John William Friso, Prince of Orange

John William Friso was born on 14 August 1687 and became the titular Prince of Orange in 1702. As Stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen, he commanded forces in the Dutch States Army during the War of the Spanish Succession, fighting at Oudenaarde and Malplaquet — engagements that ground through thousands of lives. His trajectory pointed upward until 14 July 1711, when he drowned by accident while crossing the Hollands Diep. He was twenty-three.