'Les plus rudes chocs de la fortune': Willem Frederik, stadholder. of Friesland (1613-1664), Thomas Killigrew (1612-1683) and patronage in exile

A hitherto unknown exchange of letters between the Frisian stadholder Willem Frederik of Nassau-Dietz and the English dramatist and courtier Thomas Killigrew adds considerably to our knowledge of the latter's diverse preoccupations in the years before and immediately after the Restoration. It establishes Killigrew as a thriving liaison officer, protecting the interests of his King, ensuring the good relations between the House of Stuart and that of Nassau, while at the same time furthering his own career. The letters, written between 20 March 1657 and 25 June 1663, give a valuable glimpse of the realities royalist exiles faced on the continent as they tried to carve out sustainable livelihoods, as well as in England where after 1660 they had to disentangle themselves from the obligations and responsibilities imposed by their continental careers. The same documents also illustrate the system of public and private patronage at Willem Frederik's court and shed an interesting though indirect light on the broader context of the Stuart - Nassau relationships.