Editing John William Friso (section)

==Military career==
===Apointment and first military actions===
In 1702 at the start of the War of the Spanish Succession, Friso intended to participate in his first military campaign with the [[Dutch States Army]] under the supervision of his governor, Van Heemstra, but was prevented by a fall from his horse. He eventually joined the war effort in 1703, serving under Field Marshal [[Henry de Nassau, Lord Overkirk|Hendrik van Nassau, Lord of Ouwerkerk]]. In 1704, after intense debate among the Dutch provinces, he was designated the position of General of Infantry. Although only nominally, as he was just 17 years old. Efforts to appoint him as a member of the Council of State in 1705 were blocked by Holland and Utrecht, and later, in 1707, by Zeeland and Overijssel.{{sfn|Blok|Molhuysen|1911}}{{Sfn|Wijn|1964|p=579}}

When Johan Willem Friso came of age in 1707, he formally assumed his titles in the northern provinces, though in Groningen this did not occur until 1708 and was subject to restrictions. He quickly earned distinction as a general. Although he had previously been present at several engagements without holding an official command—such as the [[Siege of Ostend (1706)|siege of Ostend]] and the [[Siege of Menin (1706)|siege of Menin]]—his first significant action as an active participant was at the [[Battle of Oudenaarde]]. At Oudenaarde he led the flank attack of 10,000 Dutch infantrymen that would decide the battle in favour of the Allies, for which he would receive much praise in and outside the Republic.{{sfn|Blok|Molhuysen|1911}} 

[[File:De kamerdienaar van de Prins van Oranje wordt dodelijk geraakt tijdens het Beleg van Rijsel in 1708.jpg|right|180px|thumb|The death of Du Cerceau during the [[Siege of Lille (1708)|Siege of Lille]].]]

Following that battle he joined Eugene of Savoy in his [[Siege of Lille (1708)|Siege of Lille]] and was in overal command of the Anglo-Dutch troops at the siege. He positioned his headquarters in the village of Lamberfart, dangerously close to the city’s cannons. On August 18, a cannonball struck his quarters while he was getting dressed. The shot narrowly missed him, passing just inches from his face, but killed his [[Chamberlain (office)|chamberlain]], Du Cerceau, who was standing nearby. Blood and brain matter splattered across the room, but the prince remained remarkably composed, showing more concern for the loss of his loyal servant than for his own close brush with death. Following this incident, senior officials urged him to relocate his headquarters, and he eventually moved to the safer Castle of Holbeek. Lille fell after several bloody months and the campaign was concluded with the [[Siege of Ghent (1708)|Siege of Gent]] and capture of Brugge in which Friso also played his part.{{sfn|Blok|Molhuysen|1911}}{{Sfn|Wijn|1964|p=579}}

In June of 1709, as the allies [[Siege of Tournai (1709)|marched on Tournai]] Friso was tasked with capturing [[Mortagne-du-Nord|Mortange]] and [[Saint-Amand-les-Eaux|Saint-Amand]], to safeguard the siege operations against French attacks from the side of [[Valenciennes]]. The primary objective was Fort l'Escarpe, which controlled the crossing of the Scheldt. Friso was fortunate when, after about a dozen shots from his accompanying field guns, the drawbridge unexpectedly fell without being destroyed. Taking advantage of this, his troops swiftly stormed the fort, met little resistance, and captured the garrison.{{Sfn|Wijn|1959|p=481}}

===Battle of Malplaquet===
[[File:Nederlandse troepen tijdens de Slag bij Malplaquet (cropped).jpg|thumb|Friso at Malplaquet]]
[[File:The Prince of Orange at the Battle of Malplaquet - Luijts.jpg|thumb|Friso at Malplaquet]]
[[File:Anthonius Brouwer - Anno 1709. Overwinning van prins Jan Willem Friso te Malplaquet - SA 4872 - Amsterdam Museum.jpg|thumb|Friso at Malplaquet]]

Following the capture of Tournai on 3 September the French and Allied armies met at the [[Battle of Malplaquet]]. Here he commanded the infantry on the Allied left together with [[François Nicolas Fagel]].{{Sfn|Wijn|1959|p=526}} Overall control was exercised by [[Claude Frédéric t'Serclaes, Count of Tilly|Count Tilly]], who had succeeded Ouwerkerk as senior Dutch commander. In reality, Tilly's anti-[[Dutch States Party|Orangist]] sympathies meant his largely pro-Orangist senior officers allegedly took their orders from Friso.{{sfn|Van Lennep|1880|p=280}} 

