Dutch Republic

Republic of the Seven United Netherlands Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden (Dutch)
1579–1795
Flags Top: Statenvlag Bottom: Prince's Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Eendracht maakt macht Concordia res parvæ crescunt "Unity makes strength" "Small things flourish by concord"
Republic of the Seven United Netherlands in 1789
Capital	None (de jure) The Hague (de facto)
Common languages	Dutch, Dutch Low Saxon, West Frisian
Religion	Dutch Reformed (state religion),[1] Catholicism, Judaism, Lutheranism
Demonym(s)	Dutch
Government	Confederal parliamentary republic
Stadtholder
• 1581–1584 (assassinated)	William I
• 1584–1625	Maurice, Prince of Orange
• 1625–1647	Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
• 1647–1650	William II, Prince of Orange
• 1672–1702	William III, Prince of Orange (from 1688, was also King William III of England)
• 1747–1751	William IV, Prince of Orange
• 1751–1795	William V, Prince of Orange
Grand Pensionary
• 1581–1585	Paulus Buys
• 1586–1619	Johan van Oldenbarnevelt
• 1621–1629	Anthonie Duyck
• 1631–1636	Adriaan Pauw
• 1636–1651	Jacob Cats
• 1651–1653	Adriaan Pauw
• 1653–1672	Johan de Witt
• 1672–1689	Gaspar Fagel
• 1689–1720	Anthonie Heinsius
• 1720–1727	Isaac van Hoornbeek
• 1727–1736	Simon van Slingelandt
• 1736–1746	Anthonie van der Heim
• 1746–1749	Jacob Gilles
• 1749–1772	Pieter Steyn
• 1772–1787	Pieter van Bleiswijk
Legislature	States General
• State Council	Council of State
Historical era	Early modern period
• Union of Utrecht	23 January 1579
• Act of Abjuration	26 July 1581
• Vranck Deduction	12 April 1588
• Peace of Münster	30 January 1648
• Rampjaar	1672
• Peace of Utrecht	11 April 1713
• Batavian Revolution	19 January 1795
Population
• 1795	1,880,500[2]
Currency	Guilder, rijksdaalder
Preceded by Succeeded by Spanish Netherlands Batavian Republic Kingdom of Prussia Electorate of Cologne First French Republic
Today part of	Netherlands Belgium Germany

History of the Low Countries
Frisii			Belgae
	Cana– nefates	Chamavi, Tubantes		Gallia Belgica (55 BC–c. 5th AD) Germania Inferior (83–c. 5th)
		Salian Franks		Batavi
unpopulated (4th–c. 5th)		Saxons	Salian Franks (4th–c. 5th)
Frisian Kingdom (c. 6th–734)			Frankish Kingdom (481–843)—Carolingian Empire (800–843)
		Austrasia (511–687)
Middle Francia (843–855)					West Francia (843–)
Kingdom of Lotharingia (855– 959) Duchy of Lower Lorraine (959–)
Frisia
Frisian Freedom (11–16th century)	County of Holland (880–1432)	Bishopric of Utrecht (695–1456)	Duchy of Brabant (1183–1430) Duchy of Guelders (1046–1543)		County of Flanders (862–1384)	County of Hainaut (1071–1432) County of Namur (981–1421)	P.-Bish. of Liège (980–1794)	Duchy of Luxem- bourg (1059–1443)
	Burgundian Netherlands (1384–1482)
	Habsburg Netherlands (1482–1795) (Seventeen Provinces after 1543)
Dutch Republic (1581–1795)				Spanish Netherlands (1556–1714)
				Austrian Netherlands (1714–1795)
				United States of Belgium (1790)			R. Liège (1789–'91)
Batavian Republic (1795–1806) Kingdom of Holland (1806–1810)				associated with French First Republic (1795–1804) part of First French Empire (1804–1815)
Princip. of the Netherlands (1813–1815)
Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–1830)								Gr D. L. (1815–)
Kingdom of the Netherlands (1839–)				Kingdom of Belgium (1830–)
								Gr D. of Luxem- bourg (1890–)

The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands and the first independent Dutch nation state. The republic was established after seven Dutch provinces in the Spanish Netherlands revolted against Spanish rule, forming a mutual alliance against Spain in 1579 (the Union of Utrecht) and declaring their independence in 1581 (the Act of Abjuration). The seven provinces it comprised were Groningen (present-day Groningen), Frisia (present-day Friesland), Overijssel (present-day Overijssel), Guelders (present-day Gelderland), Utrecht (present-day Utrecht), Holland (present-day North Holland and South Holland), and Zeeland (present-day Zeeland). It was officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden).

Although the state was small and had only around 1.5 million inhabitants, it controlled a worldwide network of seafaring trade routes. Through its trading companies, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the Dutch West India Company (GWC), it established a Dutch colonial empire. The income from this trade allowed the Dutch Republic to compete militarily against much larger countries. It amassed a huge fleet of 2,000 ships, initially larger than the fleets of England and France combined. Major conflicts were fought in the Eighty Years' War against Spain (from the foundation of the Dutch Republic until 1648), the Dutch–Portuguese War (1598–1663), four Anglo-Dutch Wars (the first against the Commonwealth of England, two against the Kingdom of England, and a fourth against the Kingdom of Great Britain, 1665–1667, 1672–1674, and 1780–1784), the Franco-Dutch War (1672–1678), War of the Grand Alliance (1688–1697), the War of the Spanish Succession (1702–1713), the War of Austrian Succession (1744–1748), and the War of the First Coalition (1792–1795) against the Kingdom of France.

The republic was more tolerant of different religions and ideas than contemporary states, allowing freedom of thought to its residents. Artists flourished under this regime, including painters such as Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, and many others. So did scientists, such as Hugo Grotius, Christiaan Huygens, and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. Dutch trade, science, armed forces, and art were among the most acclaimed in the world during much of the 17th century, a period which became known as the Dutch Golden Age.

The republic was a confederation of provinces, each with a high degree of independence from the federal assembly, known as the States General. In the Peace of Westphalia (1648), the republic gained approximately 20% more territory, located outside the member provinces, which was ruled directly by the States General as Generality Lands. Each province was led by an official known as the stadtholder (Dutch for 'steward'); this office was nominally open to anyone, but most provinces appointed a member of the House of Orange. The position gradually became hereditary, with the Prince of Orange simultaneously holding most or all of the stadtholderships, making him effectively the head of state. This created tension between political factions: the Orangists favoured a powerful stadtholder, while the Republicans favoured a strong States General. The Republicans forced two Stadtholderless Periods, 1650–1672 and 1702–1747, with the latter causing national instability and the end of great power status.

Economic decline led to a period of political instability known as the Patriottentijd (1780–1787).^[3] This unrest was temporarily suppressed by a Prussian invasion in support of the stadtholder. The French Revolution and subsequent War of the First Coalition reignited these tensions. Following military defeat by France, the stadtholder was expelled in the Batavian Revolution of 1795, ending the Dutch Republic, which was succeeded by the Batavian Republic.