In the seventeenth century, two princely marriages forged a close bond between England and the Republic of the United Netherlands. In the century in which the English and the Dutch waged a number of naval wars against each other to gain mastery of the seas and protect their respective trade interests, personal ties were established between the Houses of Stuart and Orange.

Eventually, these marriages would even lead to a member of the family of Orange becoming King of England. After the death of Charles II, England did not want his – in the eyes of many people – far too Roman Catholic brother James II to ascend the throne. At the invitation of a number of prominent Englishmen, William III set sail for England with an army. William III and Mary II Stuart were enthroned as King and Queen of England. This fundamental change is known as the Glorious Revolution.

Before it could come to this, however, William III had to defeat his father-in-law. He managed to inflict a final defeat on James II and the latter’s French army at the battle of the Boyne in 1690. In 1691, William visited the Netherlands, where a festive entry had been prepared for him in The Hague. His glorious feats were represented by way of triumphal arches and other decorations.

William III died on 19 March 1702 at Hampton Court Palace shortly after falling from his horse and breaking a collarbone. Mary II Stuart, his wife, had already died in 1694. The royal couple did not have any children. In England, Queen Ann, Maria’s sister, succeeded to the throne. In the Netherlands, the Second Stadholderless period followed. Just as in the Rampjaar (Year of Disaster) 1672, when William IV had been appointed stadholder in great haste, the Republic of the United Provinces had to appeal once more to a prince of Orange because of the danger of a French invasion. The Frisian William IV was appointed hereditary stadholder in 1747 in all the provinces. He too was married to an English princess, namely to Ann of Hanover, daughter of the English King George II.

During the reign of William and Mary II Stuart, Dutch fashions and customs made their entry into the English Court. William surrounded himself with a Dutch retinue led by Willem Bentinck, who was to become Duke of Portland, and Arnold Joost van Keppel, who was bestowed the title of Earl of Albemarle. Marriages were concluded between prominent English and Dutch families. However, people thought William was giving undue preference to his Dutch friends and this sometimes gave rise to ill feeling.

Read more about William III, the King-Stadholder
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