King of Holland:(

William of Orange is NOT the King of Holland! There never was a King of Holland. William is stadtholder of the Republic of the United Provinces. Since Holland was the most important of these provinces, it is sometimes used as the name of the whole country. This much the same as people referring to the United Kingdom as England or to the Soviet Union as Russia. However, that is a minor detail.

The fractious provinces would elect an administrator to oversee the affairs of the republic, including commander in chief of the army and navy. That is what William is. The position was a lifetime appointment, and it was generally inherited. He thus had quasi-kingly power, but he was ultimately responsible to those who gave him that power. William ultimately became king of England, but even there had to share power with parliament.

With graduate degree in European history, I find this error incredibly annoying, like scratching on a blackboard. I can only think of two reasons for this. First the creators of the series cannot be bothered explaining 17th Dutch politics. Second, making the bad guy head of a republic would make him sympathetic to a modern audience.