William IV, Prince of Orange
| William IV | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of William IV (1751), attributed to Johann Valentin Tischbein | |
| Stadtholder of the United Provinces | |
| Reign | 4 May 1747 – 22 October 1751 |
| Predecessor | William III |
| Successor | William V |
| Prince of Orange | |
| Reign |
1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751 |
| Predecessor | John William Friso |
| Successor | William V |
| Born |
1 September 1711 Leeuwarden, Dutch Republic |
| Died |
22 October 1751 (aged 40) Huis ten Bosch, The Hague, Dutch Republic |
| Spouse | Anne of Great Britain |
| Issue Details... |
Carolina, Princess of Nassau-Weilburg Princess Anna of Orange-Nassau William V, Prince of Orange |
| House | Orange-Nassau |
| Father | John William Friso, Prince of Orange |
| Mother | Landgravine Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel |
William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau (Willem Karel Hendrik Friso; 1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751) was the first hereditary Stadtholder of the United Provinces.[1]
Early life
William was born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, the son of John William 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.
Marriage and children
In 1720 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:
- a stillborn daughter (born 19 December 1736)
- a stillborn daughter (born 22 December 1739)
- Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau (28 February 1743 - 6 May 1787), married Karl Christian of Nassau-Weilburg
- Princess Anna of Orange-Nassau (15 November 1746 - 29 December 1746)
- William V, Prince of Orange (8 March 1748 – 9 April 1806)
Later life
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 (Netherlands).
William IV was considered an attractive, educated and accomplished prince in his prime. 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 county of Orange, Virginia, and the city of Orangeburg, South Carolina, are named after him.
