William the Silent child Maurice of Nassau
Second marriage
On 25 August 1561, William of Orange married for the second time. His new wife, Anna of Saxony, was tumultuous, and it is generally assumed that William married her to gain more influence in Saxony, Hesse and the Palatinate. The couple had two sons and three daughters. One of the sons died in infancy and the other son, the famous Maurice of Nassau, who was to eventually succeed his father as stadtholder, never married. Anna died after Willem renounced her and her own family imprisoned her in one of their castles. The cause was due to the accusation that she committed adultery with the lawyer Jan Rubens, and became pregnant by him, giving birth to a daughter. Before her death Willem had already announced his third marriage, which drew the disapproval of her family who argued that, despite the adultery, the two were still married.
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