by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Credit – Wikipedia

Willem IV, Prince of Orange (Willem Karel Hendrik Friso) was the only son and the second of the two children of Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen,  two of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic, and Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel. He was born on September 1, 1711, in Leeuwarden, Friesland, Dutch Republic. Six weeks before Willem’s birth, his 23-year-old father drowned when the ferry he was traveling on across a wide river capsized.

Willem had one elder sister:

• Princess Amalia of Nassau-Dietz (1710 – 1777), married Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach, had two sons including Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden

Marie Luise and her two children, circa 1725; Credit – Wikipedia

From the day of his birth, Willem was Prince of Orange. He also succeeded to his father’s elective offices as Stadtholder of Friesland and as Stadtholder of Groningen under the regency of his mother Marie Luise until he reached his majority in 1731. In 1722, he was elected Stadtholder of Guelders and Marie Luise also served as regent of Guelders. Willem received an excellent education. He studied at the University of Franeker in Friesland and at Utrecht University. Willem IV spoke several languages and was interested in history. According to his history professor, Willem showed a particular interest in the mistakes of his ancestors.

Anne, Princess of Orange, Princess Royal; Credit – Wikipedia

Over in Great Britain, Anne, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of King George II, was bored with life at her father’s court.  Anne did not want to be a spinster and was anxious to marry. However, she had been disfigured by smallpox and was not considered attractive. Among the few Protestant possibilities, was Willem IV, Prince of Orange. Willem had a spinal deformity, which affected his appearance, but Anne was so anxious to marry that said she would marry him even “if he were a baboon.” Anne and Willem were betrothed in 1733. On March 25, 1734, Anne and Willem married at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace in London, England.

When Anne and Willem arrived in the Netherlands, they took up residence at the Stadhouderlijk Hof in Leeuwarden, the provincial capital and seat of the States of Friesland (now in the Netherlands).  After enduring two miscarriages and two stillbirths, Anne and Willem had three children, but only two survived to adulthood. Through their son, they are ancestors of the Dutch Royal Family.

• Carolina of Orange-Nassau (1743 – 1787), married Karl Christian of Nassau-Weilburg, had issue
• Anna (born and died 1746)
• Willem V, Prince of Orange (1748 – 1806), married Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, had issue

Willem IV, Prince of Orange; Anne, Princess of Orange and their two children Carolina and Willem; Credit – Wikipedia

In April of 1747, the French army threatened the Dutch Republic, which was weakened by internal division. The Dutch decided that their country needed a single strong executive, and turned to the House of Orange. On May 4, 1747, the States-General of the Netherlands named Willem IV, Prince of Orange, General Stadtholder of all seven of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and made the position hereditary for the first time.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

Willem IV died at age 40 from a stroke on October 22, 1751, at Huis ten Bosch in The Hague and was buried in the crypt of the House of Orange in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Delft. He was succeeded by his three-year-old son as Willem V with his mother Anne serving as Regent.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Credit – Wikipedia

Until September 8, 2022, Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange and his wife Princess Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel held the distinction of being the most recent common ancestors to all currently reigning European monarchs. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and his wife Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken became the most recent common ancestors of all current hereditary European monarchs on September 8, 2022 after Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, who was not a descendant, died and her son, Charles III, a descendant through his father, became king.

The only surviving son and the third of the nine children of Hendrik Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz and Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen and Henriëtte Amalia of Anhalt-Dessau, Johan Willem Friso was born on August 14, 1687, in Dessau, Principality of Anhalt, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. His grandmothers Albertine Agnes and Henriëtte Catharina were daughters of Fredrik Hendrik, Prince of Orange and granddaughters of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange. Upon his father’s death in 1696, nine-year-old Johan Willem Friso became Prince of Nassau-Dietz and Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen, two of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic.

Johan Willem Friso had eight siblings:

• Willem George Friso (1685–1686), died in infancy
• Henriëtte Albertine (1686–1754)
• Maria Amalia (1689–1771)
• Sophia Hedwig (1690–1734), married Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, no children
• Isabella Charlotte (1692–1757), married Christian, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg, no children
• Johanna Agnes (1693–1765)
• Louise Leopoldina (1695–1758)
• Henriëtte Casimira (1696–1738)

At the time of Johan Willem Friso’s birth, his first cousin once removed Willem III was Prince of Orange and Stadtholder (Governor) of five of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic. Willem III had married his English first cousin Mary, the elder surviving child of King James II of England. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688 which deposed King James II, Willem and Mary jointly ruled England as King William III and Queen Mary II. However, the couple had no children. Mary II died in 1694 and William (Willem) III died in 1702. Upon William’s death, Mary’s younger sister succeeded as Queen Anne in England. However, in the Dutch Republic and the Principality of Orange, which had only male succession, the legitimate male line of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange became extinct.

