Justinus van Nassau was the only extramarital child of William of Orange

William the Silent

William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...

. He was a Dutch army commander known for unsuccessfully defending Breda against the Spanish, and the depiction of his surrender on the famous picture by Diego Velázquez

Diego Velázquez

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...

, The Surrender of Breda

The Surrender of Breda

La rendición de Breda , also known as El cuadro de las lanzas or Las lanzas, is a painting by Velázquez, painted during the years 1634–35, and inspired while Velázquez was visiting Italy with Ambrosio Spinola, the Italian general who conquered Breda on June 5, 1625. It is considered one of...

.

His mother was Eva Elincx, William's mistress between his first and second marriage. William of Orange recognized Justinus and raised him with his other children.

Justinus studied in Leiden and became lieutenant-Colonel on May 17, 1583. On February 28, 1585 he became lieutenant-admiral of Zealand

Zeeland

Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...

, and fought in 1588 against the Spanish Armada

Spanish Armada

This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...

, capturing two galleons.

From 1601 until 1625 he was governor of Breda

Breda

Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...

. In 1625 he had to surrender Breda to the Spanish general Ambrogio Spinola after a siege of 11 months. Justinus was allowed to leave for Leiden.

Issue

He married on December 4, 1597 with Anna baronesse van Mérode (January 9, 1567 - Leiden, October 8, 1634) and had three children.

I. Willem Maurits van Nassau (June 1603 - Leiden, 1638), married to Maria van Aerssen van Sommelsdijk and had issue:

• Justinus, no issue.
• Justina van Nassau (March 1635 - c. 1676), married to George van Cats ter Coulster (1632–1676) and had issue:

i. Willem Maurits van Cats [1], (c.1670 - Dec. 1743).

• Anna van Nassau (c. 1638 - Haag 1721), married to Willem Adriaan graaf van Horn Batenburg and had issue.

II. Louise Henriëtte van Nassau (1604 - somewhere between 1637 and 1645), no issue.

III. Philips van Nassau (1605 - somewhere between 1672 and 1676), married and had issue.

He and his wife were buried in the Hooglandse Kerk in Leiden.