In the republic of the United Provinces, the stathouder ( stadhouder in Dutch) was the lieutenant of a province.

History

In the republic of the United Provinces sovereignty was exerted by the States provinces, whose members were elected by Cooptation or the Cités. The president of each State was a civil servant: the Boarder . The boarder of Holland, the province richest, held the title of “Large-boarder”. The States named also a supreme leader of the executive: the stathouder (literally “that which holds the place”). The stathouder was normally also named general captain, or Commander-in-chief armies. For pragmatic reasons, the stathouder of Holland east, as of XVIe century, frequently elected in the same family and the title tends to becoming hereditary. In addition, the ceaseless military threats against the United Provinces push the States to grant to the stathouders exceptional capacities in times of war which point out the dictatorship of the Roman republic.

In 1581 the Maison of Orange-Nassau holds de facto the title. Guillaume Silent the is named stathouder by three provinces, then Maurice of Orange-Nassau by five out of seven of the provinces. Cumulating the load of captain and general admiral, the family of Nassau seems the chief of the republic. Opposed to the stathoudérat, the Dutch upper middle class removes it with dead Guillaume II of Orange-Nassau and restores the primacy with the Large Boarder.

It is the countryside flash of Louis XIV against the Netherlands (1672) which upsets this fragile balance. Following the military collapse of the provinces, the Large Boarder Jean de Witt is lynched by crowd and the stathoudérat is restored with the profit of Guillaume III of Orange-Nassau. Again removed with died of this one in 1702, it is restored in 1747 with Guillaume IV of Orange-Nassau which was stathouder of all the provinces; thus the general title of “stathouder” makes its appearance. Died of Guillaume IV in 1751 succeeds to him his/her son Guillaume V then old only 3 years (regency of Brunswick). Vis-a-vis the disorders of the patriots Batavian S, it is first once dislocated of its functions in 1786 then restored in 1787, before being reversed in 1795 with the proclamation, at the instigation of France, the Batavian République.

List

• 1581 - 1584: Guillaume Ier of Orange-Nassau

• 1584 - 1625: Maurice of Orange-Nassau
• 1625 - 1650: Frederic-Henri of Orange-Nassau
• 1647 - 1650: Guillaume II of Orange-Nassau

… Interruption

• 1672 - 1702: Guillaume III of Orange-Nassau

… Interruption

• 1747 - 1751: Guillaume IV of Orange-Nassau

• 1751 - 1795: Guillaume V of Orange-Nassau

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