and Zeeland had confirmed William in his old job as stadtholder, or governor, an office granted by King Philip II of Spain. They claimed William proved his loyalty by attacking Spanish troops, on the pretense that Philip did not know what his generals and advisers were doing in his name.

That excuse reflected the times. Even after four years of open war, William could not bring himself to call himself a rebel, since to rise against an anointed king was almost inconceivable in the 16th century. Summarizing historian Simon Schama's account, the Dutch took on independence as quietly as possible, with no Declaration of Independence.