Juan de Jáuregui
Encyclopedia
Juan de Jáuregui was killed trying to assassin
ate Prince William I of Orange. He was a Biscay
an by his birth in Bilbao
.
In 1582, he was in the service of a Spanish fur merchant, Gaspar de Añastro from Vitoria, who resided at Antwerp. De Añastro had lost three ships and was tempted by the supposed reward of 80,000 ducat
s and the habit of the Order of Santiago
offered by Philip II of Spain
for the assassination
of William the Silent, prince of Orange, and being himself without courage to undertake the task, De Añastro (with the help of his cashier Antonio de Venero, a 19-year-old also from Bilbao, and the Dominican monk Antonio Timmerman, from Dunkirk) persuaded his poor accounting assistant Jáuregui to attempt the murder for the sum of 2877 crowns.
On Sunday, March 18, 1582, as the prince came out of his dining-room, Jáuregui offered him a petition, and William had no sooner taken it into his hand than Jáuregui fired a pistol at his head. Although the pistol was badly designed and malfunctioned, one bullet pierced the neck below the right ear and passed out at the left jaw-bone, but William ultimately recovered. Jáuregui was pierced on the spot by the sword of a knight in the retinue and finally killed by the halberd
iers.
Upon a search on the corpse, he was found to carry two pieces of castor
fur, several crosses and amulets, a green wax candle, and several papers written in Spanish.
When William recovered, he asked a merciful execution for the survivors: Venero and Timmerman were garotted on March 28, then decapitated and quartered for public exhibition.
De Añastro had left for Wallonia on March 13.
He claimed the reward before Alessandro Farnese.
In this case, the reward was the 25,000 escudo
s, nobility title and pardon actually promised by Philip II on June 1580.
Although William suffered severe injuries, he survived thanks to the care of his wife Charlotte of Bourbon
and his sister Mary. While William slowly recovered, the intensive care by Charlotte took its toll, and she died on May 5.
William was finally shot dead by the French Catholic Balthasar Gérard
on 10 July 1584.
The case was published in French, Flemish and Spanish by Christopher Plantin as Bref recueil de l'assassinat, commis en la personne du Très Illustre Prince, Monseigneur le Prince d'Orange, Conte de Nassau, Marquis de la Vere, &c par Iean Iauregui Espaignol, Antwerp, 1582.
Among the published writings, there was a religious vouch promising donations to Jesus Christ, Our Lady of Begoña
, Our Lady of Arantzazu, Our Lady of Guadalupe
at Hondarribia
, and the Christ of Burgos.
There also was a letter appealing to the goodwill of the Antwerpers.
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
ate Prince William I of Orange. He was a Biscay
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
an by his birth in Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
.
In 1582, he was in the service of a Spanish fur merchant, Gaspar de Añastro from Vitoria, who resided at Antwerp. De Añastro had lost three ships and was tempted by the supposed reward of 80,000 ducat
Ducat
The ducat is a gold coin that was used as a trade coin throughout Europe before World War I. Its weight is 3.4909 grams of .986 gold, which is 0.1107 troy ounce, actual gold weight...
s and the habit of the Order of Santiago
Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Galicia and Spain, Santiago , under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.-History:Santiago de...
offered by Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
for the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of William the Silent, prince of Orange, and being himself without courage to undertake the task, De Añastro (with the help of his cashier Antonio de Venero, a 19-year-old also from Bilbao, and the Dominican monk Antonio Timmerman, from Dunkirk) persuaded his poor accounting assistant Jáuregui to attempt the murder for the sum of 2877 crowns.
On Sunday, March 18, 1582, as the prince came out of his dining-room, Jáuregui offered him a petition, and William had no sooner taken it into his hand than Jáuregui fired a pistol at his head. Although the pistol was badly designed and malfunctioned, one bullet pierced the neck below the right ear and passed out at the left jaw-bone, but William ultimately recovered. Jáuregui was pierced on the spot by the sword of a knight in the retinue and finally killed by the halberd
Halberd
A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte - in modern-day German, the weapon is called Hellebarde. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on...
iers.
Upon a search on the corpse, he was found to carry two pieces of castor
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
fur, several crosses and amulets, a green wax candle, and several papers written in Spanish.
When William recovered, he asked a merciful execution for the survivors: Venero and Timmerman were garotted on March 28, then decapitated and quartered for public exhibition.
De Añastro had left for Wallonia on March 13.
He claimed the reward before Alessandro Farnese.
In this case, the reward was the 25,000 escudo
Spanish escudo
-Gold escudo:The first escudo was a gold coin introduced in 1535/1537, with coins denominated in escudos issued until 1833. It was initially worth 16 reales...
s, nobility title and pardon actually promised by Philip II on June 1580.
Although William suffered severe injuries, he survived thanks to the care of his wife Charlotte of Bourbon
Charlotte of Bourbon
Charlotte of Bourbon , was the fourth daughter of Louis, Duke of Montpensier and Jacqueline de Longwy, Countess of Bar-sur-Seine...
and his sister Mary. While William slowly recovered, the intensive care by Charlotte took its toll, and she died on May 5.
William was finally shot dead by the French Catholic Balthasar Gérard
Balthasar Gérard
Balthasar Gérard was the assassin of the Dutch independence leader, William I of Orange...
on 10 July 1584.
The case was published in French, Flemish and Spanish by Christopher Plantin as Bref recueil de l'assassinat, commis en la personne du Très Illustre Prince, Monseigneur le Prince d'Orange, Conte de Nassau, Marquis de la Vere, &c par Iean Iauregui Espaignol, Antwerp, 1582.
Among the published writings, there was a religious vouch promising donations to Jesus Christ, Our Lady of Begoña
Our Lady of Begoña
The cult of Our Lady of Begoña celebrates an apparition of the Virgin Mary at the site of the Basilica of Begoña, in Bilbao, Spain...
, Our Lady of Arantzazu, Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
at Hondarribia
Hondarribia
Hondarribia is a town situated on the west shore of Bidasoa river's mouth, in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain. The border town is sited on a little promontory facing Hendaye over the Txingudi bay. The town holds an ancient old quarter with walls and a castle...
, and the Christ of Burgos.
There also was a letter appealing to the goodwill of the Antwerpers.
Further reading
- Atentado en Amberes. La conspiración de vitorianos y bilbaínos contra el estatúder Guillermo de Orange, 1582. Julio-César Santoyo, Vitoria, Diputación Foral de Álava, 1982.
- Lisa Jardine: The Awful End of William the Silent: The First Assassination of a Head of State with A Handgun: London: HarperCollins: 2005: ISBN 0007192578