Editing William I of the Netherlands (section)

==Prince of Orange==
[[File:Willem Frederik (1772-1843), prins van Oranje-Nassau (later koning Willem I), als kind Rijksmuseum SK-A-1476.jpeg|thumb|upright|left|Portrait of William (1775)]]

King William I's parents were the last [[stadtholder]] [[William V, Prince of Orange]] of the [[Dutch Republic]], and his wife [[Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange|Wilhelmina of Prussia]]. Until 1806, William was formally known as William VI, Prince of [[House of Nassau|Orange-Nassau]],{{efn|The family name changed from "Nassau-Dietz" to "Orange-Nassau" when [[John William Friso, Prince of Orange]] claimed the inheritance of Prince [[William III of England|William III of Orange]] in 1702.}} and between 1806 and 1813 also as Prince of Orange. In [[Berlin]] on 1 October 1791, William married his maternal first cousin [[Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands|(Frederica Louisa) Wilhelmina of Prussia]], born in [[Potsdam]]. She was the daughter of King [[Frederick William II of Prussia]]. After Wilhelmina died in 1837, William married Countess [[Henrietta d'Oultremont]] (28 February 1792, in [[Maastricht]] – 26 October 1864, in [[:File:Schloss-Rahe-Terrasse.png|Schloss Rahe]]), created countess of Nassau, on 17 February 1841, also in Berlin.

===Youth and early military career===
{{Main|Low Countries theatre of the War of the First Coalition{{!}}Flanders campaign}}
[[File:JongeWillemImetbroerFrederik.jpg|thumb|upright|Young William and his brother [[Prince Frederick of Orange-Nassau|Frederick]] in 1790]]
As eldest son of the [[William V, Prince of Orange]], William was informally referred to as ''Erfprins''{{efn|German: ''[[Erbprinz]]''}} (Hereditary Prince) by contemporaries from his birth until the death of his father in 1806 to distinguish him from William V.

Like his younger brother [[Prince Frederick of Orange-Nassau]] he was tutored by the Swiss mathematician [[Leonhard Euler]] and the Dutch historian [[Herman Tollius]]. They were both tutored in the military arts by General [[Frederick Stamford]]. After the [[Patriottentijd|Patriot revolt]] had been suppressed in 1787, he in 1788–89 attended the military academy in [[Braunschweig|Brunswick]] which was considered an excellent military school, together with his brother. In 1790 he visited a number of foreign courts like the one in [[Duchy of Nassau|Nassau]] and the [[Prussia]]n capital Berlin, where he first met his future wife.<ref name=Bas>{{cite book|last=Bas|first=François de|author-link=François de Bas|title=Prins Frederik Der Nederlanden en Zijn Tijd, vol. 1|year=1887|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=livrAAAAMAAJ&q=editions:KR2VRpMN5HgC|publisher=H. A. M. Roelants, 1887|access-date=31 March 2013}}</ref>{{rp|100}}

William subsequently studied briefly at the [[University of Leiden]]. In 1790 he was appointed a general of infantry in the [[Dutch States Army]] of which his father was [[Captain general]], and he was made a member of the [[Council of State of the Netherlands]]. In November 1791 he took his new bride to [[The Hague]].<ref name=Bas />{{rp|101}}

After the [[National Convention]] of the [[First French Republic|French Republic]] had declared war on the Dutch Republic in February 1793, William was appointed commander-in-chief of the ''veldleger'' (mobile army) of the States Army (his father remained the nominal head of the armed forces).<ref name=Bas />{{rp|157}} As such he commanded the troops that took part in the [[Low Countries theatre of the War of the First Coalition|Flanders Campaign]] of 1793–95. He took part in the Battles of [[Veurne]] and [[Battle of Menin (1793)|Menin]] (where his brother was wounded) in 1793, and commanded during the [[Siege of Landrecies (1794)]], whose fortress surrendered to him. In May 1794 he had replaced general [[Franz Wenzel, Graf von Kaunitz-Rietberg|Kaunitz]] as commander of the combined Austro-Dutch forces on the instigation of Emperor [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis II]] who apparently had a high opinion of him.<ref name=Bas />{{rp|270}} William was victorious at the Battles of [[Battle of Gosselies|Gosselies]] and [[Battle of Lambusart|Lambusart]] and proved to be an able commander, but the French armies ultimately proved too strong, and the general allied leadership too inept. Despite a well-executed attack by William on the French left, the allied army under [[Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld|Coburg]] was finally defeated at the [[Battle of Fleurus (1794)|Battle of Fleurus]]. The French first entered Dutch [[North Brabant|Brabant]] which they dominated after the [[Battle of Boxtel]]. When in the winter of 1794–95 the rivers in the [[Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta|Rhine delta]] froze over, the French breached the southern [[Hollandic Water Line]] and the situation became militarily untenable. In many places Dutch revolutionaries took over the local government. After the [[Batavian Revolution in Amsterdam]] on 18 January 1795 the stadtholder decided to flee to England, and his sons accompanied him. (On this last day in Holland his father relieved William honorably of his commands). The next day the [[Batavian Republic]] was proclaimed.<ref name=Bas />{{rp|341–365, 374–404, 412}}

