Louis Bonaparte
Napoleon made him king of Holland on June 5, 1806. He took his duties as king seriously, calling himself Koning Lodewijk I (adopting the Dutch form of his name). He practiced speaking the Dutch language and tried to be a responsible, independent ruler of Holland. His attempt at speaking the language earned him some respect from his subjects. He declared that he was Dutch and renounced his French citizenship. He also forced his court and ministers (mostly supplied by Napoleon) to speak only the Dutch language. This was too much for his wife Hortense who refused his request and left Holland. Two major tragedies occurred during his reign: the explosion of a ship filled with gunpowder in the heart of the city of Leiden in 1807, and a major flood in 1809. In both, Louis personally and effectively oversaw local relief efforts, which helped earn him the nickname Louis the Good.