Johan Willem Friso claimed succession in the five provinces of the Dutch Republic that William (Willem) III had held as well as to the title Prince of Orange. However, the five provinces over which Willem III had ruled as Stadtholder – Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel – all suspended the office of Stadtholder after his death. A dispute arose between Johan Willem Friso and Friedrich I, King in Prussia, also a grandson of Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange, over the Principality of Orange which was located in France. Friedrich I eventually inherited the land and ceded the land to France in 1713. However, the title Prince of Orange continued to be used in the Dutch Republic. Eventually, when the Netherlands became a kingdom, Prince of Orange became the title for the heir apparent to the throne. The Netherlands has had absolute primogeniture since 1983 which means the eldest child is the heir regardless of gender. In 2013, upon the succession of King Willem-Alexander to the Dutch throne, his eldest child Princess Catharina-Amalia became the heir apparent and the Princess of Orange.

Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1707, 20-year-old Johan Willem Friso became a general in the Dutch army and took part in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was almost killed on two occasions and his mother Henriëtte Amalia of Anhalt-Dessau realized that her son needed an heir. She started searching for a bride and soon gave him a choice of two German princesses. Johan Willem Friso became engaged within a week to Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel. They were married on April 26, 1709, in Kassel.

Marie Luise and Johan Willem Friso had two children:

• Princess Amalia of Nassau-Dietz (1710 – 1777), married Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach, had two sons including Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden
• Willem IV, Prince of Orange (1711 – 1751), married Anne, Princess Royal, daughter of King George II of Great Britain, had three children including Willem V, Prince of Orange

Marie Luise and her two children, circa 1725; Credit – Wikipedia

In July 1711, Johan Willem Friso traveled from the battlefields of the War of the Spanish Succession to The Hague to meet with King Friedrich I of Prussia about their succession dispute. To cross the Hollands Diep, a wide river in the Netherlands, Johan Willem Friso and his carriage traveled on a ferry. The captain had trouble with the sails and suddenly a great gust of wind filled the sails, the ferry capsized and Johan Willem Friso drowned at the age of 23 on July 14, 1711. His body was found floating in the river eight days later.

The drowning of Johan Willem Friso; Credit – Wikipedia

At the time of his death, Johan Willem Friso’s wife Marie Luise was pregnant with her second child. Six weeks later, she gave birth to a son who immediately became Willem IV, Prince of Orange. Marie Louise served as regent for her son from 1711 until he reached his majority in 1731. On February 25, 1712, more than seven months after his death, Johan Willem Friso was buried at the Grote of Jacobijnerkerk in Leeuwarden, Friesland now in the Netherlands, where sixteen members of Nassau-Diez family – six Stadtholders of Friesland, their spouses and children – are buried.

Grote of Jacobijnerkerk; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Credit – Wikipedia

The father of King William III of England, Willem II, Prince of Orange was the eldest of the nine children of Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange and Amalia of Solms-Braunfels. He was born on May 27, 1626, in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands.

Willem at age six; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem had eight siblings but only four survived childhood:

• Luise Henriette of Nassau (1627 – 1667), married Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg, had six children including Friedrich I, King in Prussia
• Henriëtte Amalia of Nassau (born and died 1628)
• Elisabeth of Nassau (born and died 1630)
• Isabella Charlotte of Nassau (1632 – 1642)
• Albertine Agnes of Nassau (1634 – 1696), married Willem Frederik, Prince of Nassau-Dietz, had three children; paternal grandparents of Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange
• Henriette Catherine of Nassau (1637 – 1708), married Johann Georg II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, had ten children, maternal grandparents of Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange
• Hendrik Lodewijk of Nassau (born and died 1639)
• Maria of Nassau (1642 – 1688), married Ludwig Heinrich, Count Palatine of Simmern-Kaiserslautern, no children

Willem’s father, mother, and three youngest sisters, circa 1647; Credit – Wikipedia

King Charles I of England had wanted his eldest daughter Mary, Princess Royal to marry one of the sons of King Felipe IV of Spain or her first cousin Karl I Ludwig, Elector Palatine, but both marriage prospects failed. Instead, Mary was betrothed to Willem, whose parents were thrilled to have such an alliance with England. On May 2, 1641, at the Chapel Royal of the Palace of Whitehall in London, England, nine-year-old Mary married Willem, who would have his 15th birthday in a couple of weeks. Because of Mary’s young age, the marriage was not consummated for several years.

Willem and Mary, Princess Royal by Anthony Van Dyck; Credit – Wikipedia

In February 1642, Willem and Mary, accompanied by her mother Henrietta Maria of France, sailed from England to The Hague in the Dutch Republic. Once in The Hague, Mary was warmly greeted by her in-laws and her paternal aunt Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine and some of her children. A second marriage ceremony was held in The Hague on November 4, 1643.

