Frederik Johan van Baer, Lord of Slangenburg (27 July 1645 – 15 December 1713) was a Dutch officer in the military service of

William III of Orange 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 Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from ...

Career

He was a professed Catholic, and therefore was denied a career in government. A career in the army was the obvious choice. Overcoming the challenges posed by his faith, he had a distinguished career in the Dutch Army, participating in the

War of the Grand Alliance 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 Kingdom of France, France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by t ...

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 ...

. In 1675 he was the

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of one of the Dutch-Scottish regiments. He became

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in 1683, lieutenant-general in 1692 and

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

in 1704. In 1689 he commanded troops at the

Battle of Walcourt The Battle of Walcourt was fought on 25 August 1689 during the Nine Years' War. The action took place near the ancient walled town of Walcourt near Charleroi in the Spanish Netherlands, and brought to a close a summer of uneventful marching, m ...

. In 1703 he rescued a desperate situation at the

Battle of Ekeren The Battle of Ekeren, which took place on 30 June 1703, was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The French surrounded the much smaller Dutch force, which however managed to beat it back, break out and retire to safety. The battle had n ...

. Slangenburg's relations with the

Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reign ...

were not good, which in 1705 led to his removal from his post and replacement by

Ouwerkerk Ouwerkerk is a village in the southwest Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, Zeeland about 60 km south of Rotterdam. History Ouwerkerk is the oldest village of the former island of Duiveland, possibly founde ...

, who had a far better personal relationship with Marlborough. Van Baer rebuild his ancestral mansion the " Slangenburg" near

Doetinchem Doetinchem (; Low Saxon: ) is a city and municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the Oude IJssel (Old IJssel) river in a part of the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek. The municipality had a population of in ...

into a considerable castle, fitting his status. His wife is memorialized in many paintings there by

Gerard Hoet Gerard Hoet (; 22 August 1648 – 2 December 1733) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver. Biography Gerard Hoet trained with his father and brother who were glass painters, and Warnard van Rijsen, who lived in Zaltbommel, and who h ...

Family

He was the son of Herman van Baer van Slangenburg (1610–1653) and Catharina van Voorst (1620–1678). In 1665 he married Dorothea Petronella van Steenbergen, who died the same year. Frederik never remarried.

External links

Slangenburg Castle today
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baer, Frederik Johan van 1645 births 1713 deaths Dutch army commanders in the War of the Spanish Succession Dutch military commanders People from Doetinchem Dutch military personnel of the Nine Years' War 17th-century Dutch military personnel Dutch generals 18th-century Dutch military personnel