‘Dutch Counsels’: The Foreign Entourage of William III

Abstract

During and after the Glorious Revolution a number of foreigners entered England. Some were part of William of Orange's army, others followed later to seek their fortune across the Channel. A small number of them would come to form an inner circle of advisers to the King-Stadholder. Their presence at court and in the army incited nationwide protests, however, and throughout the 1690s numerous pamphleteers and MPs fulminated against these so-called ‘Dutch counsels’. Nevertheless, little is known about the activities and influence of this circle at William's court, which was in fact surprisingly small. Moreover, there is reason to believe that the apparent outbursts of xenophobia were channelled into a regular opposition rhetoric, and were not so much related to the actual role of the foreign councillors. This article seeks firstly to provide a prosopographic analysis of William's foreign entourage and subsequently to explain the nature of criticism against the Dutch counsels.