Prince de Vaudemont. He was made major-general on 16 March 1696 and general in 1697. William III, after naturalising him as an English citizen, made also made him Chief Marshal. In England, he met the Duke of Marlborough, under whom, and possibly on whose recommendation, he was appointed field marshal of the whole Dutch States Army during the War of the Spanish Succession, after the Earl of Athlone died. Marlborough appreciated Overkirk. His bravery was not rash, but firm and unwavering. Under Marlborough, he took part in almost every campaign and battle in the War of the Spanish Succession and remained his trusted partner. In 1702, he dissuaded Marlborough from his preferred plan to break through the French lines, for which he now believed he had better chances than ever, and in the campaign of 1703 he and the Dutch prevented the main French army from doing anything against Liège or Maastricht. In the campaign of 1704, Marlborough marched with a part of the Allied troops to the Danube to support the Holy Roman Emperor and fought the Battle of Blenheim there. Overkirk took the charge in the Low Countries and defended the Allied postition there without much difficulty. In 1705, he helped break the French lines of Brabant at the Battle of Elixheim. Afterwards he was the only major Dutch figure who supported Marlborough's plan to attack the French armies, which failed because of the deputies in the field, who where Dutch envoys attached to Marlborough's staff, and especially because of Slangenburg's opposition. The next year Overkrik had a major role in the victory at the Battle of Ramillies, where he fought in person at the head of the cavalry on the left wing. Here his generosity had almost cost him his life. When a Bavarian cavalryman surrendered, Overkirk let him keep his sabre. The Bavarian however, wanted to use it to stab the marshal, who had turned around. Just in time an Allied cavalryman noticed it and shot the Bavarian. After this, he participated in the Battle of Oudenarde where he played an important role by attacking the French army on their flank. Shortly afterwards he died during the Siege of Lille (1708). Family The future Lord Overkirk married Frances van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck (died 1720), daughter of Cornelius, Lord of Sommelsdijk, at The Hague on 2 October 1667. They had eight children, including five sons, of whom