===Exile===

Soon after the departure to England the hereditary prince went back to the continent, where his brother was assembling former members of the States Army in [[Osnabrück]] for a planned invasion into the Batavian Republic in the summer of 1795. However, the neutral Prussian government forbade this.<ref name=Schama>{{cite book|last=Schama|first=Simon|author-link=Simon Schama|title=Patriots and Liberators. Revolution in the Netherlands 1780–1813|year=1992|publisher=Vintage Books|location=New York|isbn=0-679-72949-6}}</ref>{{rp|231–235}}

In 1799, William landed in modern-day [[North Holland]] as part of the [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland]]. He was instrumental in fomenting a mutiny among the crews of a [[Batavian Navy]] squadron under Rear-Admiral [[Samuel Story]], resulting in the squadron [[Vlieter incident|surrendering without a fight]] to the [[Royal Navy]], which accepted the surrender in the name of the stadtholder. Not all the local Dutch population, however, was pleased with the arrival of the prince. One local [[Orangism (Dutch Republic)|Orangist]] was even executed.{{efn|The ''freule'' (baroness) [[Judith van Dorth|Judith Van Dorth tot Holthuizen]]; see Schama, p. 397}} The hoped-for popular uprising failed to materialise. After several minor battles the hereditary prince was forced to leave the country again after the [[Convention of Alkmaar]]. The mutineers of the Batavian fleet, with their ships, and a large number of deserters from the Batavian army accompanied the retreating British troops to Britain. There William formed the [[King's Dutch Brigade]] with these troops, a military unit in British service, that swore oaths of allegiance to the British king, but also to the States General, defunct since 1795, "whenever those would be reconstituted."{{efn|The States General were the sovereign power in the defunct Dutch Republic; the troops of the States Army had also sworn loyalty to the States General and not the stadtholder.}} This brigade trained on the [[Isle of Wight]] in 1800 and was stationed in Ireland for a time.<ref name=Bas2>{{cite book|last=Bas|first=François de|author-link=François de Bas|title=Prins Frederik der Nederlanden en zijn tijd, Volume 2|year=1891|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1SzrAAAAMAAJ&q=Prins+Frederik+der+Nederlanden+en+zijn+tijd%2C+Volume+2|publisher=H. A. M. Roelants, 1891|access-date=31 March 2013}}</ref>{{rp|241–265}}

When [[Treaty of Amiens|peace]] was concluded between [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] and the French Republic under [[First Consul]] [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] the Orange exiles were at their nadir. The Dutch Brigade was dissolved on 12 July 1802. Many members of the brigade went home to the Batavian Republic, thanks to an amnesty. The surrendered ships of the Batavian Navy were not returned, due to an agreement between the stadtholder and the British government of 11 March 1800.<ref name=Bas2 />{{rp|329–330}} Instead the stadtholder was allowed to sell them to the Royal Navy for an appreciable sum.<ref>{{cite book|last=James|first=W. M.|title=The Naval History of Great Britain: During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Vol. 2 1797–1799|year=2002|edition=reprint|publisher=Stackpole books|pages=309–310}}</ref>

The stadtholder, feeling discontented with the British, left for Germany. The hereditary prince, having a more flexible mind, went to visit Napoleon at [[Château de Saint-Cloud|St. Cloud]] in 1802. He apparently charmed the First Consul, and was charmed by him. Napoleon raised hopes for William that he might have an important role in a reformed Batavian Republic. Meanwhile, William's brother-in-law [[Frederick William III of Prussia]], neutral at the time, promoted a Franco-Prussian convention of 23 May 1802, in addition to the [[Treaty of Amiens]], that gave the [[House of Orange]] a few [[abbatial]] domains in Germany, that were combined to the [[Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda]] by way of indemnification for its losses in the Batavian Republic. The stadtholder gave this principality immediately to his son.<ref name=Schama />{{rp|452}}

[[File:Willem Frederik (1772-1843), erfprins van Oranje-Nassau. Later koning Willem I. Genaamd 'Het mantelportret' Rijksmuseum SK-A-4113.jpeg|thumb|upright|William Frederick, Prince of Orange in {{circa}} 1805–1810]]

