The modern day
Netherlands is more commonly known as
Holland but back in the 16th century it included
Belgium and parts of
France,
Germany and
Luxembourg.
The original
Netherlands were a collection of independant provinces and states brought together over a 150 year period.
Here is a timeline of how the Netherlands came into being. It was formed from an amalgamation of states starting with Burgundy in Northern France
and slowly moving up to incorporate the more northern states such as Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel and Groningen.
- In 1361 the last Capetian Duke of Burgundy died without heir. The province reverted the King of France who gave to his eldest son and future
king, Philip the Bold. Philip married Margaret of Flanders acquiring Flanders, Artois and Franche Comte.
- Philip the Bold's grandson, Philip the Good (Duke: 1419-1467) acquired Brabant, Picardy, Holland and Zeeland.
- Charles the Rash(Duke: 1467-1477), also known as Charles the Bold, went to war with Louis XI, King of France. He is killed in Battle of Nancy.
- Louis XI claims the Duchy of Burgundy after Charles' death in 1467. To counter this Mary of Burgundy, Charles's daughter, married Maximillian of
Hapsburg in 1477. Maximillian was Holy Roman Emperor and so his power persuaded Louis XI to give up his claim to Burgundy.
Philip the Bold m. Margaret of Flanders
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Philip the Good
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Charles the Rash
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Mary of Burgundy m. Maximillian of Hapsburg
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________________|_____________________
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Philip I m. Joanna the Mad Margaret
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Charles V
By this time the 17 provinces of that became known as the Netherlands were united under one sovereign. The united states officially recognised Charles V
as their King and the House of Hapsburg as their royal family.
The Government of the Netherlands
The government of the Netherlands in the
16th century reflected its divided nature as a state. The
sovereign obviously ruled when he was in the country but this was not the common state of affairs with the Netherlands being part of
Habsburg lands which covered most of
Europe. During the sovereign's absence a Governor General was appointed to rule in their place. In the
Habsburg tradition the Governor General usually a reasonably close relative of the sovereign -
Philip II appointed both his half sister,
Margaret of Parma, and his half brother,
Don John of Austria, to the Governorship during his reign.
Whilst the Governor General represented the sovereign's interests in the Netherlands the States General and Stadholders represented the provinces' interests. The States General was the parliament of the Netherlands and it met every three years. Each of the seventeen states sent representatives who voiced their provinces views at the States. Unanimous agreement was required before a decision was reached and each representative was required to communicate with their State before changing their position. This meant that decision making was an extremely lengthy process. In addition there was great particularism between the provinces so disagreements were often based solely on existing rivalries rather than political opposition. The States General was extremely keen on protecting the individual local privileges and rights on the Netherlands as was each province. This meant that they were set against attempts at centralisation which sovereigns often desired to gain greater control.
The Stadholders were the Grandees (high nobles) of the Netherlands and were made by royal appointment. This gave them a position of some power and favoured nobles could be appointed Stadholder to more than one State, as William of Orange was. The Stadholders themselves essentially made up the elite of the Netherlands and were also appointed to important government positions on the Council of State and Council of Finance.
Within each state a States acted as an individual province parliament. Their job was to protect local privileges, collect taxes and raise armies. Each States controlled the different legal systems of their province, there were in fact over 200 different penal codes within the Netherlands.
The towns in the Netherlands, as elsewhere in Europe during the Early Modern Period, were a group unto themselves. They were controlled by the town regents, comprising of prominent lawyers, magistrates and religious leaders. These regents were in constant conflict with the guildsmen of the town, a group growing in power with the powerful trading empire that existed in the Netherlands.
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| Sovereign |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| Governor General |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| Stadholders |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| States General | Councils of Finance and State | Towns |
|-----------------|--------------------------------|--------|
| States | | |
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My own notes made in class
"The Netherlands: Revolt and Independence, 1550-1650" - Martyn Rady, Arnold 1987
"Years of Renewal: European History 1470-1600" - Edited by John Lotherington, Hodder and Stoughton, 1991
"The Dutch Revolt, 1559-1648" - Peter Limm, Longman 1989