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Willem, Count Bentinck, Lord of
Rhoon 200px, Castle Rhoon 200px, frameless Rhoon is a village that borders the municipality of the city of Rotterdam, South Holland, the Netherlands. According to its history it was established in 1199 and was ruled by the ''lords of Duiveland''. In ...
and Pendrecht (6 November 1704 – 13 October 1774) was a Dutch nobleman and politician, and the eldest son from the second marriage of
William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland ( Dutch: ''Hans Willem Bentinck''; 20 July 164923 November 1709) was a Dutch-born English nobleman who became in an early stage the favourite of William, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder in the Netherlands, ...
. He was created Count Bentinck (''
Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...
Bentinck'') of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
in 1732. Bentinck played a leading role in the Orangist revolution of 1747 in the Netherlands.


Early life

Bentinck was the first son in the marriage of
William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland ( Dutch: ''Hans Willem Bentinck''; 20 July 164923 November 1709) was a Dutch-born English nobleman who became in an early stage the favourite of William, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder in the Netherlands, ...
, by his second wife, Jane Martha
Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
(1672–1751), the youngest daughter of Sir John Temple. As there was an elder brother from the first marriage,
Henry Bentinck, 1st Duke of Portland Henry Bentinck, 1st Duke of Portland (17 March 1682 – 4 July 1726) was a British Army officer, Whig politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Jamaica from 1721 to 1726. Styled Viscount Woodstock from 1689 until 1709 ...
, he did not inherit the English possessions of his father under the rules of
primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...
, but he and his brother Charles did inherit some of their father's Dutch estates, Willem inheriting the lordships of Rhoon and Pendrecht which gave him a seat in the '' Ridderschap'', the estate of nobles in the
States of Holland and West Friesland The States of Holland and West Frisia () were the representation of the two Estates of the realm, Estates (''standen'') to the court of the Count of Holland. After the Dutch Republic, United Provinces were formed — and there no longer was a count, ...
, which would become his power base in the Dutch politics of the
Second Stadtholderless Period In Dutch historiography, the Second Stadtholderless Period () refers to the period between the death of stadtholder William III on 19 March 1702, and the appointment of William IV as stadtholder and captain general in all provinces of the Dutch ...
as an Orangist partisan. In 1719 Willem and his younger brother Charles were sent to the Netherlands to complete their education under the guardianship of Johan Hendrik, Count of
Wassenaar Wassenaar (; population: in ) is a municipality and town located in the province of South Holland, on the western coast of the Netherlands. An affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies north of that city on the N44/A44 highway near the Nort ...
. He first enrolled at
Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...
and completed his studies in The Hague. From 1725 until 1728 he went on the usual Grand Tour through most of western Continental Europe. After his return to the Netherlands and his elevation to the States of Holland in 1727 he made an arranged marriage with Charlotte Sophie of Aldenburg in 1733. As the social status of the spouses was considered too unequal (Willem being the social inferior) Bentinck bought his elevation to the rank of
Imperial Count Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...
of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
in 1732 from the German emperor. The marriage was not happy and the wife soon entered an adulterous relationship, leading to a factual separation in 1738 and a formal divorce in 1743, after which Charlotte attempted to regain the possessions she had brought into the marriage, which had been granted to Willem. This led to a series of lawsuits between the former spouses which brought eventual success to Willem, but meanwhile were a heavy burden on his finances.


Orangist Revolution

As an Orangist Bentinck was in opposition to the regime during the Stadtholderless period. He championed the cause of
William IV, Prince of Orange William IV (Willem Karel Hendrik Friso; 1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751) was Prince of Orange from birth and the first hereditary stadtholder of all the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 1747 until his death in 1751. During his who ...
who was
stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...
of the province of
Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...
in the
Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...
, but was denied that dignity in most of the other provinces. When the Dutch Republic became involved in the
War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...
despite its attempts to remain neutral, and the French army successfully invaded the country at the end of 1747, the people rose against the regime of the
Regenten The ''regenten'' ( Dutch plural for ''regent'') were the rulers of the Dutch Republic from the 16th through the 18th century, the leaders of the Dutch cities or the heads of organisations (e.g. "regent of an orphanage"). Though not formally a her ...
, who were held responsible for the turn of affairs. There was a general demand for the appointment of the Prince to the stadtholdership in all provinces of the Dutch Republic and to make that office hereditary in the male and female line, not just by the Orangist faction, but also by democratic agitators like Daniel Raap and Jean Rousset de Missy. As a leader of the Orangist opposition in the States of Holland Bentinck adroitly manipulated the popular anger against the Regents, fanning the flames on the one hand, but often intervening to save Regents from mob violence, if necessary. He acted as agent of the Prince in the coup in September 1748, in which the city government of
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
was overturned and put in dependably Orangist hands. His political successes made him a favorite of William IV, though he met much opposition from the prince's wife, the English
Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange Anne, Princess Royal (12 January 1759) was the second child and eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and his consort Caroline of Ansbach. She was the wife of William IV, Prince of Orange, the first hereditary stadtholder of all se ...
, and her Frisian favorites at the court of the stadtholder (like Douwe Sirtema van Grovestins). The courtiers managed to thwart most of Bentinck's attempts at political reform.


