Henry Nassau
Encyclopedia
Henry, Count of Nassau, Lord of Overkirk (Dutch: Hendrik van Nassau-Ouwerkerk, French: Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque) (1640–18 October 1708) was a Dutch military general and second cousin of King William III of England
and his Master of the Horse. Lord of Ouwerkerk and Woudenberg in the Netherlands, he was called by the English "Lord Overkirk" or "Count Overkirk".
Born in The Hague
to Louis of Nassau-Beverweerd (illegitimate son of Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
) and his wife Isabella van Hoorn, Overkirk was baptised there on 16 December 1640. Granted the title Count of Nassau (graaf van Nassau) by the Emperor Leopold I
in 1679, he joined William III's
invasion of England in 1688, and was appointed the king's Master of the Horse
the following year. He resided in London, notably at Overkirk House, which later became part of 10 Downing Street
.
Overkirk was one of the Duke of Marlborough's
most trusted generals, and led the left wing of Marlborough's army at both Ramillies
and Oudenarde
. He was made Field Marshal
of the Dutch States Army
in 1704.
Overkirk died on 18 October 1708 at Roeselare
in modern-day Belgium
and is buried the Nassau-LaLecq Crypt at Ouderkerk aan den IJssel
in the Netherlands. His widow continued to live at Overkirk House until her own death in 1720.
, at The Hague
on 2 October 1667. They had eight children, including five sons, of whom two married and had children.
Their children included:
.
1678: present at the battle of St. Denis
, where he saved the life of William III.
1690: present at the battle of the Boyne
1693: present at the battle of Neerwinden.
1705: commanding the Dutch army while breaking the Lines of Brabant at the Battle of Elixheim
.
1706: commanding the left wing at the battle of Ramillies
, and playing a major part in the victory.
1708: commanding the left wing at the battle of Oudenaarde.
1708: Fell ill during the siege of Lille
and died 4 days later of disease in camp at nearby Roeselare
.
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and his Master of the Horse. Lord of Ouwerkerk and Woudenberg in the Netherlands, he was called by the English "Lord Overkirk" or "Count Overkirk".
Born in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
to Louis of Nassau-Beverweerd (illegitimate son of Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange from 1618, on the death of his eldest half brother, Philip William, Prince of Orange,...
) and his wife Isabella van Hoorn, Overkirk was baptised there on 16 December 1640. Granted the title Count of Nassau (graaf van Nassau) by the Emperor Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
in 1679, he joined William III's
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
invasion of England in 1688, and was appointed the king's Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
the following year. He resided in London, notably at Overkirk House, which later became part of 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
.
Overkirk was one of the Duke of Marlborough's
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
most trusted generals, and led the left wing of Marlborough's army at both Ramillies
Battle of Ramillies
The Battle of Ramillies , fought on 23 May 1706, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession. For the Grand Alliance – Austria, England, and the Dutch Republic – the battle had followed an indecisive campaign against the Bourbon armies of King Louis XIV of France in 1705...
and Oudenarde
Battle of Oudenarde
The Battle of Oudenaarde was a key battle in the War of the Spanish Succession fought on 11 July 1708 between the forces of Great Britain, the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire on the one side and the French on the other...
. He was made Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
of the Dutch States Army
Dutch States Army
The Dutch States Army was the army of the Dutch Republic. It was usually called this, because it was formally the army of the States-General of the Netherlands, the sovereign power of that federal republic...
in 1704.
Overkirk died on 18 October 1708 at Roeselare
Roeselare
Roeselare is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke....
in modern-day Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and is buried the Nassau-LaLecq Crypt at Ouderkerk aan den IJssel
Ouderkerk aan den IJssel
Ouderkerk aan den IJssel is a village in the Krimpenerwaard polder, in the province South Holland, the Netherlands. It is situated along the river Hollandse IJssel and has over 4000 inhabitants....
in the Netherlands. His widow continued to live at Overkirk House until her own death in 1720.
Family
The future Lord Overkirk married Frances van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck (d. 1720), daughter of Cornelius, Lord of SommelsdijkSommelsdijk
Sommelsdijk is a village on the island Goeree-Overflakkee, South Holland, the Netherlands. Together with Nieuwe-Tonge, Middelharnis, and Stad aan 't Haringvliet, it is part of the municipality of Middelharnis. Other places nearby are Melissant, Ouddorp, and Dirksland...
, at The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
on 2 October 1667. They had eight children, including five sons, of whom two married and had children.
