1647 - William II Prince of Orange
William II, son of Frederic, grandson of Orange, succeeded his father as Stadtholder of Holland, in 1647. He married the daughter of Charles I Stuart, King of England. He died at the early age of twenty-four, leaving a son - William III, the only son of William II.; grandson of Frederic Henry; and great-grandson of the Prince of Orange.
William II, prince of) was born in 1626. The States General were his god-fathers. In 1630, this young prince was declared general of the cavalry of the Low Countries; and the y. following, the States granted him the survivorship of the government of their province. As soon as he was of age to bear arms, he followed his father to the army, and was present at the siege of Breda, giving great proofs of his courage, though but 13 years old. Immediately upon the death of his father, Frederic. Henry, he took the oath of fidelity to the States for the government, of which they had granted him the reversion.
All Europe was in a profound peace, upon the conclusion of the treaty of Munster, which was done the next year after prince Frederic Henry's death. The States then resolved to reduce their expences, in order to which they proposed to disband a considerable part of the troops.
In Friesland, William Frederic, brother of count Henry Casimir, was made stadtholder; and, on the early death of William II, prince of Orange, he was likewise elected stadtholder of Gröningen. The government of both these provinces thenceforward devolved on the male posterity of William Frederic. In the five remaining provinces—Guelders, Holland, Zealand, Utrecht and Overyssel—after the death of William II, the stadtholderate ceased.
William II died of smallpox on 16 November 1650.
When William II of Orange, the last stadtholder, had died, his posthumous son, afterwards William III of England, was an infant. The object of De Witt and his party was to prevent in future the union of the offices of stadtholder, captain-general, and high-admiral in one and the same person, which had rendered the princes of the House of Orange almost equal to sovereigns, and which was certainly inconsistent with the title of a republic, assumed by the united provinces. It must however be observed, that each of these provinces, forming a separate state, was in fact govermed by an aristocracy, the respective states or legislature of each consisting of the nobles, and the deputies of the principal towns, who were elected by the wealthier burghers; the great majority of the people having no share in the elections.
Generally speaking then, the so-called republican party, at the head of which were successively Barneveldt and De Witt, struggled for the continuation or extension of their collective power against the House of Orange, whose influence sought to establish a form nearly momarchical. But that House was popular with the lower classes, and was supported by the majority of the clergy.
