Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic (Dutch: Bataafse Republiek; French: République Batave) was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the Dutch throne. From October 1801 onward, it was known as the Batavian Commonwealth (Dutch: Bataafs Gemenebest). Both names refer to the Germanic tribe of the Batavi, representing both the Dutch ancestry and their ancient quest for liberty in their nationalistic lore.
Batavian Republic (1795–1801) Bataafse Republiek Batavian Commonwealth (1801–1806) Bataafs Gemenebest | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1795–1806 | |||||||||
Great Seal (1796)
| |||||||||
| Motto: Gelykheid, Vryheid, Broederschap ("Equality, Liberty, Fraternity") | |||||||||
The Batavian Republic in 1797 | |||||||||
Batavian departments in 1801 | |||||||||
| Status | French client republic | ||||||||
| Capital | The Hague | ||||||||
| Official languages | Dutch, French | ||||||||
Common languages | Frisian, German, Dutch Low Saxon | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Batavian | ||||||||
| Government | Unitary revolutionary republic | ||||||||
| Executive Government | |||||||||
• 1795 | Revolutionary Comm. | ||||||||
• 1795–1796 | States-General | ||||||||
• 1796–1798 | National Assembly | ||||||||
• 1798–1801 | Executive Authority | ||||||||
• 1801–1805 | State Council | ||||||||
• 1805–1806 | Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck | ||||||||
| Historical era | French Revolutionary Wars | ||||||||
| 19 January 1795 | |||||||||
• Hague Treaty | 16 May 1795 | ||||||||
| 5 June 1806 | |||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1795 | 1,883,009 | ||||||||
• 1806 | 2,178,000 | ||||||||
| Currency | Guilder | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Netherlands Belgium Germany | ||||||||
In early 1795, intervention by the French Republic led to the downfall of the old Dutch Republic. The new republic enjoyed widespread support from the Dutch populace and was the product of a genuine popular revolution. However, it was founded with the armed support of the French Revolutionary Army. The Batavian Republic became a client state, the first of the "sister-republics", and later part of the French Empire of Napoleon. Its politics were deeply influenced by the French, who supported no fewer than three coups d'état to bring the different political factions to power that France favored at different moments in its own political development. Nevertheless, the process of creating a written Dutch constitution was mainly driven by internal political factors and not by French influence until Napoleon forced the Dutch government to accept his brother, Louis Bonaparte, as monarch.
The political, economic, and social reforms that were brought about during the relatively short duration of the Batavian Republic have had a lasting impact. The confederal structure of the old Dutch Republic was permanently replaced by a unitary state. For the first time in Dutch history, the constitution that was adopted in 1798 had a genuinely democratic character. For a time, the Republic was governed democratically, although a coup d'état in 1801 put an authoritarian regime in power after another change to the constitution. The influence of this period helped smooth the transition to a more democratic government in 1848 (the constitutional revision by Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, limiting the power of the king). A type of ministerial government was introduced for the first time in Dutch history and many of the current government departments date their history back to this period.
Though the Batavian Republic was a client state of France, its successive governments tried to maintain a degree of independence and to serve Dutch interests even where they clashed with the interests of the French. This clash of interests led to the eventual demise of the Republic when the short-lived experiment with the regime of "Grand Pensionary" Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck proved unsatisfactory to Napoleon. The subsequent king Louis Bonaparte also refused to follow French dictates, which ultimately led in turn to his downfall in 1810 when the territory was annexed into the French Empire.