and lechery. André Masséna somehow managed
to pursue a lifelong and monumental enthusi-
asm for gold and women, while at the same time
achieving an enviable professional reputation. He
regarded men and events from the standpoint of
a worldly cynicism which, it has been said, was
second only to that of Talleyrand among his con-
temporaries. This merciless realism stood him in
good stead on many battlefields. He was capable
of the bold stroke, and was tenacious and cool in
defense, but the rash grabs at glory of a Murat or
a Ney were foreign to him. In the end, he was ru-
ined—professionally—by Wellington, but even
this was not unforeseen. The Duke paid him a
pretty compliment when they met in Restoration
Paris, to the effect that Masséna had made him
lie awake at nights—a practice which the Duke
made a point of avoiding.References: Marshall-Cornwall, James, Marshal Mas-
sena (London: Oxford University Press, 1965); Horward,
Donald D., The Battle of Bussaco: Masséna vs. Wellington
(Tallahassee: Florida State University Press, 1965); Hor-
ward, Donald D., Napoleon and Iberia: The Twin Sieges,
Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, 1810 (Gainesville: Univer-
sity Presses of Florida, 1984); Windrow, Martin, and Fan-
cis K. Mason, “Masséna, André, Duc de Rivoli, Prince
d’Essling,” in The Wordsworth Dictionary of Military Bi-
ography (Hertfordshire, U.K.: Wordsworth Editions Ltd.,
1997), 189–191.
Maurice, prince of Orange and count of
Nassau (Maurits) (1567–1625) Dutch general
and statesman
Maurice (Maurits in Dutch) was born at the castle of
Dillenburg on 13 November 1567, the second son of
William the Silent, prince of the Netherlands, and his
second wife, Anna of Saxony. With his father’s assassina-
tion in 1584 by a French Catholic fanatic, and with his
elder brother held hostage in Spain, Maurice became the
heir apparent to the title. At this time, he was only 17
and a student at the University of Leiden. Because of his
new role, he was removed from school and named as the
stadtholder (chief executive) of Holland. The indepen-
dent states that later became the Netherlands, including
Gelderland, Utrecht, and Zeeland, also named Maurice
as their stadtholder. These states were all fighting Spain
to keep their independence, and Maurice received the
assistance of Robert, earl of Leicester, the powerful En-
glish nobleman who had been fighting against Spanish
power in the Netherlands.
In 1587, Leicester was recalled to England and
Maurice was named as captain-general of the Dutch
army. His role was now the organization of Dutch resis-
tance to Spanish rule, and he formed a military trium-
virate with his cousin, Willem Lodewijk (William Louis
in English), a stadtholder from Friesland, and the Dutch
politician Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. Starting in 1590,
under Maurice’s command, a series of attacks were made
against the Spanish and their garrisons were besieged,
particularly at Breda (1590), where Maurice and his
forces were victorious. More victories followed: at Steen-
wijk (1592), Geertruidenberg (1593), Turnhout (1597),
and Nieuwpoort (1600). Turnhout was the key battle, as
a 1597 work reported:The Randeuow of the States armie, which met for
the defeating of the enemy, was Gertrudenberge
a towne in Holland, bordering on [the] Brabant,
where at the day appointed, being the twelfth of
this moneth, there met Count Morris [Maurice],
Counts Hollock and Solms, Sir Robert Sidney,
& Sir Frances Vere, chief men beith their com-
manders, and Mouray with a regiment of Scottes,
Brederode and Eregmere with some troupes out
of the Garrisones: and besides some companies
of the Zealand regiment.... But newes was
brought him that Sir Robert Sidney and Sir
Frances Vere, with maintaining the skirmish,
were very far engaged.... About an houre after,
order came from his Excellencie that the English
which staid at Turnehaut should come forward,
which we did with al the hast[e] we could. After
two or three houres retyring and skirmishing, the
enemy entered a faire health, some three English
miles from Turnehaut towards Herentals, where
they marched in order of battell....A pamphlet written in 1600, [The] Battaile Fought
Betweene Count Maurice of Nassau, and Albertus Arch-
Duke of Austria, detailed the battle of Flanders:The second daie of the siege being Saterdaie the
one and twentieth of Iune, intll came that the
enemie was come to Oudenborough, which his mAuRice, pRince oF oRAnge AnD count oF nASSAu