Their children included:
- Countess Isabella van Nassau (bapt. 20 April 1668, d.in childbirth on 30 January 1692 at London) married 10 March 1691, Charles Granville, Lord Lansdown, later 2nd Earl of Bath (bapt. 31 August 1661, d. 4 September 1701 by suicide), widower of Lady Martha Osborne, daughter of the 1st Duke of Leeds, and son and heir of John Granville, 1st Earl of BathJohn Granville, 1st Earl of BathJohn Granville, 1st Earl of Bath PC was an English royalist statesman, whose highest position was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland....
. Her widower committed suicide on 4 September 1701, shortly after inheriting the peerage on 2 August 1701. He was buried with his father on 22 September 1701 at Kilkhampton. Her son William Henry Granville (30 January 1692 - 1711) became 3rd Earl of Granville, but died young aged 19 of smallpox. - Lodewijk van Nassau (1669-1687)
- Lucia van Nassau (1671-1673)
- Henry Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of GranthamHenry Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of GranthamHenry de Nassau, Lord d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of Grantham PC , was a British peer and courtier, a member of the House of Orange-Nassau and second cousin once removed to King William III of England...
(1673-1754) whose two sons both died in his lifetime, making his nephew Hendrik his heir as of 1730. - Cornelis van Nassau, Heer van Woudenberg (1675-1712), drowned at the Battle of DenainBattle of DenainThe Battle of Denain was fought on 24 July 1712, as part of the War of the Spanish Succession, and resulted in a French victory under Marshal Villars against Austrian and Dutch forces under Prince Eugene of Savoy.-Prelude:...
- Count Willem Maurits van Nassau, Heer van Ouwerkerk (1679-1753) who married his cousin Charlotte van Nassau (c. 1677-1708), and had issue one son and two daughters
- Count Hendrik van Nassau, styled Viscount Boston (1710-10 October 1735) who became heir to his uncle, the 2nd Earl of Grantham, and as such was known as Viscount of Boston.
- Frans van Nassau (1682-1710), died in the Battle of Almenar
- Lucia Anna van Nassau (1684-1744) married 11 February 1705 Nanfan Coote, 2nd Earl of Bellomont, and had issue 1 daughter, Lady Frances Coote. She, in turn, married Sir Robert Clifton, 5th BaronetClifton BaronetsTwo unrelated Baronetcies have been created in the surname of Clifton.The Clifton Baronetcy, of Clifton in the County of Nottinghamshire, was created in the Baronetage of England on 22 May 1611 for Sir Gervas Clifton, of Clifton Hall, Nottingham...
, of Clifton Hall, MP (1690-1767), and had one daughter Frances Clifton (d 8 November 1786) who married George Carpenter, 3rd Baron Carpenter, later 1st Earl of TyrconnelEarl of TyrconnelThe title Earl of Tyrconnell has been created four times in the Peerage of Ireland.It was first created in 1603, for Rory O'Donnell, formerly King of Tír Chonaill , along with the subsidiary title Baron Donegal...
(1723–1762) and had many children.
Service Record
1674: present at the battle of SeneffeBattle of Seneffe
The Battle of Seneffe was fought on 11 August 1674 and resulted in a draw.The armies were under the command of Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé and the Dutch-German-Spanish army under William III of Orange....
.
1678: present at the battle of St. Denis
Battle of Saint-Denis (1678)
The Battle of Saint-Denis was fought on August 14-15 1678 between a French army commanded by the Marshal Luxembourg and a Dutch army under William III near Saint-Denis, a village outside Mons, then part of the Spanish Netherlands...
, where he saved the life of William III.
1690: present at the battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
1693: present at the battle of Neerwinden.
1705: commanding the Dutch army while breaking the Lines of Brabant at the Battle of Elixheim
Battle of Elixheim
The Battle of Elixheim, 18 July 1705, also known as the Passage of the Lines of Brabant was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The Duke of Marlborough successfully broke through the French Lines of Brabant, an arc of defensive fieldworks stretching in a seventy-mile arc from Antwerp to...
.
1706: commanding the left wing at the battle of Ramillies
Battle of Ramillies
The Battle of Ramillies , fought on 23 May 1706, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession. For the Grand Alliance – Austria, England, and the Dutch Republic – the battle had followed an indecisive campaign against the Bourbon armies of King Louis XIV of France in 1705...
, and playing a major part in the victory.
1708: commanding the left wing at the battle of Oudenaarde.
1708: Fell ill during the siege of Lille
Siege of Lille (1708)
The Siege of Lille was the salient operation of the 1708 campaign season during the War of the Spanish Succession...
and died 4 days later of disease in camp at nearby Roeselare
Roeselare
Roeselare is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke....
.