Willem I

Willem I (1532-1611) was the fourth king of Brunant, who ruled from 1578 to 1611.

Early life
Willem was born in 1532 to Crown Prince Anders and Isabella d'Aragona while at Bitburg Castle.

First marriage
In 1555 he was married to Infanta Maria of Portugal (1521-1577), Daughter of King Manuel I. Maria was much older than the prince, but Willem's parents felt that a political marriage with Portugal was very beneficial. In 1556 Maria gave birth to a daughter, Isabella (1556-1559), a sickly girl. Maria suffered a miscarriage in 1558 and in 1559 gave birth to a stillborn son. The king would no longer sleep with his wife after that and took a mistress. In 1561, Maria was accused of having relations with another man and the church granted Willem a divorce.

Second marriage
Willem's second marriage came in 1564 to Anna Elisabeth (1538-1569), daughter of the 3rd baron Neyt. Anna Elisabeth went through two miscarriages before finally giving birth in 1569 to a son, Prince Philip (1569-1576). But, his wife fell very ill and she died a few days after childbirth. Philip was a very sick child and died in 1576.

Third marriage
With the prospects of a male heir resting on the sick Prince Philip, the king's advisors arranged a marriage to Maria Cristina de Figueroa (1558-1620) daughter of the Spanish 2nd Duke of Feria) in 1575. This marriage would bring him his desired heir. With Maria Cristina, he would have three children who made it past infancy:
 * Princess Mariana (1577-1598)
 * Prince Adrian (1580-1649)
 * Princess Amalia (1591-1651)