biography
| name: |
Bentinck, Hans Willem (William), 1st Earl of Portland
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1649–1709)
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| biography:
| English soldier and courtier, born in Raalte, C Netherlands. A friend from boyhood of William III, he was entrusted with important diplomatic missions in Germany and England, leading to the coronation of William as King of England. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, he was created an English peer, and given large estates in addition to the wealth and titles that had already fallen to him in Holland (he became Heer van Rhoon en Pendrecht in 1683). The honours that came to him, including elevation to the Order of the Garter in 1696, made him unpopular in England, and at the same time his enjoyment of power at the English court reduced his support in Holland, and led ultimately to the loss of his Dutch knighthood. He was wounded at the Battle of Neerwinden in 1693, but went on to play an important role in the peace negotiations at Rijswijk, which ended the Nine Years' War. |
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