Frederick Henry
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Frederick Henry,
1584–1647, prince of Orange; son of William the SilentWilliam the Silentor William of Orange
(William I, prince of Orange), 1533–84, Dutch statesman, principal founder of Dutch independence. Early Life
..... Click the link for more information. by Louise de Coligny. He became stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands upon the death (1625) of his brother Maurice of NassauMaurice of Nassau
, 1567–1625, prince of Orange (1618–25); son of William the Silent by Anne of Saxony. He became stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland after the assassination (1584) of his father.
..... Click the link for more information. . As a minor prince heading a federation of oligarchic republics, Frederick allied himself with other minor members and the puritans in order to maintain control during the Netherlands' struggle for independence from Spain. An able diplomat, he gained a subsidy from France to continue fighting, and allied with the British King Charles I by marrying his son, William, to Charles's daughter, Mary. In 1635 he concluded an alliance with France and Sweden against the Hapsburgs in the Thirty Years WarThirty Years War,
1618–48, general European war fought mainly in Germany. General Character of the War
There were many territorial, dynastic, and religious issues that figured in the outbreak and conduct of the war.
..... Click the link for more information. . By the capture of the frontier forts of Hertogenbosch (1629), Maastricht (1632), and Breda (1637), he became famous as a master of siegecraft. In 1631 the United Provinces showed their trust in his leadership by declaring the stadtholderate hereditary in his family. One year after his death the independence of the Netherlands was recognized in the Peace of Westphalia. His son, William II, succeeded him as stadtholder.
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