Willem IV, Prince of Orange

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Willem IV, Prince of Orange; 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:

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 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, and 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.

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

In April 1747, the French army threatened the Dutch Republic, which was weakened by internal division. The Dutch decided 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’s reign lasted only four years. He 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. His three-year-old son succeeded him as Willem V, Prince of Orange with his mother Anne serving as Regent.

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