Mary and Willem had one child:

• Willem III, Prince of Orange, later King William III of England (1650 – 1702), married his first cousin and co-ruler Queen Mary II of England, no issue

Willem III, Prince of Orange in 1654; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange died in 1647 and his son Willem became Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. His two brothers-in-law, the future King Charles II and King James II, exiled because of the English Civil War, were welcomed to Willem and Mary’s court in 1648.

Since 1568, initially under Willem II’s grandfather, Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange, the Dutch provinces had been engaged in the Eighty Years’ War against Spain for its independence. Under Frederik Hendrik, the Dutch provinces had largely won the war, and since 1646 had been negotiating with Spain on the terms for ending the war. In 1648, Willem II opposed the signing of the Peace of Westphalia, although it officially recognized the independence of the Dutch provinces. However, six of the seven Dutch provinces voted to accept it so the treaty went into effect.

Willem II and Mary, Prince and Princess of Orange in 1647; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1650, there was a serious confrontation between Willem II and the province of Holland, led by the regents of Amsterdam who requested the reduction of the army, according to the Peace of Westphalia. Willem II denied the request and imprisoned several members of the Provincial Assembly of the Netherlands and sent troops to take Amsterdam, but the campaign failed due to bad weather.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

In 1650, Mary was pregnant with her first child when her husband Willem II fell ill with smallpox. He died on November 6, 1650, at the age of 24, and was buried in the crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft. Eight days later, on November 14, 1650, Mary gave birth to her only child Willem III, Prince of Orange who went on to marry his first cousin Mary, the eldest surviving child of the future King James II of England. Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in which James II was deposed, they jointly reigned as King William III and Queen Mary II.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik Hendrik was the third son of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange to become Prince of Orange. Willem I and his four wives had a total of 15 children but only four were sons and only three of those sons survived childhood. Both elder half-brothers of Frederik Hendrik, Filips Willem (who was 30 years older than his youngest half-brother) and Maurits (who was 17 years older), were childless and so Frederik Hendrik became Prince of Orange upon the death of his half-brother Maurits. Frederik Hendrik, born on January 29, 1584, in Delft, Holland, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands, was the only child of Willem I and his fourth wife, French Huguenot Louise de Coligny. Louise’s father, Gaspard II de Coligny, was a French nobleman and admiral but is best remembered as a leader of the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants). He was killed during the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572 when thousands of Huguenots were murdered.

Frederik Hendrik had three half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Anna van Egmont:

• Maria (1553 – 1555), died in early childhood
• Filips Willem, Prince of Orange (1554 – 1618), married Eleonora of Bourbon-Condé, no children
• Maria (1556 – 1616), married Count Philip of Hohenlohe-Neuenstein, no children

Frederik Hendrik had five half-siblings from his father’s second marriage to Anna of Saxony:

• Anna (born and died 1562)
• Anna (1563 – 1588), married her first cousin Count Willem Lodewijk of Nassau-Dillenburg, no children
• Maurits (1564 – 1566), died in early childhood
• Maurits, Prince of Orange (1567 – 1625), unmarried, no legitimate children
• Emilia (1569 – 1629), married Prince Manuel of Portugal, had eight children

Frederik Hendrik had six half-sisters from his father’s third marriage to Charlotte de Bourbon-Monpensier:

• Louise Juliana (1576 – 1644), married Friedrich IV, Elector Palatine, had eight children including Friedrich V, Elector Palatine, grandfather of King George I of Great Britain
• Elisabeth (1577 – 1642), married Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, had seven children
• Catharina Belgica (1578 – 1648), married Count Philipp Ludwig II of Hanau-Münzenberg, had ten children
• Charlotte Flandrina (1579 – 1640), converted to Roman Catholicism and became a nun
• Charlotte Brabantina (1580 – 1631), married Claude, Duc de Thouars, had four children
• Emilia Antwerpiana (1581 – 1657), married Friedrich Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Landsberg, had three children

On July 10, 1584, when Frederik Hendrik was not quite six months old, his father was assassinated. In 1568, Willem I, Prince of Orange, Frederik Hendrik’s father, became the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs who held the land that we now know as the Netherlands and Belgium. That set off the Eighty Years’ War and resulted in the formal independence of the Dutch Republic in 1581. In 1568, Frederik Hendrick’s 13-year-old half-brother and the eldest son of his father, Filips Willem, was a student at the University of Leuven (now in Belgium). Angered by Willem’s actions against Spain, King Felipe II of Spain had Filips Willem abducted, taken to Spain, and held hostage. In Spain, Filips Willem was made to convert to Roman Catholicism and educated as a Spaniard. He never saw his father again.

