ABSTRACT
The 'netherlandisation' of court society under William III indicated the strengthening of that linkage. If William and his supporters wanted to use the reputation of the House of Orange to eventually reinstate the Prince in the official positions held by his forefathers - those of captain-general of the army and Stadholder - then this claim had to be backed up by symbolic representation. The House of Orange was by no means exclusively Dutch. The Dutch influence on the cultural and economic development of Brandenburg-Prussia during the reign of Frederick William was obvious. It clearly supported William's successful attempts to make himself and his followers the masters of political decision-making in the Dutch Republic. The huge influence of the Stadholders, and especially William III, on republican politics cannot be explained by their constitutional role as office-bearers appointed by the Provincial States.
