William II, Prince of Orange

William II became sovereign Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of five Dutch provinces on 14 March 1647, inheriting control of the United Provinces at twenty. His reign lasted barely three years: he died on 6 November 1650, still in his mid-twenties. The timing opened the First Stadtholderless Period, during which Johan De Witt held power for twenty-two years. William left behind one child, a son also named William, born after his death. That boy would eventually reclaim the stadtholdership in 1672 and, seventeen years later, take the crowns of England, Scotland, and Ireland in the Glorious Revo…