Upon his father’s death, Filips Willem became Prince of Orange, which was a French hereditary title, not a Dutch title. However, he was not allowed to return to his homeland because he was not trusted and was considered an agent of Spain. In 1585, 17-year-old Maurits held his father’s elective offices as Stadtholder (Governor) of the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. Five years later, Maurits became Stadtholder of the provinces of Guelders, Overijssel, and Utrecht. As the Stadtholder of five of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic, Maurits was effectively the ruler of the Dutch Republic.

After Willem I’s death, his widow Louise de Coligny raised her son and his six half-sisters from his father’s third marriage. In 1591, Frederik Hendrik and his mother moved to the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. Frederik Hendrik was taught Latin and religion by Louise’s pastor Johannes Uytenbogaert.  In 1594, Frederik Hendrik went to the University of Leiden to study mathematics and land surveying. In 1600, he was appointed to the State Council, the chief advisory council, for him to become acquainted with state affairs. His elder half-brother Maurits, a general, trained Frederik Hendrik in military matters. Maurits was the Captain-General and Admiral of the military forces of the Dutch Republic. He organized the Dutch rebellion against Spain into a coherent, successful revolt and won fame as a military strategist. Frederik Hendrik participated in many battles during the rebellion.

Frederik Hendrick on the right with his brother Maurits on the left as Generals; Credit – Wikipedia

Filips Willem died in 1618 and Maurits became Prince of Orange. Maurits never married but he did have a number of illegitimate children. In 1625, while on his deathbed, Maurits threatened to legitimize his illegitimate sons which would then threaten the succession of Frederik Hendrik. 41-year-old Frederik Hendrik also had not yet married, but he had one illegitimate son born in 1624. A few years earlier Frederik Hendrik had met Princess Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, became infatuated with her, and asked her to become his lover. She refused, saying she would only consider marriage. Because of Maurits’ threat to legitimize his illegitimate sons, Frederik Hendrik summoned Amalia and married her on April 4, 1625. Maurits died on April 23, 1625, at the age of 57. Frederik Hendrik succeeded him as Prince of Orange and the other hereditary titles of their father. He also succeeded in the elective offices as Stadtholder (Governor) of five of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic and as the Captain-General and Admiral of the military forces of the Dutch Republic.

Frederik Hendrik and his wife Amalia of Solms-Braunfels; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik Hendrik and Amalia had nine children but four did not survive infancy:

• Willem II, Prince of Orange (1626 – 1650), married Mary, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of King Charles I of England; had one son Willem III, Prince of Orange, later King William III of England
• Luise Henriette of Nassau (1627 – 1667), married Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg, had six children including Friedrich I, King in Prussia
• Henriëtte Amalia of Nassau (born and died 1628)
• Elisabeth of Nassau (born and died 1630)
• Isabella Charlotte of Nassau (1632 – 1642)
• Albertine Agnes of Nassau (1634 – 1696), married Willem Frederik, Prince of Nassau-Dietz, had three children; paternal grandparents of Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange
• Henriette Catherine of Nassau (1637 – 1708), married Johann Georg II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, had ten children, maternal grandparents of Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange
• Hendrik Lodewijk of Nassau (born and died 1639)
• Maria of Nassau (1642 – 1688), married Ludwig Heinrich, Count Palatine of Simmern-Kaiserslautern, no children

Frederik Hendrik recognized one illegitimate child by Margaretha Catharina Bruyns:

• Frederik van Nassau-Zuylestein, Lord of Zuylestein (1624–1672), married Mary Killigrew, had two sons, Frederik became the governor of the household of his nephew Willem III, Prince of Orange

Frederik Hendrik with his wife and three youngest daughters, circa 1647; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik Hendrik ruled the Dutch Republic for 22 years. His reign is included in the era known as the Dutch Golden Age in which Dutch trade, science, military, and art were among the most acclaimed around the world. He was almost as good a general as his brother Maurits and was a more capable statesman. Frederik Hendrik married off his children to form alliances. The highlight of these marriages was an alliance with England when his eldest son, the future Willem II, Prince of Orange married Mary, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England.

For many years before his death, Frederik Hendrik suffered from gout. In the summer of 1646, he had a stroke that temporarily prevented him from speaking. After that, Frederik Hendrik was physically weak, difficult to cope with, and sometimes mentally unstable. He died on March 14, 1647, in The Hague, Holland, Dutch Republic at the age of 63. His eldest son succeeded him as Willem II, Prince of Orange but sadly he died three years later from smallpox. Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange was buried in the royal vault at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft with his father and brother Maurits.

The Old Crypt with the coffin of Willem I on the bottom, the coffin of Willem I’s fourth wife Louise de Coligny on the bottom right, the coffin of Maurits on the top left and the coffin of Frederik Hendrik on the top right; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.