Anonymous Portrait of William II de la Marck, lord of Lumey (1572)

(Nationaal Archief, The Hague, The Netherlands)

A painting by an unknown Dutch artist. This painting shows William II de la Marck, lord of Lumey (1542-1578) - in the Netherlands known simply as 'Lumey'. Lumey came from a wealthy German family who joined the Dutch rebellion against the Spanish empire (the Dutch war of independence, 1568-1648)) after the beheading of Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horn, and Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere in June 5, 1568 by the Spanish. He joined the Dutch rebels and quickly became a leader amongst them. His most famous action was the taking of the town of Brielle in april 1, 1572 when together with 600 men Lumey seized the undefended port. This moment is later known as the turning point of the Dutch war of independence as numerous Dutch towns and cities quickly joined the rebellion and formed a unified front against the Spanish. Lumey however proofed to be problem for the Dutch rebels as Lumey was an arrogant leader who also refused the recognize either the authority or the seniority of prince William I 'the silent' of Orange, who was eventually recognized as the leader of the Low Countries' uprising against the King Philip II of Spain. Lumey was eventually sacked and banned from the Netherlands and died on 1 May 1578 in his residence in Mont-Saint-Martin. Painting from 1572.