| William IV, Prince of Orange | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Orange | |
| Spouse(s) | Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange |
| Noble family | House of Orange |
| Father | Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange |
| Mother | Landgravine Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel |
| Born | 1 September 1711 Leeuwarden |
| Died | 22 October 1751 (aged 40) Huis ten Bosch |
William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau (1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751), born Willem Karel Hendrik Friso, was the first hereditary stadtholder of the Netherlands.
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William was born in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, the son of Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange, head of the Frisian branch of the House of Orange-Nassau, and of his wife Landgravine Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). He was born six weeks after the death of his father.
William succeeded his father as Stadtholder of Friesland and also, under the regency of his mother until 1731, as Stadtholder of Groningen. In 1722 he was elected Stadtholder of Guelders.
In 1733 William was named the 549th Knight of the Order of the Garter. On 25 March 1734 he married at St. James' Palace Anne, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach. William and Anne had five children:
In 1739 William inherited the estates formerly owned by the Nassau-Dillenburg branch of his family, and in 1743 he inherited those formerly owned by the Nassau-Siegen branch of his family.
In April 1747 the French army entered Flanders. In an effort to quell internal strife amongst the various factions, the States-General of the Netherlands appointed William to the hereditary position of General Stadtholder of all seven of the United Provinces. William and his family moved from Leeuwarden to The Hague. William first met Duke Louis Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1747, and 2 years later appointed him field marshal of the Dutch States Army, which later led to his being one of the regents to William's heir. On 4 May 1747 he was confirmed as Hereditary Stattholder of the United Provinces (the Netherlands).
Although he had little experience in state affairs, William was at first popular with the people. He stopped the practice of indirect taxation by which independent contractors managed to make large sums for themselves. Nevertheless, he was also a Director-General of the Dutch East India Company, and his alliance with the business class deepened while the disparity between rich and poor grew.
William served as General Stadtholder of all the Netherlands until his death in 1751 at The Hague.
The city of Orangeburg, SC is named after him.
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William IV, Prince of Orange
Cadet branch of the House of Nassau
Born: September 1 1711 Died: October 22 1751) |
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| Dutch nobility | ||
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| Vacant
Title last held by
John William Friso |
Prince of Orange 1711–1751 |
Succeeded by William V |
| Political offices | ||
| New title | General Stadtholder of the United Provinces 1747–1751 |
Succeeded by William V |
| Preceded by John William Friso |
Prince of Orange-Nassau Baron of Breda 1711–1751 |
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| Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen 1711–1747 |
Titles obsolete merge of all stadtholderships |
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| Preceded by William III |
Stadtholder of Guelders 1722–1747 |
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| Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, and Overijssel 1747 |
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