William V, Prince of Orange

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William V, stadtholder of The Netherlands (March 8, 1748 – April 9, 1806), also known as William V of Orange, was the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. He was the leader of the conservative faction.

[edit] Life account

William V was born at The Hague, the son of William IV of Nassau and Anne, Princess Royal.

He was only 3 years old when his father died in 1751. William V assumed the position of stadtholder (chief executive and military commander) in 1766 after a long regency. His regents were:

Anne, his mother, from 1751 to her death in 1759
Marie Louise, his grandmother, from 1759 to her death in 1765
Carolina, his sister (who at the time was an adult 22, while he was still a minor at 17), from 1765 to William's majority in 1766

In 1767 Prince William married Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, sister of King Frederick William II of Prussia.

In 1776, his nation was the first country to give official recognition to the newly independent United States. This was inspired by wealthy Dutch merchants, seeking to benefit in the New World at the expense of the Kingdom of Great Britain. William advocated a policy of friendship with Great Britain (the House of Orange had always been very friendly with England) but was not able to stop the recognition of the break-away English colony. The English government tried to persuade the Dutch government to stop trading with their former colony, but to no avail. William could not, and his opponents would not change their course. In 1780, war was declared.

After four years, the Dutch were defeated, and an impoverished nation grew restless under William's rule. A band of young revolutionaries, called Patriots, was challenging his authority. William removed his court to Guelders, a province remote from the political centre, but took no further action. This was against the wishes of his energetic wife Wilhelmina who tried to travel to the Hague. At Goejanverwellesluis, she was stopped by opponents and made to return to Guelders.

To Wilhelmina and her brother, this was an insult. Frederick sent in an army to attack the dissidents. The patriots fled to France in time to see the overthrow of King Louis XVI of France and the rise of "people power."

The year 1795 was a disastrous one for the Netherlands. The Dutch East India Company, rocked by a scandal of corruption and theft, had to declare bankruptcy.

Supported by the French Army, the revolutionaries returned from Paris to fight in the Netherlands, and in 1795 William V fled to the safety of his former enemy, England. The last of the Dutch stadtholders, he died in exile at Brunswick, now in Germany.

In 1813, his son, King William VI/I returned to the Netherlands and become the first Dutch monarch.

[edit] Children

William V and Wilhelmina of Prussia were parents to five children:

An unnamed son (23 March - 24 March 1769).
Frederica Louise Wilhelmina, Princess of Orange-Nassau (28 November 1770 - 15 October 1819). Married Karl Georg August, Prince of Brunswick-Luneburg, a son of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg and Princess Augusta Charlotte of Wales.
An unnamed son (born and deceased on 6 August 1771).
William I of the Netherlands (25 August 1772 - December 12, 1843).
William George Frederick, Prince of Orange-Nassau (15 February 1774 - 6 January 1799).

[edit] See also

House of Orange-Nassau

Preceded by: William IV of Orange	Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel, Groningen and Friesland 1751–1795	Succeeded by: Last to hold function - followed by Batavian Republic
Preceded by: William IV of Orange	Baron of Breda 1751–1795	Succeeded by: Lordship dissolved

Stadtholders of Guelders

Willem van Egmond |

Stadtholders of Holland, Zeeland and (since 1528) Utrecht

Hugo van Lannoy |

Stadtholders of Friesland

Floris van Egmond |

Stadtholders of Groningen

Cristoffel van Meurs |

Stadtholders of Overijssel
Georg Schenck van Toutenburg \| Maximiliaan van Egmond \| Jan van Ligne \| Karel van Brimeu \| Gillis van Berlaymont \| Caspar van Robles \| Georges van Lalaing \| Francisco Verdugo \| Adolf van Nieuwenaar \| Maurice of Nassau \| Frederick Henry of Orange \| William II of Orange \| William III of Orange \| William IV of Orange \| William V of Orange