| Batavian Revolution | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theAtlantic Revolutions | |||
 Patriot troops, 18 January 1795 | |||
| Date | 1781–1795 | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by | Authoritarianism ofWilliam V | ||
| Goals |
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| Resulted in | Batavian Republic established | ||
| Parties | |||
| Lead figures | |||
Part ofa series on the |
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| History of the Netherlands |
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 Netherlands portal |
TheBatavian Revolution (Dutch:De Bataafse Revolutie) was a time of political, social and cultural turmoil at the end of the 18th century that marked the end of theDutch Republic and saw the proclamation of theBatavian Republic.
The initial period, from about 1780 to 1787, is known as thePatriottentijd or "Time of the Patriots". The power of the"Patriots" grew until thestadtholder,William V, felt he had to flee the country in 1785. He asked his brother-in-lawFrederick William II of Prussia for help, and in 1787 a relatively small Prussian army restored theOrangists to power with little fighting.
After theFrench Revolution began in 1789, "Patriot" dissent grew, and in the severe winter of 1794/95 a French army with some "Patriot" Dutch units invaded over the frozen frontier rivers, leading to the Batavian Revolution and the proclamation of theBatavian Republic in 1795. The period of Dutch history that followed the revolution is also referred to as the "Batavian-French era" (1795–1813) even though the time spanned was only 20 years, of which three were under French occupation underNapoleon Bonaparte.
By the end of the 18th century, the Netherlands found themselves in a deep economic crisis, caused by the devastatingFourth Anglo-Dutch War.[1] During this time, the banks of the Dutch Republic held much of the world'scapital. The government-sponsored banks owned up to 40% of Great Britain'snational debt. The people of the Netherlands grew increasingly discontent with the authoritarian regime of thestadtholder,William V. This concentration of wealth led to the formation of theDutch Patriots by a minor Dutch noble namedJoan van der Capellen tot den Pol, who were seeking to reduce the amount of power held by the stadtholder.
Thus, a division emerged between theOrangists, who supported the stadtholder, and thePatriots who, inspired by the ideals of theEnlightenment, desired a more democratic government and a more equal society. The Patriots built support from most of the middle-class, and founded militias (Exercitiegenootschappen) of armed civilians which between 1783 and 1787 managed to take over several cities and regions in an effort to force new elections which would oust the old government officials.[2] The Patriots heldHolland and the city ofUtrecht, while the Orangists held the states ofGuelders andUtrecht (outside of its capital city).
In 1785, stadtholderWilliam V fled his palace in the west of the country forNijmegen in the east, as theStates of Holland were not willing to send their troops to fight the Patriots. In May 1787, the stadholder's troops were defeated by the militia of Utrecht nearVreeswijk. WhenPrincess Wilhelmina was stopped by patriot militia nearGoejanverwellesluis on June 28, 1787, she applied to her brotherFrederick William II of Prussia for help. On September 13 a Prussian army of 20,000 men under the command ofDuke of Brunswickcrossed the border. The fortress ofVianen was deserted, and the city of Utrecht opened its gates. At the fortress ofWoerden preparations for defense were made, but there was no actual resistance when the Prussians arrived. InAmsterdam several houses of patriot regents were plundered by mobs. The stadholder returned toThe Hague, and Amsterdam, the last city to hold out, surrendered on October 10.
The Patriots continued urging citizens to resist the government by distributing pamphlets, creating "Patriot Clubs" and holding publicdemonstrations. The government responded by pillaging the towns where the opposition was concentrated. Most Patriots went into exile in France, whileOrangists strengthened their grip on Dutch government chiefly through theGrand PensionaryLaurens Pieter van de Spiegel.
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The restoration was temporary, however. Only two years later, theFrench Revolution began, which embraced many of the political ideas that the Patriots had espoused in their own revolt.[4] The Patriots enthusiastically supported the Revolution, and when the French revolutionary armies started spreading it, the Patriots joined in, hoping to liberate their own country from its authoritarian yoke. The Stadtholder joined the ill-fatedFirst Coalition of countries in their attempt to subdue the suddenly anti-AustrianFrench First Republic. ThisWar of the First Coalition also proceeded disastrously for the Stadtholder's forces, and in the severe winter of 1794/95 a French army under generalCharles Pichegru, with a Dutch contingent under generalHerman Willem Daendels, crossed the great frozen rivers that traditionally protected the Netherlands from invasion. Aided by the fact that a substantial proportion of the Dutch population looked favourably upon the French incursion, and often considered it a liberation,[5][6][full citation needed] the French were quickly able to break the resistance of the forces of the Stadtholder, and his Austrian and British allies. However, in many cities revolution broke out even before the French arrived andRevolutionary Committees took over the city governments, and (provisionally) the national government also. TheStates of Holland and West Friesland, for instance, were abolished and replaced with theProvisional Representatives of the People of Holland.[7]
The Batavian Revolution ended with the proclamation of theBatavian Republic in 1795. William was forced to flee to England,[8] from where he issued theKew Letters ordering all Dutch colonies to cooperate with British efforts to occupy them. Several coups followed in 1798, 1801 and 1805 which brought different groups of Patriots to power. Though the French presented themselves as liberators,[9] many disagreed. The Batavian Republic saw its end in 1806, when theKingdom of Holland was founded, withNapoleon's brother,Louis Napoleon as King of Holland. In 1810, the area was annexed into theFirst French Empire. In 1813, the Netherlands regained their independence, with William's sonWilliam Frederick as sovereign prince.