When [[War of the Fourth Coalition|war]] broke out between the [[First French Empire|French Empire]] and Prussia in 1806, William supported his Prussian relatives, though he was nominally a French vassal. He received command of a Prussian division which took part in the [[Battle of Jena–Auerstedt]]. The Prussians lost that battle and William was forced to surrender his troops rather ignominiously at [[Capitulation of Erfurt|Erfurt]] the day after the battle. He was made a prisoner of war, but was [[Parole#Prisoners of war|paroled]] soon. Napoleon punished him for his betrayal, however, by taking away his principality. As a parolee, William was not allowed to take part in the hostilities anymore. After the [[Treaties of Tilsit|Peace of Tilsit]] William received a pension from France in compensation.<ref name=Bas2 />{{rp|454–469, 471, 501}}

In the same year, 1806, his father, the Prince of Orange died, and William not only inherited the title, but also his father's claims on the inheritance embodied in the Nassau lands. This would become important a few years later, when developments in Germany coincided to make William the [[Fürst]] (Prince) of a diverse assembly of Nassau lands that had belonged to other branches of the [[House of Nassau]].

But before this came about, in 1809 tensions between [[Austrian Empire|Austria]] and France became intense, resulting in the [[War of the Fifth Coalition]]. William did not hesitate to join the [[Imperial Austrian Army (1806-1867)|Austrian army]] as a ''Feldmarschalleutnant'' (major-general) in May 1809<ref name=Bas2 />{{rp|516}} As a member of the staff of the Austrian supreme commander, Archduke [[Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen|Charles]] he took part in the [[Battle of Wagram]], where he was wounded in the leg.<ref name=Bas2 />{{rp|520–523}}

Tsar [[Alexander I of Russia]] played a central role in the restoration of the Netherlands. Prince William VI (as he was now known), who had been living in exile in Prussia, met with Alexander I in March 1813. Alexander promised to support William and help restore an independent Netherlands with William as king.  Russian troops in the Netherlands participated with their Prussian allies in restoring the dynasty. Dynastic considerations of marriage between the royal houses of Great Britain and the Netherlands, assured British approval.

===Return===
{{see also|Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands}}
[[File:Kalender bij eeuwfeest aankomst van de prins van Oranje te Scheveningen, 1813-1913 1813 - 1913. Aankomst van den prins van Oranje te Scheveningen op 20 Novr. 1813 (titel op object), RP-R-1913-83.jpg|thumb|Landing of William in [[Scheveningen]] on 30 November 1813]]
[[File:Inhuldiging van den Souvereinen Vorst Willem I. in de Nieuwe Kerk van Amsterdam, (R. Vinkeles) Afb 010097007655.jpg|thumb|Inauguration of William as sovereign Prince of the Netherlands in [[Amsterdam]] on 30 March 1814]]

After Napoleon's defeat at [[Battle of Leipzig|Leipzig]] (October 1813), the French troops retreated to France from all over Europe. The Netherlands had been annexed to the French Empire by Napoleon in 1810. But now city after city was evacuated by the French occupation troops. In the ensuing power vacuum a number of former Orangist politicians and former Patriots formed a provisional government in November 1813. Although a large number of the members of the provisional government had helped drive out William V 18 years earlier, it was taken for granted that his son would have to head any new government. They also agreed it would be better in the long term for the Dutch to restore him themselves, rather than have the Great Powers impose him on the country. The Dutch population were pleased with the departure of the French, who had ruined the Dutch economy, and this time welcomed the prince.<ref name=Schama />{{rp|634–642}}

After having been invited by the [[Triumvirate of 1813]], on 30 November 1813 William disembarked from {{HMS|Warrior|1781|6}} and landed at [[Scheveningen]] beach, only a few yards from the place where he had left the country with his father 18 years before, and on 6 December the provisional government offered him the title of [[king]]. William refused, instead proclaiming himself "[[Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands|Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands]]". He also wanted the rights of the people to be guaranteed by "a wise constitution".<ref name=Schama />{{rp|643}}

The constitution offered William extensive, nearly absolute powers: ministers were only responsible to him, while a unicameral parliament (the [[States General of the Netherlands|States General]]) exercised only limited power. He was inaugurated as sovereign prince in the [[Nieuwe Kerk (Amsterdam)|New Church]] in [[Amsterdam]] on 30 March 1814. In August 1814, he was appointed Governor-General of the former [[Austrian Netherlands]] and the [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège]] (more or less modern-day Belgium) by the Allied Powers who occupied that country, ruling them on behalf of Prussia. He was also made [[Grand Duke of Luxembourg]], having received that territory in return for trading his hereditary German lands to Prussia and the [[Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg|Duke of Nassau]]. The Great Powers had already agreed via the secret [[Eight Articles of London]] to unite the [[Low Countries]] into a single kingdom, it was believed that this would help keep France in check. With the de facto addition of the Austrian Netherlands and Luxembourg to his realm, William had fulfilled his family's three-century dream of uniting the Low Countries.