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United Provinces of the Netherlands
Republic of the Seven United Netherlands Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1581–1795 | |||||||||
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Motto: Eendracht maakt macht (in English: Unity makes strength) | |||||||||
.svg) Provinces and dependencies of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. | |||||||||
| Capital | The Hague (de facto) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Dutch (main) Unofficial: Low German, Frisian, French and Walloon | ||||||||
| Religion | Calvinism | ||||||||
| Government | Confederal republic | ||||||||
| Stadtholder | |||||||||
• January 23, 1581 – June 10, 1584 | Francis of Anjou (Sovereign) | ||||||||
• January 24, 1586 – April 12, 1588 | Robert Dudley (Governor-General) | ||||||||
• 1747–1751 | William IV of Orange | ||||||||
• 1751–1795 | William V of Orange | ||||||||
| Legislature | States General of the Netherlands | ||||||||
| Historical era | Modern Age | ||||||||
• Emancipation from the Hispanic Monarchy | July 26 1581 | ||||||||
• Proclamation of the Republic | July 25, 1590 | ||||||||
| January 30, 1648 | |||||||||
| January 19 1795 | |||||||||
| Currency | Guilder | ||||||||
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The United Provinces of the Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands,[1] was a State formed by the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands (Friesland, Groningen, Guelders, Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht and Zeeland), grouped together from the Union of Utrecht (1579) until the French occupation (1795).
With the signing of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the Republic of the United Provinces was recognized as an independent State and kept part of the territories it had conquered during the Eighty Years' War.[2]
During the Dutch Golden Age, this country was governed by the bourgeoisie, while in the rest of Europe governments were led by ecclesiastical figures and absolutist monarchs.[3] In addition, the city of Amsterdam came to be the most important center of trade in Europe in the 18th century.[4]
The wealth of its merchant class supported numerous artists, such as Jan Havicksz Steen, Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals and Rembrandt. Science was also promoted: Christiaan Huygens discovered the rings of Saturn and invented the pendulum clock, and the French philosopher René Descartes found freedom of thought in the Netherlands.[5]
History
The origin of the United Provinces lay in the political and religious problems under the rule of the Habsburgs. The dissensions between Catholics and Calvinists led to the establishment and confrontation of the Union of Arras and the Union of Utrecht (1579), the latter being the one that gave rise to the United Provinces.[6]
With the Act of Abjuration of 1581, the representatives of the Union deposed Philip II of Spain and named Francis of Anjou (died 1584). Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was a key figure in the creation of the Republic, in 1588.
The cohesion of the provinces was made possible by the hegemony of the bourgeoisie and the leadership of the province of Holland. In addition, with the Treaty of Greenwich, the United Provinces obtained military aid from England, which together with France would recognize the Republic in 1596. By virtue of the Twelve Years' Truce (1609–1621) with Philip III, the Crown of Spain implicitly recognized the existence of the United Provinces, and in 1648 their independence at the end of the Eighty Years' War with the Treaty of Münster.[6]
The alliance with France during the Thirty Years' War gained the provinces the status of an independent State in the Treaty of Westphalia (1648).[7] In this period its power grew until it became one of the maritime and economic powers of the 17th century, considered the "golden age" in the Netherlands, when they established colonies and trading posts around the world.
However, during the Anglo-Dutch Wars for naval supremacy and after the Franco-Dutch War, the decline of its power was consummated. In 1795, after a French invasion, the United Provinces were replaced by the Batavian Republic.[6]
Economy
During the Dutch Golden Age, which spanned the end of the 16th century and the whole of the 17th century, the Dutch Republic dominated world trade, conquered a vast colonial empire on every continent and operated the largest merchant fleet of the time. The County of Holland became the richest and most urbanized region in the world.
Culture
Religion
See also
References
- ↑ Paredes, Carlos (2018). Plaza del mundo: historia informal de Brasil (in español). Editorial Verbum. p. 153. ISBN 849074758X.
- ↑ Berrueta, Julien (June 25, 2019). "España y Holanda: dos países separados por la guerra y unidos por el arte". El Español (in español). Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ↑ "El Siglo de Oro regresa a Ámsterdam en forma de retrato". El Periódico (in español). November 12, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ↑ "Holanda". Encyclopædia Britannica (in português). Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ↑ "Historia de Países Bajos". Lonely Planet (in español). Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Fayanas Escuer, Edmundo (November 29, 2016). "Holanda, la maravilla del agua y la tierra". Nueva Tribuna (in español). Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ↑ "1581: Holanda se liberta da Espanha". Deutsche Welle (in português). July 26, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
Bibliography
- Chririnos, Luis. "En los Países Bajos del siglo XXI ¿qué huellas quedan de la presencia española tras la guerra de ochenta años (1568 – 1648)?" (PDF). Centro Virtual Cervantes (in español). Universidad de Paris XII. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
