The government of William III. was generally displeasing to the United States:  they accused him of sacrificing them to the interests of his English monarchy, and to the hatred which he always bore to the French.  He was also suspected, and not without reason, of a design to acquire the independent sovereignty of the provinces.  At first, his influence within them was so great, that he was said to be King in the United States, and Stadtholder in England; but it declined gradually; and an attempt by him to obtain the succession to the stadtholderate for John Friso, Prince of Nassau and Hereditary Stadtholder of Frizeland, absolutely failed.  He made, by his will, that prince his testamentary heir.

Upon the decease of William III. a general wish to discontinue the stadtholderate was expressed in most of the provinces; those of Holland, Zealand, Utrecht, Gueldres, and Overyssell, came to a formal resolution to this effect They recognised the supreme power of the States General, and conferred the direction of their political concerns on Heinsius, the actual Grand Pensionary, a person of great learning, uncommon talents for business, and acknowledged integrity.

[Sidenote:  XIV. 2.  John William Count of Nassau Diets, 1702-1711; William IV. 1711-1749.]

As testamentary heir of William III., John-William assumed the title of Prince of Orange:  he died in 1711, without having exercised the power of the stadtholderate, except in the province of Frizeland.

The war of the succession terminated in 1713, by the peace of Utretcht:  it was succeeded in 1715 by the Barrier Treaty, and in 1719 by the Quadruple Alliance, ever memorable for the triumphant campaigns of Marlborough, by which it was followed.  The pensionary Heinsius died in 1720.  In his life-time, several weak attempts had been made, in different provinces, to restore in them the stadtholderate.  They succeeded only at Gueldres; and even there, it was restored with great limitations.

Upon the decease of Prince William-John, his rights and pretensions descended to Prince William, his son.  In 1733, he married Mary, the daughter of George II. of England.  This strengthened his cause; but the general spirit of the United Provinces was so averse to the Stadtholderate, that it was not till the invasion of Holland, by the French, in 1747, that the prince’s party judged it advisable to bring forward his claim.  At first they met with resistance, but finally prevailed, and Prince William of Orange became the sole Stadtholder of every province:  until his time each of the provinces of Frizeland and Groningen had its particular Stadtholder.  The dignities of Captain General and Admiral were also conferred on him; and, in addition to these, some rights and privileges which no former Stadtholder had enjoyed.