Frederick Christiaan van Reede, 2nd Earl of Athlone

Life

Personal life

Frederick Christiaan was the son of Godard van Reede, baron van Ginkel and Ursula Philippota van Raesfelt. He married Henriette van Nassau-Zuylestein (a daughter of William Nassau de Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford) in 1715. 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.

Career

Van Reede received a commission as ritmeester of a company of horse in 1691, during the Nine Years' War, in his father's regiment in the Dutch States Army from William III of England. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Aughrim.

On 12 November 1696, he was promoted to colonel. In 1698, he was one of the eight signers on behalf of the Dutch Republic of the Treaty of The Hague (1698).

In 1702, the War of the Spanish Succession began. On 14 April 1704, Athlone was promoted to major-general. In 1706 he distinguished himself in the Battle of Ramillies. The next year he was also present at the Battle of Oudenarde. Later in 1708 he is mentioned, during the Siege of Lille, as being part of the column of Lieutenant-General Lottum which crossed the Scheldt river without much difficulty on the 26th of November. Later that year, he took part in the encirclement of Ghent. With 20 squadrons under his command, he occupied Oosterzele. Ghent fell after a short siege.

On 1 January 1709 he was promoted to lieutenant-general, and participated in the Battle of Malplaquet in that capacity.

In 1710 Athlone was tasked to defend a big supply convoy, consisting of 36 vessels along de Lys river. Marlborough had been urged to provide the escort with sufficient strength to counter attacks from nearby French garrisoned Ypres, but he believed he could not spare troops from the main army. Athlone's escort thus ended up consisting of only 400 mounted and 1,200 men on foot. The latter, commanded by lieutenant-colonel Amerongen, had been scrambled together from all the various Allied fortifications in the Spanish Netherlands and thus did not comprise the best soldiers. Also included were some English recruits and Spanish troops who had never been under fire before. On the 17th of September, the escort left Ghent and was at Vive St Eloy, near Kortrijk, on the 19th. The governor of Ypres, lieutenant-general De Chevilly, having learned of the convoy, had already detached 2,400 good troops under Ravignan on the evening of the 18th to intercept the convoy. The next day, around 2 in the afternoon, after marching for about 17 hours, the French arrived on the scene of the convoy.

Athlone, who by now had known about the French arrival for some time, had placed his troops in a favourable position, behind a ditch and hedge in the meadows along the river. However, this was to no avail. The determined attack by the French under Ravignan soon drove the allied troops to flight. Many were cut down by the French cavalry or drowned in the river. Of the Allied horsemen, only half managed to escape and of the infantry only 100 men. The French took 620 prisoners including Amerongen and Athlone himself. The convoy itself also fell almost entirely into the hands of the French. Only three vessels carrying flour managed to escape.

In 1712, he was again part of the Allied army in a campaign that would not prove fortunate for the Allies. After the Battle of Denain, he was posted with some troops on the left wing of the army to guard the Scarpe River.

After the Peace of Utrecht, which ended the war, he was appointed military governor of the fortress of Mons on 19 May 1713 in the service of the Dutch States Army. 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.