Editing William I of the Netherlands (section)

===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.