William Nassau de Zuylestein

William Nassau de Zuylestein, 2nd Earl of Rochford

Born Willem Hendrik van Nassau van Zuijlestein 1681 to parents Willem van Nassau Heer van Zuijlestein (1649-1708), who became 1st Earl of Rochford and Jane Wroth.

He became William Nassau de Zuylestein or Zulestein, 2nd Earl of Rochford ad was styled Viscount Tunbridge after 1695.

He was returned to the Irish parliament for Kilkenny in 1705. In the meantime he had gone out to the seat of war in Flanders, and was appointed one of Marlborough's aides-de-camp early in 1704. Marlborough wrote of him to his father on 1 Sept. 1704 as a young seigneur who promised well, and he was selected for the honour of bearing the despatch of the victory of Blenheim from the generalissimo to the queen. The ‘M. Lulestein’ mentioned in the same letter (as printed by Murray) is evidently a misprint for Zulestein, and probably refers to Tunbridge's second brother, Maurice. Tunbridge arrived in London with his despatches on 15 Aug. In January 1706 he was promoted lieutenant-colonel of the 32nd regiment of foot, and on 1 Feb. 1707 colonel of the 3rd dragoons.

On 3 May 1708 he entered the English parliament in the dominant whig interest for Steyning borough, Sussex. Next year (having succeeded as second Earl of Rochford in January 1708–1709) he was sent out with his regiment under the command of General Wills to Spain, arriving off Lisbon in October 1709.

On New Year's day 1710 he was promoted brigadier-general. At the battle of Almenara (not Almanza, as stated by Collins and Burke) he fought with the utmost gallantry at the head of his dragoons on the extreme left, under Stanhope and Carpenter.

His regiment bore the brunt of the fighting, and he was killed by a sword-cut in the hour of victory, 27 July 1710. Stanhope speaks of him as a young officer of much promise (History, 1870, p. 433). Being unmarried, he was succeeded in the earldom by his brother.

Genealogie Online

The Peerage

William Nassau de Zuylestein, 2nd Earl of Rochford was born in 1681.1

He was the son of William Henry van Nassau van Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford and Jane Wroth.1

He died on 27 July 1710 at Almernara, Spain, killed in action, unmarried.1

He gained the title of 2nd Earl of Rochford. He fought in the Battle of Almernara on 27 July 1710.1

Citations
1.[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume XI, page 53. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.

WikiSource http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Zuylestein,_William_Henry_(1645-1709)_(DNB00)