Abstract: In 1567, at the outbreak of the Dutch Revolt, King Philip II ordered the abduction of Philip William, the oldest son of the Prince of Orange, and his removal to Spain. Over there, he spent twenty-eight years as a hostage. After his liberation, Philip William refused to behave as a mere pawn of the Habsburg authorities. In the end, he seemed to have been motivated first and for all by the ambition to recover his honour and to re-establish the links with his two half-brothers.
