Description

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The French era in the Netherlands , also known as the French-Batavian era, was the period from 1795 to 1813 in the history of today’s Netherlands, in which most of the Netherlands was a vassal state of France and from 1810 a part of the First French Empire. Part of the current Netherlands (Zeeland Flanders and a large part of Dutch Limburg) was already incorporated in France in 1794. After the French period, the current territory of the Netherlands merged into the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands. The French period began in most of the Netherlands with the Batavian Revolution in 1795, during which Dutch patriots, with the support of a French army that had entered the country, proclaimed the Batavian Republic. Stadholder William V went to England in exile. France recognized the existence of the Batavian Republic in the Hague Convention and guaranteed its independence. State Flanders, Maastricht, State Upper Gelre with Venlo, State Overmaas and the redemption villages were ceded to France. In addition, France received a right to use the port of Vlissingen, the right to camp a garrison in Vlissingen and a right to occupy the fortresses of Grave, Bergen op Zoom and ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the event of hostilities. While maintaining self-government and strong ties with Paris, the Batavian Republic became the very first sister republic of revolutionary France. According to the treaty, the force of the “ally” troops stationed in the Netherlands would amount to 25,000 men, but in practice it amounted to as much as 200,000 men. They always came into the country, starving and with frayed clothes, and when they, well fed and dressed, left again, they were relieved by new hungry rags.
The headquarters of the Armée du Nord and the staff quarters of the three divisions were located in Gorinchem, The Hague, Middelburg and Zwolle.

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Napoleon Bonaparte, who had proclaimed himself emperor of France in 1804, also introduced the single-headed leadership in the Netherlands in 1805, with Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck as council pensioner. Already a year later, in 1806, he replaced the Batavian Commonwealth with the Kingdom of Holland and put his brother Louis Napoleon Bonaparte on the throne as King Louis I. In addition to the Netherlands, the kingdom also included Prussia and today East Frisia. Napoleon, however, was dissatisfied with Louis, who, in his opinion, took a too independent course. In 1810 he decided to incorporate the Netherlands into the French Empire. Hoping to preserve Dutch independence, Louis renounced the throne and his young son Louis II became king of Holland on July 1, 1810. Napoleon ignored this action and annexed the Netherlands shortly thereafter by the Decree of Rambouillet on July 9, 1810. He appointed Nicolas Charles Oudinot as stadholder-prince. It was succeeded in 1812 by Charles François Lebrun. The French period ended when Napoleon was defeated in 1813 and renounced the throne. Willem V’s eldest son returned to the Netherlands on November 30, 1813. After the Congress of Vienna he was named King of the Netherlands in 1815 as William I.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_time_in_Netherlands