'De Witt' brothers had called the United Provinces (the Netherlands), without a so called Stadtholder, a 'True Freedom' because now the people/citizens of the Republic alone could rule the country. This happened during 1650-1672. But the prince of Orange, William III, later king of England, lived during that period in the United Provinces. But how much influence did this man had in the Netherlands? He is family of the famous William of Orange and many people during that time saw him as legitimate leader/stadtholder. Did he had any influence behind the scenes before he was made stadtholder after 1672, or was he repelled from any influence as much as possible? And how was his influence after 1688, when he, after the Glorious Revolution, was made King of England?
Thank you all in advance!
For much of that period, he didn't have all that much influence. For starters, William was an infant for much of that period. He was born in 1650, a few days after his father William II had died. The Prince of Orange was a baby and was unable to be stadtholder. Though the provinces in theory could've chosen someone else (perhaps from the Nassau family, as Friesland and Groningen usually did), they didn't. Several provinces, led by Holland, seized the opportunity to simply not appoint a new Stadtholder (it was customary for every province to have one, and most of them usually choose the Prince of Orange). By not appointing a stadtholder, the cities enhanced their own power and influence. This is what how First Stadtholderless Period started.
In Zeeland the House of Orange traditionally had a lot of influence. Not only was the Prince of Orange their stadtholder, he was also the First Noble of Zeeland and had a vote in the States of Zeeland in that capacity (whereas a stadtholder did not have a vote). In a contentious decision, a majority of the States of Zeeland voted to abolish the position of First Noble. As with the decision not to appoint a stadtholder, this decision was motived by the desire of the cities to increase their own power. With the First Noble gone, all 6 remaining votes in the States of Zeeland were controlled by the cities. This decision was unpopular among the general public and it did lead to some unrest and riots in Middelburg. The people of Zeeland would remain supportive of William III.
Friesland also supported William III, but that was perhaps motivated by the need to limit Holland's power in the United Provinces. In 1650 Friesland's stadtholder was William Frederick, count of Nassau-Dietz, so they didn't have to appoint a new stadtholder. William Frederick and the States of Friesland argued that appointing a stadtholder was mandatory under the Union of Utrecht. They proposed that William Frederick be made stadtholder by all provinces until William III was of age. Furthermore, they proposed that William III, despite him being baby, be made Captain-General of the army (a position usually held the Prince of Orange) with William Frederick acting in his stead until he would come of age. Again, it is not clear (to me) how much of this is actual support for William III and how much of it is just trying to prevent Holland from grabbing too much power. In any case Friesland didn't manage to convince any of the 5 stadtholderless provinces.
So in the first year of his life every position which could have given William III some influence was abolished. He was just Prince of Orange now, with no official functions in the United Provinces. His education though was considered a matter of state. Johan de Witt made an arrangement with William III's grandmother that a commission of five notables - De Witt being one of them - would bear responsibilty for William's upbringing and education. This meant that as William got older, he had very little freedom to set his own agenda. It was difficult for him to organise his supporters.
Holland had successfully shut the Prince of Orange out of politics. For the moment the supporters of the Prince (called Orangists) had lost their influence. As the Prince neared his 18th birthday things started to change though. France had become an evident threat to the United Provinces. England would be a good ally against France, but there were two problems: England was already (secretly) allied with France and England supported William III because of his mother's ties to England. Johan de Witt could not appease England without giving William III some power. Furthermore, for a strong army a good Captain-General was needed. Though William III lacked experience, as the Prince of Orange he was the most eminent candidate for the position. De Witt refused to give William III any power at all - he continued on the course set out in 1650. No stadtholderate or captaincy-general for a Prince of Orange.
It became apparent though that other provinces were not as steadfast as Holland. So in 1667, when William III was 17, the States of Holland issued the 'Perpetual Edict'. In this edict Holland states two things: reaffirmed their abolishment of the stadtholderate and they declared that no stadtholder could ever be captain-general of the United Provinces. Holland would block any proposal in the States-General to appoint a stadtholder Captain-General. While Orangists saw this as another blow for William III, Holland saw it as a compromise. After all, it did open up the possibility of William III being either stadtholder or Captain-General, just not both.
In 1668, as William neared his 18th birthday, the States of Zeeland made William III First Noble of Zeeland. He didn't get a vote in the States, and he wasn't made stadtholder, but it did give him the prestige and influence associated with the position. In 1671 it became clear that England and France were planning a joint attack on the United Provinces. After some discussion, William III was appointed Captain-General in February 1672, a couple of months before war broke out.
The war was a disaster. While England was kept at bay on the seas, French forces marched deep into the United Provinces, leaving just Holland unoccupied. The people were outraged. They blamed De Witt for neglecting the army and bringing the United Provinces to the brink of defeat. Meanwhile support for William was at all-time high. The States of the provinces saw this too. Holland and Zeeland appointed William III stadtholder in July 1672. Johan de Witt and his borther Cornelis were lynched by a mob in The Hague in August 1672. In 1674 William III was appointed stadtholder of the remaining three provinces.
Long story short: while William III always had some degree of popular support, especially in Zeeland, he had very little influence until he turned 18 in 1668. From 1668 until 1672 he had a bit more influence. But it was the crisis of 1672 which catapulted him into power. He went from having no official position to being Captain-General, Stadtholder and Saviour of the Republic (in many people's opinion at least).
Sources: