Prince William IV of Orange becomes stadtholder of all the United Provinces
- When
- 1747
- Where
- United Provinces; Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Overijssel
- Episodes
- 2
In 1747, the States General appointed William IV as General Stadtholder of all seven United Provinces, making the office hereditary for the first time. This followed the Second Stadtholderless Period in Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, and Overijssel, which began after 1702.
Episodes
- End of Stadtholderless Period
The 1747 appointment ended the Second Stadtholderless Period in Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, and Overijssel.
- States General Appointment
The States General formally appointed William IV as General Stadtholder of all seven provinces on 4 May 1747.
Background and detail
Political Context. After William III's death in 1702, Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, and Overijssel entered the Second Stadtholderless Period by refusing to appoint a successor. William IV, born in 1711, was Prince of Orange and the first hereditary stadtholder of all the United Provinces from 1747.
The 1747 Appointment. On 4 May 1747, the States General named William General Stadtholder of all seven provinces. This decision made the position hereditary for the first time, unifying the office across the Republic.
People involved
- William IV, Prince of Orange · Appointed General Stadtholder
- States General of the Netherlands · Appointing Authority
Sources
- William IV, Prince of Orange Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-11
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.