Based on one of the richest surviving diaries of the Dutch Golden Age, 'Princely Power in the Dutch Republic' recaptures the social world of William Frederick of Nassau (1613-1664). As a Stadholder and relative of the Prince of Orange, William Frederick was among the key players in a fragmented republican state system. This study offers a vivid analysis of his political strategies and reveals how unwritten codes of patronage guided his daily contacts and shaped his mental world.
As a patron at his court and as a client of the Prince of Orange, William Frederick developed distinctive...