Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange
Encyclopedia
John William Friso (or Dutch: Johan Willem Friso van Oranje-Nassau) became the titular Prince of Orange
in 1702. He was stadtholder
of Friesland
until his death by drowning in the Hollands Diep
in 1711.
. As such, he was a member of the House of Nassau
and through the testamentary dispositions of William III became the progenitor of the new line of the House of Orange-Nassau
.
, the legitimate male line of William the Silent
(the second House of Orange) became extinct. John William Friso, the senior agnatic descendant of William the Silent's brother and a cognatic
descendant of Frederick Henry
, grandfather of William III, claimed the succession as stadtholder in all provinces held by William III. This was denied to him by the republican faction in the Netherlands
.
The five provinces over which William III ruled — Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel — all suspended the office of Stadtholder after William III's death. The remaining two provinces — Friesland and Groningen — were never governed by William III, and continued to retain a separate Stadtholder, John William Friso. He established the third House of Orange, which went extinct in the male line in 1962. His son William IV, Prince of Orange
, however, later became stadtholder of all seven provinces.
Because William III's heir general was King Frederick I of Prussia
, the latter also claimed part of the inheritance (for example Lingen). Under William III's will, Friso stood to inherit the Principality of Orange
. However, the Prussian King Frederick I also claimed the Principality of Orange in the Rhône Valley, which he later ceded to France.
, under the command of the Duke of Marlborough
, and turned out to be a competent officer. His prestige could have favoured his eventual election as a stadtholder
in the five other provinces. However, in 1711, when traveling from the front in Flanders to The Hague
in connection with the law suit about the Principality of Orange, in his haste he insisted in crossing the Hollands Diep
during a heavy storm. The ferry boat sank and John William Friso drowned. His son was born six weeks after his death.
(1688–1765), daughter of Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
and granddaughter of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland
. They had two children.
John William Friso holds the position of being the most recent common ancestor
to all currently reigning European royal families.
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....
in 1702. He was stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
of Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
until his death by drowning in the Hollands Diep
Hollands Diep
Hollands Diep is a wide river in the Netherlands and an estuary of the Rhine and Meuse river. Through the Scheldt-Rhine Canal it connects to the Scheldt river and Antwerp....
in 1711.
Background
He was the son of Henry Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz, and Princess Henriëtte Amalia of Anhalt-Dessau who were both first cousins with William IIIWilliam III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
. As such, he was a member of the House of Nassau
House of Nassau
The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled Count of Nassau, then elevated to the princely class as...
and through the testamentary dispositions of William III became the progenitor of the new line of the House of Orange-Nassau
House of Orange-Nassau
The House of Orange-Nassau , a branch of the European House of Nassau, has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands — and at times in Europe — since William I of Orange organized the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after the Eighty Years' War...
.
Succession
With the death of William III, Prince of OrangeWilliam III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
, the legitimate male line of William the Silent
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
(the second House of Orange) became extinct. John William Friso, the senior agnatic descendant of William the Silent's brother and a cognatic
Cognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
descendant of Frederick Henry
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
Frederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:...
, grandfather of William III, claimed the succession as stadtholder in all provinces held by William III. This was denied to him by the republican faction in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
The five provinces over which William III ruled — Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel — all suspended the office of Stadtholder after William III's death. The remaining two provinces — Friesland and Groningen — were never governed by William III, and continued to retain a separate Stadtholder, John William Friso. He established the third House of Orange, which went extinct in the male line in 1962. His son William IV, Prince of Orange
William IV, Prince of Orange
William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau , born Willem Karel Hendrik Friso, was the first hereditary stadtholder of the Netherlands.-Early life:...
, however, later became stadtholder of all seven provinces.
Because William III's heir general was King Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia in personal union . The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia . From 1707 he was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
, the latter also claimed part of the inheritance (for example Lingen). Under William III's will, Friso stood to inherit the Principality of Orange
Principality of Orange
The Principality of Orange was a feudal state in Provence, in the south of modern-day France, on the left bank of the River Rhone north of the city of Avignon....
. However, the Prussian King Frederick I also claimed the Principality of Orange in the Rhône Valley, which he later ceded to France.
Military career
On coming of age, John William Friso became a general of the Dutch troops during the War of Spanish SuccessionWar of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, under the command of the Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, and turned out to be a competent officer. His prestige could have favoured his eventual election as a stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
in the five other provinces. However, in 1711, when traveling from the front in Flanders to The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in connection with the law suit about the Principality of Orange, in his haste he insisted in crossing the Hollands Diep
Hollands Diep
Hollands Diep is a wide river in the Netherlands and an estuary of the Rhine and Meuse river. Through the Scheldt-Rhine Canal it connects to the Scheldt river and Antwerp....
during a heavy storm. The ferry boat sank and John William Friso drowned. His son was born six weeks after his death.
Marriage and issue
On April 26, 1709, he married Landgravine Marie Louise of Hesse-KasselLandgravine Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel
Landgravine Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel was a daughter of Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Maria Amalia of Courland....
(1688–1765), daughter of Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Karl I was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1670 till his death.Born at Kassel, he was the son of Wilhelm VI of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg, daughter of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg. After the early death of his father, his mother ruled as regent until 1675...
and granddaughter of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland
Jacob Kettler
Jacob Kettler was a Baltic German Duke of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia . Under his rule, the duchy was brought to its greatest peak in wealth and engaged in colonization.- Life :...
. They had two children.
| Name | |Death | Anna Charlotte Amalia Amalia of Nassau-Dietz Anna Charlotte Amalia of Nassau-Dietz was the wife of Hereditary PrinceFrederick of Baden-Durlach and mother of the first Grand Duke of Baden Charles Frederick.-Life:... | 1710 | 1777 | married Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach Frederick of Baden-Durlach was a German hereditary prince of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach.Frederick was the son of Charles III William, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, and Magdalena Wilhelmine of Württemberg , the daughter of William Louis, Duke of Württemberg.He became heir apparent when his elder... ; had issue, including Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William IV, Prince of Orange William IV, Prince of Orange William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau , born Willem Karel Hendrik Friso, was the first hereditary stadtholder of the Netherlands.-Early life:... |
1711 | 1751 | married Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange was the second child and eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and his consort, Caroline of Ansbach. She was the spouse of William IV, Prince of Orange, the first hereditary stadtholder of the Netherlands... ; had issue, including William V, Prince of Orange William V, Prince of Orange William V , Prince of Orange-Nassau was the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, and between 1795 and 1806 he led the Government of the Dutch Republic in Exile in London. He was succeeded by his son William I... |
||
John William Friso holds the position of being the most recent common ancestor
Royal descendants of John William Friso, Prince of Orange
The descendants of Johan William Friso of Nassau-Dietz, Prince of Orange and his wife Landgravine Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel currently occupy all the hereditary thrones of Europe, as well as some former ones...
to all currently reigning European royal families.