Murder made easy

What is one to make of this little book? There is much that is good in it, about new handguns, their use in crime and warfare and their role as fashionable accessories (notably in portraiture) of the rich and proud; about the ‘spinning’ rife in Renaissance pamphlet wars; and about that age’s wantonly cruel methods of torture and execution. But does it make sense? Its central contention, that the assassination in 1584 of William of Orange was a landmark in history because it was carried out with a pistol, is more asserted than argued and it remains highly dubious.

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Douglas Murray

Why were the Abedis here in the first place?

In the battle that raged across Reformation Europe in the second half of the 16th century the revolt of the Dutch provinces, deeply infected with Calvinism, against the rule of the Catholic Habsburg empire occupied centre stage. William of Orange, chosen by Emperor Philip II of Spain to be the stadholder (or governor) of the Low Countries in 1559, at first tried to mediate between the two camps, but was driven by Spanish tyranny and religious intolerance to cast his lot with the Protestant rebels. He emerged as the leader of the struggle for national independence and the defender of freedom of worship. In 1580 Philip offered a substantial reward to anyone who would deliver William ‘quick or dead’ into his hands. Four years later William was murdered in his private quarters, slain by three bullets fired by an emissary from the Spanish court.

Lisa Jardine cannot make up her mind about the political significance of William’s death. When William survived a first attempt on his life (also by handgun) in 1582, the supporters of Dutch independence breathed a sigh of relief. ‘The flimsy accord between the Orangists, the English and the French relied upon William’s personality, the confidence he inspired, and his proven track record in standing firm against the might of the Habsburgs.’