General Slangenburg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (March 2008)

Frederik Johan van Baer, Lord of Slangenburg

Frederik Johan van Baer, Lord of Slangenburg (27 July 1645 - December 15, 1713) was a Dutch officer in the military service of William III of Orange.

He was a professed Catholic, and therefore was denied a career in government. A career in the army was the obvious choice.

In 1665 he married Dorothea Petronella van Steenbergen, who died the same year. Frederik never remarried.

Van Baer rebuild his ancestral mansion the "Slangenburg" near Doetinchem into a considerable castle, fitting his status. His wife is memorialized in many paintings there by Gerard Hoet.

Overcoming the challenges posed by his faith, he had a distinguished career in the Dutch Army, participating in the War of the Grand Alliance and the War of the Spanish Succession.

In 1675 he was the Colonel of one of the Dutch-Scottish regiments. He became Major General in 1683, Lieutenant-General in 1692 and General in 1704. In 1689 he commanded troops at the Battle of Walcourt. In 1703 he rescued a desperate situation at the Battle of Ekeren.

Slangenburg resented the Duke of Marlborough and headed the opposition of certain Dutch generals against his command. In the end Slangenburg was removed in 1705 from his post and replaced by Ouwerkerk, who had a far better personal relationship with Marlborough.