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Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, nicknamed "The Citydrainer" (De Stedenwringer) (29 January 1584-14 March 1647) was Prince of Orange from 1625 to 1647, succeeding Maurice of Orange and preceding William II of Orange.

Biography[]

Frederick Henry was born in Delft, Dutch Republic on 29 January 1584, the youngest son of William the Silent and Louise de Coligny. Frederick Henry belonged to the House of Orange, and he was the half-brother of Maurice of Orange. Frederick Henry was raised by his half-brother, as his father was assassinated six months after his birth. When his brother died in 1625 without legitimate issue, Frederick Henry became the new Prince of Orange, becoming stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Overijssel, and Guelders. He was a more capable statesman and politician than his half-brother and was just as good a general, and he allied with France against Spain during the Eighty Years' War. He captured Grol in 1627, Den Bosch in 1629, Maastricht in 1632, Breda in 1637, Sas van Gent in 1644, and Hulst in 1645. His siege of Den Bosch (s' Hertogenbosch) made him get his nickname "The Citydrainer". This because the area around Den Bosch was mostly swamp. And thus he asked the Polder-Architect Jan Leeghwater to polder the marshes around Den Bosch. This was funded by Piet Hein's capturing campaign, where he captured a Spanish treasure fleet. The Spanish did not expect an attack over the just-made dry land, and thus Den Bosch fell. He later abandoned his alliance with France by making a separate peace with Spain that would be concluded after his death, in 1648, guaranteeing the independence of the United Provinces from the Spanish Netherlands. He died in 1647 at the age of 63, and his son William II of Orange succeeded him.

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