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Cleio Education and Science report

Rulers of the Dutch Republic? - What is aStadtholder

byCleio4 Followers

Stadtholder-King William III of Orange, atthe Battle of the Boyne in Ireland, 1690.Source: Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel

Erfgoed[CC-BY-SA-3.0-nl(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

Myother articles about the

history of the Dutch Republic

The Princes of Orange:

Stadtholders of the Dutch Rep...

The history of the Dutch Republic

is closely linked to the Princes of

Orange. They served the country

as stadtholders and military

commanders from the very birth of

the Republic in the sixteenthcentury until it ceased to exist when

Napoleon invaded.

The Eighty Years' War -

Consolidation of the Dutch R...

During the Eighty Years War the

Dutch Republic won its

independence from the Spanish

monarchy, and became one of the

wealthiest and most powerful

countries on earth in the process.

The formation of the Dutch

RepublicThis hub examines how the Dutch

Republic was formed in the

sixteenth century.

The Stadtholder is probably the most

confusing thing about the Dutch

Republic. Nothing similar can be

found elsewhere, and even at the

time most foreigners were utter ly

confused about how they functioned

within the Dutch Republic. The

Stadtholders were not rulers of the

country as such. Technically, they

were no more than civil servants, but

that does not do justice to the crucial

role they played as political and

military leaders.

This article will give an overview of

what the Stadtholders were and how

they functioned within the DutchRepublic.

Stadtholders prior to theDutch Republic

The office of Stadtholder originates

in the period prior to the Dutch

Republic. Before Dutch

independence with the Union of

Utrecht (1579) and the Act of

Abjuration (1581), the seven

provinces of the Dutch Republic were

part of the realm of Holy Roman

Emperor Charles V. Because it was

so large, Charles could not

personally rule most of his empire.

He therefore appointed officials to

rule in his stead; the Stadtholder.

The term Stadtholder is derived from

the Dutch Stadhouder. This word

literally means placeholder. The

Stadtholders were exactly that. They

represented the absentee monarch,

royal authority and ruled in the place

of the emperor.

After the Act of Abjuration, however,

royal authority was no longer

acknowledged within the Dutch

Republic. The Stadtholder really

became unnecessary. Yet the office

was not done away with, as might

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have been expected.

A political figure head

The last Stadtholder appointed by

the monarch was Prince William I of

Orange. William, instead of dutifully

representing royal authority, had

actually been one of the leaders of

the Dutch Revolt which saw the

country independent. Grateful for his

leadership, the Dutch did not want to

dismiss William from his position of

authority. He was an important unifying symbol, the Pater Patriae, the Father of

the Fatherland.

But there were also practical reasons to keep the Stadtholder. William was the

ruler of Orange, a small but independent principality located in southern France.

He was therefore a sovereign ruler in his own right. This was important. In

sixteenth century Europe, noble birth and rank counted for everything. As a

sovereign prince, William of Orange was the equal of kings and emperors. The

newly formed Dutch Republic was ruled by an assembly of wealthy citizens, many

of which were of common birth. With their Stadtholder, they had a nobly born

figurehead, who could act for them in international diplomacy.

Another reason to keep the Stadtholder was the army. The Republic was fighting a

war of independence, and command of its armies required an experienced general

who could command respect. William of Orange was that person.

William was assassinated in 1584. The practical reasons for keeping a Stadtholder

still stood however, and he was replaced by his son Maurice. By the time Maurice

died in 1625, the office of Stadtholder had become a feature of the political

system, and it was almost without question that the Princes of Orange would be

appointed Stadtholder one after the other.

Stadtholder William V and his wife celebrated by the political elite of Amsterdam.Source: Reinier Vinkeles [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Not rulers, but civil servants

Lets take a more in-depth look at the place of the Stadtholder within the political

system - this is where it can get somewhat confusing!




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Coat of Arms of the Orange-Nassau family,to which most of the Stadtholders belonged.

Source: By Ralf Hartemink, 1995(http://www.ngw.nl/rykswap.htm) [CC-BY-3.0

(http://creativecommons.org/licen

Admiral-General

The most important thing to keep in mind: the Stadtholders were not the the rulers

of the Dutch Republic. The country was formed out of a collection of seven

provinces. Each provinces had a governing body, the Provincial States, which

acted as something like a parliament. Sovereignty of the country was shared by

these seven Provincial States. This means that each province ruled itself. That

was the case in theory at least. In reality it was obviously not a very practical

system. For the sake of being able to work together, there was also a national

parliament, the States General. Each of the provinces would sent representatives

to sit in the States General. This is where all the important decisions were made.

