Early life and nurse to Prince William Hans Willem was born in
Diepenheim,
Overijssel, the son of Bernard, Baron Bentinck, and was descended from an ancient and noble family of
Guelders and
Overijssel. He was appointed first page of honour and
chamberlain. When, in 1675, Prince William was attacked by
smallpox, his physicians suggested he sleep with one of his pages to absorb "animal spirits" from a young, healthy body. Bentinck was the page and he nursed the prince assiduously back to health. This devotion secured for him the special and enduring friendship of William. From that point on, Bentinck had the Prince's confidence, and in their correspondence, William was very open.
Communicator In 1677 he was sent to
England to solicit for Prince William the hand of
Mary Stuart, daughter of
James, Duke of York and future King of England. He was again in England on William's behalf in 1683 and in 1685. Later, in 1688, when William was preparing to assist in the
overthrow of (now King) James including an invasion by Dutch troops, Bentinck went to some of the German princes to secure their support, or at least their neutrality. He had also been, since 1687, a medium of communication between his master and his English friends. Bentinck superintended the arrangements for the invasion, including raising money, hiring an enormous transport fleet, organising a propaganda offensive, and preparing the possible landing sites, and also sailed to England with Prince William.
Titles and military service The revolution accomplished, William (now King of England) made Bentinck
Groom of the Stole, first gentleman of the bedchamber, and a
Privy Counsellor. In April 1689 he was created
Baron Cirencester,
Viscount Woodstock and, in its second creation,
Earl of Portland. (The first creation of the earldom had been made for
Richard Weston in 1633, but it became extinct in 1688.) He commanded some cavalry at the
Battle of the Boyne in 1690, and was present at the
Battle of Landen, where he was wounded, and at the
Siege of Namur in 1695.
Diplomat Bentinck's main work was of a diplomatic nature. In 1690 he was sent to The Hague to help solve the problem between William and the
burgomasters of Amsterdam. He was caught up in the corruption scandal concerning the
East India Company in 1695; the board was losing its monopoly under pressure from a New Company and was engaging profusely in bribery in an attempt to renew its charter. He was however cleared in the matter. Having thwarted the
Jacobite plot to murder the King in 1696, he helped to arrange the
peace of Ryswick in 1697. In 1698 he was ambassador to
Paris for six months. While there, he opened negotiations with
Louis XIV for a partition of the Spanish monarchy, and as William's representative, signed the two partition treaties (
Treaty of The Hague (1698)).
Resignation and land gifts William Bentinck had, however, become very jealous of the rising influence of another Dutchman,
Arnold van Keppel, and, in 1699, he resigned all his offices in the royal household. He did not forfeit the esteem of the King, who continued to trust and employ him. Portland had been loaded with gifts, and this, together with the jealousy felt for him as a foreigner, made him very unpopular in England. He received 135,000 acres (546 km2) of land in
Ireland, and only the strong opposition of a united
House of Commons prevented him obtaining a large gift of crown lands in North
Wales. For his share in drawing up the partition treaties, he was impeached in 1701, but the case against him did not proceed. He was occasionally employed on public business under
Queen Anne until his death at his residence,
Bulstrode Park in
Buckinghamshire. Portland's eldest son
Henry succeeded him as earl, and was granted the titles of
Marquess of Titchfield and
Duke of Portland in 1716. == Codex Bentingiana ==