Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange

Frederick Henry
Portrait byMichiel Janszoon van Mierevelt,1632
Prince of Orange
Reign	23 April 1625 - 14 March 1647
Predecessor	Maurice
Successor	William II
Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel
Predecessor	Maurice, Prince of Orange
Successor	William II, Prince of Orange
Born	(1584-01-29)29 January 1584 Delft,Dutch Republic
Died	14 March 1647(1647-03-14)(aged 63) The Hague,Dutch Republic
Spouse	Amalia of Solms-Braunfels
Issue	William II, Prince of Orange Louise Henriette, Duchess of Prussia Henriette Amalia of Nassau Alexandra of Nassau Isabella Charlotte of Nassau Albertine Agnes of Nassau Henriette Catherine, Princess of Anhalt-Dessau Henry Louis of Nassau Maria, Countess Palatine of Simmern-Kaiserslautern
House	Orange-Nassau
Father	William the Silent
Mother	Louise de Coligny
Religion	Dutch Reformed
Signature

Frederick Henry(Dutch:Frederik Hendrik;29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereignprince of OrangeandstadtholderofHolland,Zeeland,Utrecht,Guelders,andOverijsselin theDutch Republicfrom 1625 until his death in 1647. In the last seven years of his life, he was also the stadtholder ofGroningen(1640-1647).

As the leading soldier in the Dutch wars against Spain, his main achievement was the successfulSiege of 's-Hertogenboschin 1629. It was the main Spanish base and a well-fortified city protected by an experienced Spanish garrison and by formidable water defenses. His strategy was the successful neutralization of the threat of inundation of the area around's-Hertogenbosch' and his capture of the Spanish storehouse atWesel.The successful sieges under his command earned him the epithet ‘city forcer’ (Dutch:stedendwinger). He was the paternal grandfather ofWilliam III,who later becameKing of England, Scotland & Ireland,through his only surviving son,William II.

Biography

Portrait by Michiel Janszoon van Mierevelt, c. 1620–1624

Early life

Frederick Henry was born on 29 January 1584 inDelft,Holland,Dutch Republic.He was the youngest child ofWilliam the SilentandLouise de Coligny.His father William was stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, and Friesland. His mother Louise was daughter of the Huguenot leaderGaspard de Coligny,and was the fourth wife of his father. He was thus the half brother of his predecessorMaurice of Orange,deceased in 1625.

Frederick Henry was born six months before his father'sassassinationon 10 July 1584. The boy was trained to arms by his elder brotherMaurice,one of the finest generals of his age. After Maurice threatened to legitimize his illegitimate children if he did not marry, Frederick Henry married his first cousin once removedAmalia of Solms-Braunfelsin 1625. His illegitimate son by Margaretha Catharina Bruyns (1595–1625),Frederick Nassau de Zuylesteinwas born in 1624 before his marriage. This son later became the governor of the youngWilliam III of Englandfor seven years.

Stadtholder

Portrait byAnthony van Dyck,c. 1629

On the death of Maurice in 1625 without legitimate issue, Frederick Henry succeeded him in his paternal dignities and estates, and also in thestadtholderatesof the five provinces ofHolland,Zeeland,Utrecht,OverijsselandGuelders,and in the important posts of captain and admiral-general of the Union (commander-in-chief of theDutch States Armyand of theDutch navy).

Frederick Henry proved himself almost as good a general as his brother, and a far more capable statesman and politician. For twenty-two years he remained at the head of government in the United Provinces, and in his time the power of the stadtholderate reached its highest point. The "Period of Frederick Henry," as it is usually styled by Dutch writers, is generally accounted for thegolden age of the republic.It was marked by great military and naval triumphs, by worldwide maritime and commercial expansion, and by a wonderful outburst of activity in the domains of art and literature.

The chief military exploits of Frederick Henry were the sieges and captures ofGrolin 1627,'s-Hertogenboschin 1629, ofMaastrichtin 1632, ofBredain 1637, ofSas van Gentin 1644, and ofHulstin 1645. His chief opponent during the later 1640s wasAndries Bicker,burgomaster ofAmsterdamand powerful member of theStates General,who was looking for peace with Spain, wanted to reduce the army and preferred Amsterdam's trading power. During the greater part of his administration the alliance with France against Spain had been the pivot of Frederick Henry's foreign policy, but in his last years he sacrificed the French alliance for the sake of concluding a separate peace with Spain, by which the United Provinces obtained from that power all the advantages they had been seeking for eighty years.

Frederick Henry built thecountry housesHuis Honselaarsdijk,Huis ter Nieuwburg,and for his wifeHuis ten Bosch,and he renovated theNoordeinde PalaceinThe Hague.Huis Honselaarsdijk and Huis ter Nieuwburg are now demolished.

Death

Frederick Henry died on 14 March 1647 inThe Hague,Holland, Dutch Republic. He left his wifeAmalia of Solms-Braunfels,his sonWilliam II, Prince of Orange,four of his daughters, and his illegitimate sonFrederick Nassau de Zuylestein.

On Frederick Henry's death, he was buried with great pomp beside his father and brother at Delft. Thetreaty of Munster,ending the long struggle between the Dutch and the Spaniards, was not actually signed until 30 January 1648, the illness and death of the stadtholder having caused a delay in the negotiations. Frederick Henry left an account of his campaigns in hisMémoires de Frédéric Henri(Amsterdam, 1743). SeeCambridge Mod. Hist.vol. iv. chap. 24.

His widow commissioned an elaborate mausoleum in theOranjezaal,a panoramic painted ballroom with scenes from his life and allegories of good government based on his achievements.

Children

Frederick Henry and his family, byGerard van Honthorst

Frederick Henry and his wife Amalia of Solms-Braunfels had nine children, seven daughters and two sons. Four of their children, including one son, died in childhood, leaving Frederick Henry with only a single son as heir. Ultimately, after the death of Frederick Henry's only male-line grandson, the stadtholdership was to pass to a distant agnatic cousin, who was married to Frederick Henry's daughterAlbertine Agnes.Frederick Henry's children were:

• William II, Prince of Orange(27 May 1626 – 6 November 1650)
• Luise Henriette of Nassau(27 December 1627 – 18 June 1667)
• Henriëtte Amalia of Nassau (26 October 1628 – 2 December 1628) died in infancy.
• Elisabeth of Nassau (4 August 1630) died at birth.
• Isabella Charlotte of Nassau (28 April 1632 – 17 May 1642) died young at age 9.
• Albertine Agnes of Nassau(9 April 1634 – 24 May 1696)
• Henriette Catherine of Nassau(10 February 1637 – 3 November 1708)
• Hendrik Lodewijk of Nassau (30 November 1639 – 19 December 1639) died in infancy.
• Maria of Nassau(5 September 1642 – 17/20 March 1688)

Frederick Henry recognized one illegitimate child by Margaretha Catharina Bruyns:

• Frederick Nassau,lord of Zuylestein (1624–1672)

Coat of arms and titles

Gartered arms of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange

1Arms of Frederick Henry used as Prince of Orange

Frederick Henry, besides being Stadholder of several provinces and Captain-General, both non-hereditary and appointive titles:

StadtholderofHolland,Zeeland,Utrecht,Guelders,andOverijssel;

he was the hereditarysovereignof theprincipality of Orangein what is todayProvencein France. He also was the lord of many other estates, which formed his wealth:

• MarquisofVeereandVlissingen;
• Count of Nassau-Dillenburg,Buren,Leerdam,Katzenelnbogen,andVianden;
• ViscountofAntwerp;
• Baronof Aggeris,Breda,Cranendonck,Lands of Cuijk,Daesburg,Eindhoven,City of Grave,Lek,IJsselstein,*Diest,Grimbergen,Herstal,Warneton,Beilstein,Bentheim-Lingen,Moers,Arlay,andNozeroy;
• LordofDasburg,Geertruidenberg,Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe,Klundert,Montfort,Naaldwijk,Niervaart,Polanen,Steenbergen,Sint-Maartensdijk,Willemstad,Bütgenbach,Sankt Vith,andBesançon.

List of military battles

Frederick Henry participated in these battles as principal Dutch commander:

• 5th Groenlo
• 's-Hertogenbosch
• Bruges
• 3rd Maastricht
• Leuven
• Schenkenschans
• 4th Breda
• Kallo
• 2nd Hulst
• 3rd Hulst
• 4th Hulst

See also

• Fort Frederik Hendrik

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Frederick Henry".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 62.

Further reading

• Israel, Jonathan I.The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477–1806(1998)excerpt and text searchpp 506–45

External links

• (in Dutch)Frederik Hendrik. Prins van Oranje. Een biografisch drieluik,a biography by J.J. Poelhekke