The [[Duke of Marlborough]], the Allied commander in overal control, tasked the 30 Dutch infantry battalions Dutch on left with attacking the French rightwing. This was a hopeless task. The French right wing, commanded by the seasoned military leader [[Louis-François de Boufflers]], was shielded by a forest and a strong line of entrenchments. Additionally, Boufflers commanded twice as many troops as Friso. His forces included the ''régiment de Picardie'' and the [[French Guards Regiment|French]] and [[Swiss Guards]], some of the best infantry regiments of the French army. The Dutch initially expected to be reinforced by 21 battalions under [[Henry Withers]], which were still advancing from Tournai. However, with the plans having changed, the left flank’s forces were now insufficient to execute the operation successfully.{{Sfn|Dee|2024|pp=204 & 210}}{{Sfn|Wijn|1959|pp=524–526}}

Half an hour after the Allied right wing had engaged the enemy, Friso ordered his troops to join the fray. His Dutch forces, which included [[Scots Brigade|Scottish]] and [[Swiss mercenaries#Netherlands|Swiss regiments]], were the finest in Europe.{{Sfn|Dee|2024|pp=145 & 205}} They launched three determined assaults on the French positions, but despite their tenacity and the ground they managed to seize, they were repelled each time with heavy casualties. Many Dutch infantry officers lost their lives or were severely wounded during the battle, but Friso, remarkably, remained completely unharmed. Throughout the brutal combat, the prince fought courageously, and had his horse shot out from under him twice. At one point, Friso even seized a banner from the Swiss Mey Regiment, planted it on a redoubt, and cried out to his troops: 'Follow me, my friends, here is your post!'{{Sfn|Wijn|1959|pp=524–526}}{{sfn|Nimwegen|2020|p=317}}

It was only when [[Frederik Sirtema van Grovestins]] and his cavalry approached the French fortifications from behind, and the French retreated, that Friso was able to capture them. The Dutch forces paid a heavy price at Malplaquet, suffering around 10,000 dead and wounded. Yet, Friso’s assaults were not in vain. These fierce attacks made it impossible for Boufflers to reinforce the vulnerable French center, where the Allies ultimately broke through. Nonetheless, he faced significant criticism from the Republic where he was blamed for youthful recklessness and the unnecessary sacrifice of lives.{{Sfn|Wijn|1959|pp=524–526}} Some British historians, notably [[Winston Churchill]], have later suggested that he turned a feigned attack into a real one in pursuit of glory. However, there is no evidence for this claim. The Dutch had been ordered to drive the enemy from their positions and advance onto the Malplaquet plateau—orders consistent with Marlborough’s usual strategy of mounting multiple attacks to unbalance the enemy, and Marlborough never blamed the prince for the heavy Dutch losses. Instead, it seems more likely that both he and Orange had underestimated the strength and resilience of the French defence.{{Sfn|Dee|2024|pp=204–205}}

===Last military actions and Death===
[[File:De fatale oversteek van Johan Willem Friso.jpg|thumb|Depiction of the drowning]]

After Malplaquet the Allies marched on Mons and Friso was tasked with leading all operations at the [[Siege of Mons (1709)|siege]]. In 1710 he led the [[Siege of Douai (1710)|Siege of Douai]] together with the [[Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau|Prince of Anhalt-Dessau]]. Dessau commanded the right, while Orange led the left. During the siege, the left side made significantly more progress than the right. Years later, Hertel, the Dutch engineer who had served under Dessau, confessed to Vegelin van Claerbergen that he had sabotaged the right-wing's efforts, as the Prince of Orange had requested him - privately - that the progress be delayed there.{{Sfn|Wijn|1959|p=623}} Later that year he managed to capture [[Saint Vernant]]. The prestige that he acquired from his military service should have favored his eventual elevation as [[stadtholder]] in the remaining five provinces. However, in 1711, when traveling from the front in [[County of Flanders|Flanders]] to meet the King of Prussia in [[The Hague]] in connection with his suit in the succession dispute, he drowned on 14 July when the ferry boat on the Moerdyk was overturned in heavy weather. His son was born six weeks after his death.<ref name=StatePF />