ABSTRACT
The Apology is one of the most important sources of the 'Black Legend', the denigratory view of the Spanish national character that was once so widespread in Europe. The Apology, by comparison, is a rather vague and incoherent argument, which deals superficially with many of the accusations against the Prince, while raising all kinds of other questions that have nothing to do with these charges The Apology ends with Orange's famous call to the States-General to stand by him in the defence of the political and religious freedom they had won. In his Apology the Prince defends himself against the accusations in the edict of outlawry and also against the charges brought in previous years by several of his compatriots. One of the many crimes attributed to Orange in the edict of outlawry was hypocrisy. Before Balthasar Gerard fired his fatal shot on 10 July 1584, Orange's outlawry had none of the results that its opponents had expected.
