Frederick Christiaan van Reede, 2nd Earl of Athlone, baron of Ginkel and Agrim, lord of Amerongen (

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

, 20 October 1668 -

Sluis Sluis (; zea, label=Zeelandic, Sluus ; french: Écluse) is a town and municipality located in the west of Zeelandic Flanders, in the south-western Dutch province of Zeeland. The current incarnation of the municipality has existed since 1 January ...

, 15 August 1719), was a Dutch general and diplomat in the service of the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

and the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

Life

Personal life

Frederick Christiaan was the son of Godard van Reede, baron van Ginkel and Ursula Philippota van Raesfelt. In 1715 he married Henriette van Nassau-Zuylestein (a daughter of

William Nassau de Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford William Hendrik of Nassau, Lord of Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford (1649 – 12 July 1708) was a Dutch soldier and diplomat in the service of his cousin William III of England. During the reign of James II of England he travelled to England to l ...

). They had three children: Godard Adriaan van Reede, 3rd Earl of Athlone , Fredrik Willem van Reede, 4th Earl of Athlone , and Ursula Christina Reynira baroness of Reede-Ginckel. He was a member of the ''Ridderschap'' of Utrecht since his father relinquished this position in 1701.Blok and Molhuysen, p. 1014

Career

Van Reede received a commission as ''ritmeester'' of a company of horse in 1691 in his father's regiment in the

Dutch States Army The Dutch States Army ( nl, Staatse leger) 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 mercenary army ...

from

William III of England William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrec ...

.. He distinguished himself in the

Battle of Aughrim The Battle of Aughrim ( ga, Cath Eachroma) was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the largely Irish Jacobite army loyal to James II and the forces of William III on 12 July 1691 (old style, equivalent ...

. On 12 November 1696 he was promoted to colonel, and on 14 April 1704 to major-general. In 1706 he distinguished himself in the

Battle of Ramillies The Battle of Ramillies (), fought on 23 May 1706, was a battle 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 ar ...

.Blok and Molhuysen, p. 1013 In 1698 he was one of the eight signers on behalf of the Dutch Republic of the

Treaty of The Hague (1698) The 1698 Treaty of The Hague, also known as the 1698 Treaty of Den Haag or First Partition Treaty was one of two attempts by France, Great Britain, and the Dutch Republic to achieve a diplomatic solution to the issues that led to the 1701–1714 ...

. On 1 January 1709 he was promoted to lieutenant-general. In 1710 he personally commanded a weak cavalry force that protected a convoy of supply wagons that was ambushed by a French raiding force near

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

. He was taken prisoner at that occasion and remained a prisoner of war until the

Peace of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne of ...

. After the war he was appointed military governor of the fortress of

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

on 19 May 1713 in the service of the

. On 26 February 1718 he was appointed governor of Sluis as successor of François Nicolas Fagel. He died in Sluis on 15 August 1719, and was buried in

Amerongen Amerongen () is a town in the municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, on the border of the Utrecht Hill Ridge. It lies about 7 km (4.3 mi) southwest of Veenendaal (10.5 km or 6.5 mi by road). The ...

.Van der Aa, p. 139

Notes

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reede, Frederick Christiaan van 1668 births 1719 deaths Barons of Reede Dutch generals Dutch military commanders Dutch military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Dutch nobility Earls in the Peerage of Ireland People from Utrecht Dutch military personnel of the Nine Years' War Dutch army commanders in the War of the Spanish Succession 17th-century Dutch military personnel 18th-century Dutch military personnel