Frederik Johan van Baer

Frederik Johan van Baer, Lord of Slangenburg (27 July 1645 – 15 December 1713) was a Dutch States Army officer. He served under William of Orange in the Franco-Dutch War and Nine Years' War. He was to become a controversial figure for his role in the War of the Spanish Succession. While a talented general, he possessed a very difficult character. Slangenburg was often at odds with his fellow generals, especially the Allied commander-in-chief, the Duke of Marlborough. The fame he acquired as a result of his conduct in the Battle of Ekeren was unable to prevent his eventual dismissal during the 1705 campaign, leading writer Thomas Lediard to remark that Slangenburg: lost by his tongue what he had gained by his sword.