died childless in 1702. He appointed his cousin Johan Willem Friso (William's great-great-great-grandson) as his successor. Because Albertine Agnes, a daughter of Frederick Henry, married William Frederik of Nassau-Dietz, the present royal house of the Netherlands is descended from William the Silent through the female line. See House of Orange for a more extensive overview. As the chief financer and political and military leader of the early years of the Dutch revolt, William is considered a national hero in the Netherlands, even though he was born in Germany, and usually spoke French. In the 19th century the Netherlands became a constitutional monarchy, currently with King Willem-Alexander as head of state: he has cognatic descent from William of Orange. All stadtholders after William of Orange were drawn from his descendants or the descendants of his brother. Many of the Dutch national symbols can be traced back to William of Orange: He is the ancestor of the Dutch monarchy The flag of the Netherlands (red, white and blue) is derived from the flag of the prince, which was orange, white and blue. The coat of arms of the Netherlands is based on that of William of Orange. Its motto Je maintiendrai (French, "I will maintain") was also used by William, who based it on the motto of his cousin René of Châlon, who used Je maintiendrai Châlon. The national anthem of the Netherlands, the Wilhelmus, was originally a propaganda song for William. It was probably written by Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde, a supporter of him. The national colour of the Netherlands is orange, and it is used, among other things, in the clothing of Dutch athletes. The Prussian Order of the Black Eagle, founded by Frederick I of Prussia in 1702, had an orange sash in honour of his mother, Louise Henriette of Nassau, who was the granddaughter of William the Silent. Other remembrances of William of Orange: A statue of William the Silent was erected in 1928 on the main campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, a legacy of the university's founding by ministers of the Dutch Reformed Church in 1766. The statue is commonly known to students and alumni as "Willie the Silent" and contains an inscription referring to William as "Father of his Fatherland". In January 2008, the asteroid 12151 Oranje-Nassau was named after him. Epithet There are several explanations for the origin of