Juliana von Stolberg lived in Holland from1506 to 1580. Readers may remember that
this was the time of the Reformation. There were many changes taking place in the world. Usually when we think of the Reformation we recall Martin Luther or John Calvin. These men preached in Germany, France, and Switzerland. But the Protestant faith had spread to Holland, too.
Unfortunately, many from the Catholic faith were not accepting of the changes. Some rulers even started persecutions and wars to punish the “heretics”. Everyone has heard of “Bloody Mary” who ruled in England during this time. She put many thousands of Protestants to death. Perhaps you have heard of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre which occurred in France. The French rulers gave the Catholic people absolute freedom to murder as many Protestants as they wished. There were wars all over Europe between Protestants and Catholics. Today, we find this hard to understand. We believe that everyone should be able to worship as their consciences dictate.
In the 1500’s, the Catholic ruler of Spain, King Philip, had conquered the Netherlands. He tried to force everyone there to become Catholic. The people in Holland not only wanted their freedom from a foreign ruler, but they wished to be allowed to worship God as they believed. God raised up a man to lead the people in Holland to independence. His name was William of Orange. He was a strong man, but no stronger than his amazing mother, Juliana von Stolberg.
Juliana taught her sons that it is not right to hurt or kill someone because they believe differently than you do. All five of her sons were faithful believers in the Lord, but all were peaceful. None wished for the war with Spain, but all went to fight the evil Duke of Alva, the hated Spanish overlord. Eventually, Juliana’s son, William was able to free the Dutch people and they formed their own independent state. William is viewed as the “Father” of the Netherlands. Juliana has been remembered by the Dutch people affectionately as the “Queen Mother” of the Netherlands.
Juliana was also remembered as Dr. Oma. “Oma” is Dutch for Grandmother. She was called “Dr. Oma” because of the many people she healed. Juliana had her own herb garden and prepared all of her own herbal medicines. She administered these to the villagers and her household including all of her servants. She taught this wisdom to her granddaughter who carried on after her death.
She raised seventeen children without modern medicine or prepared food or paper diapers. She also ran her entire household. She and her husband founded and ran a school together. When he died, she ran it for another twenty years by herself until she died at the age of 74. Juliana had 168 grandchildren when she died.
One of the things that struck me the most was her incredible courage. Of her five sons, four were killed in the fighting against Spain. They died in the cause of freedom. This was a sore trial for her, but her faith remained unshakable. Three were killed while she was living, and her beloved son, William was under threat of death for the rest of his life. Some years after her death, he was assassinated by a wicked man who was seeking the bounty that had been placed on his head by the wicked Duke of Alva. Throughout the tragedies of her life, Juliana’s favorite verses of the Bible were the ones that promised God’s protection. She shared a favorite verse with her granddaughter often, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.”
The Dutch people have given Juliana a special place of reverence in their hearts for centuries. Her convictions about faith set the pattern for the Netherlands, and indeed the western world. Many years later, the Pilgrims would leave England searching for religious freedom. They would go to live in Holland first, before leaving for the New World. They would find the freedom of conscience that they desired. They would also find a government that had toleration for people of different faiths. They would bring these principles with them to New England when they helped to found our great country.
