Portrait Jan the Elder (1535-1606), Count of Nassau

These portraits were originally displayed at Honselaarsdijk, the palace built by Stadholder Frederick Henry and his wife Amalia in the 1620s near The Hague. In the style of European courts of the day, one of the palace rooms was lined with portraits of ancestors, relatives and celebrities past and present. Many of these personalities played a role in the Eighty Years War: members of the Nassau family and other commanders of the Dutch Republic's army, officers of the French and English allies and leading Spanish generals. A remarkable aspect is the number of foreigners who fought for the Dutch. The Republic's army enjoyed an international reputation and attracted young noblemen from abroad. For them, the war was a career opportunity.