Anna of Saxony (1544–1577)
Anna of Saxony (1544–1577)
Princess of Orange and countess of Nassau. Name variations: Anne of Saxony. Born on December 23, 1544; died on December 18, 1577; daughter of Agnes of Hesse (1527–1555) and Maurice, elector of Saxony; became second wife of William I the Silent (1533–1584), prince of Orange, count of Nassau, stadholder of Holland, Zealand, and Utrecht (r. 1572–1584), on August 24, 1561 (divorced in 1574); children: Maurice, prince of Orange, count of Nassau (r. 1584–1625); Emilia of Orange (1569–1629).
William I the Silent's second wife Anna of Saxony caused him constant distress through her "poor, deranged, deluded and unhappy" behavior. Defying him publicly, denying him access to his children, Anna tormented the Dutch lord. She eventually had an affair with an older German lawyer in the Rhineland. When it was discovered, Anna confessed her part and pleaded that William kill both her and her lover; the lawyer asked only that he be beheaded like a gentleman. But William was "notoriously compassionate" in an age that was often barbaric. He quietly divorced Anne and pardoned the lawyer.