Diplomatic career

Bentinck was more successful in his diplomatic career, which started with a mission in 1747 to coordinate military efforts against France with Great Britain. At the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) where the eponymous peace
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) The 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, sometimes called the Treaty of Aachen, ended the War of the Austrian Succession, following a congress assembled on 24 April 1748 at the Free Imperial City of Aachen. The two main antagonists in the war, B ...
was negotiated, Bentinck was one of the leading delegates of the Dutch Republic. He was unsuccessful in his attempt to renew the full recognition of the Barrier Treaty by Austria, though the Dutch Republic was allowed to resume possession of the Barrier Fortresses in the
Austrian Netherlands The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...
. While on mission in Austria in 1750 he worked hard to get permission to engage
Duke Louis Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg Louis Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Bevern (25 September 1718, Wolfenbüttel – 12 May 1788, Eisenach) was a field-marshal in the armies of the Holy Roman Empire and the Republic of the Seven Netherlands, Dutch Republic, the elected Duke of Cour ...
, an Austrian fieldmarshal, as commander in chief of the ailing
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. This army was brought to such a size ...
, which permission eventually was obtained.


Later life

After the premature death of William IV, Bentinck was instrumental in putting the
regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
of the Princess Anne in place for her infant son
William V, Prince of Orange William V (Willem Batavus; 8 March 1748 – 9 April 1806) was Prince of Orange and the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. He went into exile to London in 1795. He was furthermore ruler of the Principality of Orange-Nassau until his death in ...
, as hereditary stadtholder-general in the Dutch Republic. His relationship with the Princess and her favourites remained tense, however, and Bentinck never regained his political influence. When the duke of Brunswick gained more and more influence Bentinck actively opposed him. He openly denounced the ''
Acte van Consulentschap The Acte van Consulentschap (), in English historiography variously known as Act of Advisership, or less correctly, as Act of Consultation, was a secret, private contract between stadtholder William V, Prince of Orange of the Dutch Republic and hi ...
'' which gave the duke the factual power to continue his "regency" over William V, after the latter had come of age in 1766. This put an end to any illusion Bentinck might have had of regaining his old political position at the court of the stadtholder.NNBW, p. 303


Family

Willem Bentinck was the father of the British naval officer and mechanical inventor John Bentinck.


References


Sources

* ''Bentinck, Willem'' in: P.C. Molhuysen and P.J. Blok (eds.) (1911),''Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek'' (NNBW), Deel 1, pp. 302–303 * (1995), ''The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness and Fall, 1477–1806'', Oxford University Press, hardback, paperback * Wilhelmina C. van Huffel: ''Willem Bentinck van Rhoon, zijn persoonlijkheid en leven (1725–1747)'', Den Haag 1923 (in Dutch) * Elizabeth (of Aubrey) LeBlond: ''Charlotte Sophie Countess Bentinck. Her life and times, 1715–1800.'' By her descendant Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond. 2 Volumes. London: Hutchinson 1912. * Hella S. Haasse: ''De groten der aarde of Bentinck tegen Bentinck. Een geschiedverhaal''. Amsterdam 1981 (in Dutch)
''of the Holy Roman Empire'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bentinck van Rhoon, Willem 1704 births 1774 deaths
Willem Willem () is a Dutch name, Dutch and West Frisian language, West FrisianRienk de Haan, ''Fryske Foarnammen'', Leeuwarden, 2002 (Friese Pers Boekerij), , p. 158. masculine given name. The name is Germanic languages, Germanic, and can be seen as the ...
18th-century Dutch politicians Younger sons of earls Nobility of the Dutch Republic