Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck


Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck was a German and Dutch Field Marshal and, for the last three years of his life, Grand Master of the Order of Saint John.
In 1641, Waldeck entered the service of the States-General of the Netherlands; later in 1651, in the service of Brandenburg, he reached the highest rank as minister. He changed the foreign policy completely by abandoning the alliance with the Emperor and trying to forge a coalition with the Protestant princes.
In 1656 he arranged a coalition with Sweden, and commanded the cavalry in the Battle of Warsaw against Poland. He was dismissed in 1658 when Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg made peace with Poland.
After that he fought under Charles X Gustav of Sweden against Denmark, as German Reichsfeldmarschall in 1664 near Sankt Gotthard. In 1683 he commanded Bavarian troops during the Battle of Vienna. In 1685 he fought as a free-lancer for the Duke of Lorraine and the Elector of Bavaria.
After William III left for England in 1688 to claim the English throne, Waldeck was appointed Field Marshal of William's forces during the War of the Grand Alliance in the Spanish Netherlands. Although he was victorious at the Battle of Walcourt in 1689, the following year he suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Marshal Luxembourg at the Battle of Fleurus.
In 1691, he was again outmanoeuvred by Luxembourg and defeated at the Battle of Leuze.
After this defeat Waldeck was appointed chief-of-staff of the Dutch States Army. He died on 19 November 1692 in Arolsen.

Marriage and issue

In Culemborg on 29 November 1643 Georg Friedrick married Elisabeth Charlotte, a daughter of Count Wilhelm of Nassau-Siegen in Hilchenbach and his wife Christine of Erbach. They had nine children: