Ernst Casimir was stadholder of the provinces of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe. He was shot while visiting his men in the trenches during the Siege of Roermond (1632). At the fatal moment he was wearing this cloak (and the adjacent breeches and hat), which explains why these items of clothing have been preserved for so many centuries. Interestingly, the cloak can be worn buttoned up as a coat or unbuttoned as a cape.