Simon van Slingelandt, lord of the manor of Patijnenburg was Grand Pensionary of Holland from July 17, 1727 to December 1, 1736. Simon van Slingelandt was the son of Govert van Slingelandt, lord of Dubbeldam, pensionary of Rotterdam and ambassador to Prussia, Sweden, Poland and Denmark. He was also the secretary of the Council of State in 1664 Before becoming grand pensionary Van Slingelandt wrote several reports as preparation for the second Great Assembly, in which he proposed to give the Council of State more power. He was convinced of the necessity to restrict the power of the cities and the provinces in order to strengthen the central power of the republic. The Great Assembly however ended in failure when nothing came from Van Slingelandts proposed reforms. He was powerful in the United Provinces, being the grand pensionary of Holland, which contributed sixty percent of the tax income of the republic. Van Slingelandt was a staunch republican, who wanted to keep the House of Orange out of the centre of power. He was a strong advocate of an alliance with Great Britain; otherwise, he thought, the United Provinces wouldn't survive. He mediated peace between Great Britain and Austria in 1732 and between France and Austria in 1736. Wikipedia [ - ]

Simon van Slingelandt, lord of the manor of Patijnenburg was Grand Pensionary of Holland from... [ + ]