Delft 1649

Description

Delft 1649 from the famous: "Atlas van Loon" commissioned by the wealthy Frederik Willem van Loon (1644-1708) citizen of Amsterdam.


Delft's association with the House of Orange started when William of Orange (Willem van Oranje), nicknamed William the Silent, took up residence in 1572. At the time he was the leader of growing national Dutch resistance against Spanish occupation of the country, which struggle is known as the Eighty Years' War. By then Delft was one of the leading cities of Holland and it was equipped with the necessary city walls to serve as a headquarters.

After the Act of Abjuration was proclaimed in 1581 Delft became the de facto capital of the newly independent Netherlands, as the seat of the Prince of Orange.

When William was shot dead in 1584, by Balthazar Gerards in the hall of the Prinsenhof, the family's traditional burial place in Breda was still in the hands of the Spanish. Therefore, he was buried in the Delft New Church, starting a tradition for the House of Orange that has continued to the present day.

The Delft Thunderclap (Explosion), occurred on 12 October 1654 when a gunpowder store exploded, destroying much of the city. Over a hundred people were killed and thousands wounded.