Winter 1691

Winter 1691 is remembered in the novel as the season when William of Orange returned to The Hague and was welcomed by a nation whose attachment to him had survived his years as monarch of a foreign land. The episode turns a historical visit into a scene of public affection: frozen canals become roads to the capital, and the ice itself becomes the setting for a celebration of Dutch identity and loyalty.

A Return to Holland

For two years William had ruled England, working faithfully for his adopted country while, as the narration puts it, his heart yearned for Holland. When he again sought Dutch shores, multitudes flocked to The Hague to greet him. The welcome extended far beyond the capital: thousands skated along frozen canals from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden, Haarlem, and Delft. Their journey made the winter landscape part of the event, bringing people to the city on the very ice that shaped everyday movement in Holland.

A Capital in Celebration

Festivities continued throughout the day. The streets were decorated with banners, evergreen arches, trophies, welcoming mottoes, and emblems of industry. The displays joined national pride to William’s personal history: banners and tapestries showed the deeds of his ancestors and scenes from his own past. The welcome was therefore both a public honor and a visual account of the ties between the prince and the country receiving him.

Fireworks on the Ice

At night, fireworks were set off upon the frozen water. Its glassy surface reflected the spectacle: fountains of light seemed to rise from below toward cascades above, while crimson and green fire scattered bright colors into the ice’s depths. The people shouted their blessing for William and hailed him as king. The scene makes the winter setting more than a backdrop; the canals that had carried the crowds into The Hague also became the shining surface on which the celebration unfolded.

The Prince and His People

William had become ruler of three kingdoms and had triumphed in council and war, yet he came to Holland as a simple guest. His English courtiers praised the reception, but he answered that the cheering would have been greater had Mary been with him. That remark redirects the public spectacle toward a personal absence, while underscoring the scale of the welcome he received. In the novel, Ben recalls the visit while looking at portraits of William and Mary in a drawing room, and the historical memory meets the present scene: outside, a bonfire glows in a neighboring square. Winter 1691 thus links the remembered welcome of a Dutch prince to the book’s larger portrait of a country marked by courage, industry, and attachment to its own history.