WI no Stadtholderless Period in Netherlands (William II doesn't die)?

More stable? Really, really doubt it. If anything a Civil War is much more likely.

Agreed, that was the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic. However, why do you think that a Civil War would be likely? Wasn't William II consolidating his power at the time of his death?
 
Probably a more stable Netherlands?

Actually I am not too certain about that. The struggle for power between Willem II and the rich merchants would continue.

Besides that Willem II wanted to enlarge the Netherlands. He opposed the peace treaty at the end of the eighty year war and was planning an renewed attack on the southern Netherlands with France before he died.

Also, he probably would have gotten more children than only Willem III, so I guess Lingen and Moers would remain Dutch/within the Dutch sphere of influence.
 
Also, he probably would have gotten more children than only Willem III, so I guess Lingen and Moers would remain Dutch/within the Dutch sphere of influence.

Hmm, that would have interesting consequences if a Glorious Revolution still happen in England.
BTW, how likely would be for the Anglo-Dutch Wars still to happen?
 
Besides that Willem II wanted to enlarge the Netherlands. He opposed the peace treaty at the end of the eighty year war and was planning an renewed attack on the southern Netherlands with France before he died.

Wait, he wanted a land border with France?
 
Hmm, that would have interesting consequences if a Glorious Revolution still happen in England.
BTW, how likely would be for the Anglo-Dutch Wars still to happen?

IMO they are still fairly likely. William was unhappy with the whole regicide thing, and Cromwell was convinced that at least Holland would join England rather than submit to William. And the long-term motivations, commercial hostility, is still there.
 
Wait, he wanted a land border with France?
You should realise this happened just after the 80 year war. Spain was still seen as the enemy (at least by Willem II). France had been an ally against that enemy during the last years of the war against Spain. France wasn't the big bad it would become later. Actually I have even read that one of the reasons Louis XIV disliked the Dutch, was because they refused to devide the Southern Netherlands with France.
 
You should realise this happened just after the 80 year war. Spain was still seen as the enemy (at least by Willem II). France had been an ally against that enemy during the last years of the war against Spain. France wasn't the big bad it would become later. Actually I have even read that one of the reasons Louis XIV disliked the Dutch, was because they refused to devide the Southern Netherlands with France.

That's what I was thinking of, but it's a fair point that Spain wasn't decaying quite yet.
 
So, we could have a Franco-Dutch alliance against Spain in the early 1650's, with England supporting the Spanish (due to William's conflict with Cromwell)?
 
So, we could have a Franco-Dutch alliance against Spain in the early 1650's, with England supporting the Spanish (due to William's conflict with Cromwell)?

I can't see a Cromwell-Spanish alliance. Remember, part of the reason Anglo-Dutch relations broke down was that the Dutch rejected Cromwell's plan to conquer Mexico.
 
So, we could have a Franco-Dutch alliance against Spain in the early 1650's, with England supporting the Spanish (due to William's conflict with Cromwell)?
First the powerstruggle between the stadholders and the rich merchants/regents must end. The merchant opposed a renewed war with Spain and were the driving force of the peace with Spain. Maybe we could see first a Dutch civil war between the merchants, supported by republican Englan, and the stadholders, supported by France (and the English royal family in exile), which leads to a Franco-Dutch alliance opposing the English and Spanish.

Although I do wonder if that alliance holds. I wonder how long France would postpone it Rhineborder for an alliance with the Netherlands.
 
First the powerstruggle between the stadholders and the rich merchants/regents must end. The merchant opposed a renewed war with Spain and were the driving force of the peace with Spain. Maybe we could see first a Dutch civil war between the merchants, supported by republican Englan, and the stadholders, supported by France (and the English royal family in exile), which leads to a Franco-Dutch alliance opposing the English and Spanish.

Although I do wonder if that alliance holds. I wonder how long France would postpone it Rhineborder for an alliance with the Netherlands.

Interesting. Would this civil war would delay the Dutch conquests in Asia or make it less successful? Most of the Eastern Dutch colonies were taken from the Portuguese after 1650.
 
Interesting. Would this civil war would delay the Dutch conquests in Asia or make it less successful? Most of the Eastern Dutch colonies were taken from the Portuguese after 1650.

The VOC was rather independent from the Netherlands and one of its strengths was using the resources in Asia in gaining influence. So I think it would be as succesful as OTL, or at least close to.
 
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