Large-boarder

The large-boarder was the most important civil servant of the province of Holland during the time of the United Provinces. The title changed during the XVIIe century: Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was known as Avocat of the States of Holland whereas Johan de Witt indeed carried the personal one of Large-boarder of the States of Holland.

The republic of the United Provinces is a Oligarchie organized at its origins around a division between civil capacity (prisoner by a Pensionnaire , the president of the States of the provinces, raadpensionaris in Dutch) and military capacity (prisoner by a Stathouder, the executive civil servant, in its quality of general captain or Commander-in-chief): boarder and stathouder are named by the States. The boarder of Holland, the province richest, holds in France (not in Holland even) the title of “Large-boarder”, because it holds in a certain way the role of president of all the republic.

The ceaseless military threats against the United Provinces will frequently push the middle-class men to grant to the stathouders exceptional capacities in time of war, relegating the civil capacity of the Large Boarder to the second rank, from where a competition enters the two functions.

Under the Batavian Republic, in 1806 the Large-boarder is the chief of the government.

See too

List of the large-boarders

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