Before Dutch independence, the Stadtholder had been appointed by the monarch.Now, he was appointed by the Provincial States. In the same way, as the

Stadtholder had been a royal official, he was now accountable to the States.

Though nobly born and Prince of Orange, he was essentially a civil servant. He

was not even a member of the Provincial States or the States General, and could

not vote in either assembly.

Despite these limitations, the Stadtholder was still potentially very powerful.

Although he could not vote, he could attend States meetings and present his

opinions on any issue presented. He also had a strong influence in the election of

magistrates, usually by choosing his preferred candidate from a list of nominees.

It is impossible to define the exact extent of the political power the Stadtholder had.

Although he was limited in some ways by the political system of the Dutch

Republic, there were a lot of possibilities to extent his influence. Much dependedon the circumstances and the individuals, and some Stadtholders were far more

powerful than others.

How many Stadtholders?

One, two, or seven?

Another confusing thing about the

Stadtholders is that there was

actually more than one. How many

exactly depends on the date, but

also on your interpretation of the

question.

The Stadtholder was a provincialoffice. Its been explained in the

previous section that he was

appointed by the Provincial States.

This means that each province

appointed their own Stadtholder. In

theory, with seven provinces, you

could have seven Stadtholders. In

practice, there were never more than

two, as most of the provinces tended

to appoint the same person.

From the formation of the Dutch Republic and most of the seventeenth century,

the Prince of Orange was Stadtholder in the provinces Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht,

Gelderland and Overijssel. Friesland and Groningen appointed members of a

different branch of William of Oranges family (Nassau-Dietz, mostly). Because it

was the wealthiest, Holland was by far the dominant province. Its Stadtholder was

also the more powerful.

There are two stretches of time in the history of the Dutch Republic known as the

Stadholdersless Periods (1650-72 and 1702-47). It is actually inaccurate to call

them that, as it was only the provinces that commonly appointed a Prince of

Orange that went without a Stadtholder during these years. There was always a

Stadtholder in Friesland and Groningen.

The second of the so-called Stadtholderless Periods occurred after William III died

without leaving any children in 1702. The principality of Orange would be inherited

by the Nassau-Dietz family that were Stadtholders in Friesland and Groningen.

This means that when a new Stadtholder was eventually appointed in the five

other provinces, it was now the same person for the entire country. From then on

to the end of the Dutch Republic, there would be one single Stadtholder.

Captain-General of the Union




4/6

The princes of Orange were, aside

from captain-general, also admiral-

general. They never commanded the

navy in person, however, focussing

instead on the army, so their influence

there was of much less importance.

William I had combined his role as

Stadtholder with the command of the

armies of the Dutch Republic. This

too became a custom. The Republic

was at war with one nation or another

for most of its existence, and it was

important that its armies were led by

a single individual of experience and

authority. The Princes of Orange fulfilled this role most of the time.

Aside from Stadtholders they were therefore appointed Captain-General of the

Union - commander-in-chief of the Republic's armies. Their control over the army

obviously gave the Stadtholders a significant boost to their political power. But

because the soldiers were always paid by the States, there was a limit to this

authority. If the States decided to keep the treasury locked, regiments would not

be paid and would soon desert. In this way, the States could still curtail the

influence of the Stadtholder.

The Stadtholder - Central to the history of the Dutch Republic

The stadholders were not the rulers of the Dutch Republic as such, but it cannot

be denied they played a crucial role, both as political and military leaders. The

extent of their power depended much on circumstances and the ability of

individual. From William I, the Father of the Fatherland onwards, they played a

central role in the history of the Dutch Republic - and their descendents are nowthe kings and queens of present day The Netherlands.

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An Outline of Polish

History to 1138

The formation of the

Dutch Republic

The Dutch Golden Age: a

short history of The DutchEast India Company (or

VOC)

SWTOR Central: Your

Master Guide to UnlockStar Wars The Old

Republic

Old-Empresario 5 months ago from Texas

This was a facinating read for me. I've always been interested in the Dutch

Republic, but I never knew anything about it. I always assumed that the

Stadholders were like a US President--Head of State and of Government.

But it doesn't seem that way at all. I really need to learn more on this topic.

Cleio 5 months ago from Ireland

I've encountered professional historians who lecture on the Dutch Republic

who don't really know what a Stadtholder is, so you're in good company. I

think the problem is that there's very little literature in English on the topic.

Although Israel's 'History of the Dutch Republic' is excellent.

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