William II, b. May 27, 1626, d. Nov. 6, 1650, prince of Orange and stadholder of the Dutch Republic, sought to break the dominance of Holland over the other provinces by a coup d'etat in 1650. The only son of Frederick Henry, William, who had married the daughter of the English King Charles I in 1641, succeeded his father in 1647. He planned an ambitious foreign policy designed to enhance his dynasty's power.
Failing to prevent a separate Dutch peace with Spain in 1648, William tried to crush the peace party in Holland in 1650. He took advantage of the other Dutch provinces' jealousy of Holland by arresting its leaders and by a siege of Amsterdam, which was unsuccessful. A compromise was reached, but before William could effect his foreign schemes, he died of smallpox. He was succeeded by his posthumous son, who later became William III of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
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