Stadtholder
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder, German Statthalter, historically stedehouder "place holder", a Germanic parallel to Latin locum tenens or French lieutenant), means an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor (-general).
Its best known use is in the Netherlands, where it developed into a rare type of de facto hereditary head of state of the thus crowned Dutch Republic.
The word can also be used to render etymologically parallel titles in other Germanic languages.
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[edit] The office of Stadtholder in the Low Countries
Stadtholders were appointed by feudal lords to govern parts of their territory. Stadtholders could be appointed for the whole or parts of their territory by the local rulers of the independent provinces in the Low Countries, e.g. the Duke of Gelre appointed a stadtholder to represent him in Groningen. In the Low Countries (which included present-day Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, this was originally an essentially honorary title awarded by the Spanish Habsburg kings to major noblemen in each province. But its nature changed drastically.
In the sixteenth century, the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor Charles V whose forefathers had one by one acquired all secular Low Country provinces (the prince-bishopric of Liège remained outside of the Holy Roman Empire's Burgundian Kreis ('circle', in German Kreits), but the Sticht of Utrecht was secularised) was their sole feudal lord. Stadtholders continued to be appointed to represent him and his son and successor in Spain and the Low Countries (the split-off Austrian branch of Habsburg was to produce the next Emperors), King Philip II.
When however during the Dutch Rebellion in 1581 some of the Dutch provinces declared their independence with the Oath of Abjuration, the function of stadtholder as such became obsolete in the rebellious northern Netherlands, the feudal Lord himself having been abolished, but the title was nevertheless continued by these (until 1648 only de facto independent, and not yet de jure) provinces of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. The stadtholder now no longer represented the lord but became the highest executive official. Although each province could assign its own stadtholder, most stadtholders were appointed by several provinces at the same time. The highest executive power was normally exerted by the States of each province, but the stadtholder had some prerogatives, like appointing some lower officials and having sometimes the right to affirm the appointment of the members of regent councils in some cities. In Zealand he was the First Noble and as such himself member of the States of that province.
On the Republic's central, for want of a better word 'confederal' level, the stadtholder of the provinces of Holland and Zealand was Captain-General of the confederate army and Admiral-General of the confederate fleet, though no stadtholder ever actually commanded a fleet in battle. In the army he could appoint officers by himself; in the navy only affirm the appointments of the five admiralty councils. Though the legal powers of the stadtholder were thus rather limited and by law he was a mere official, his real powers were sometimes much larger, especially in the martial law-type of logic of the 'permanent' (be it hot-cold-hot) Eighty Years War. Maurice of Orange after 1618 ruled as a military dictator and William II of Orange attempted the same. This situation was caused by the fact that the leader of the rebellion, William the Silent (William I of Orange), had been appointed stadtholder in 1572 by the first province to rebel, Holland; his personal influence and reputation were thus associated with the office and tranferred to later members of his house.
In 1747, the office of stadtholder was made hereditary, with the stadtholder of Friesland becoming stadtholder for the entire — thus 'crowned' — Republic (which in effect became a monarchy under the House of Orange-Nassau). The function of stadtholder was abolished in 1795 when the French revolutionary forces instated the Batavian Republic.
[edit] List of stadtholders for the Low Countries provinces
[edit] Stadtholders of Holland, Zealand and Utrecht
The stadtholdership of Holland and Zealand has always been combined. Since the office was instituted there in 1528, the stadtholder of Utrecht has been the same as the one of Holland, with one exception.
In 1572, William of Orange was elected as the stadtholder, although Philip II had appointed a different one.
- Hugo van Lannoy, 1433-1440
- Willem van Lalaing, 1440-1445
- Gozewijn de Wilde, 1445-1448
- Jan van Lannoy, 1448-1462
- Loys of Gruuthuse, 1462-1477
- Wolfert VI van Borselen, 1477-1480
- Joost van Lalaing, 1480-1483
- Jan III van Egmond, 1483-1515
- Henry III of Nassau-Breda, 1515-1521
- Antoon van Lalaing, 1522-1540
- René of Châlon, 1540-1544
- Louis of Flanders, 1544-1546
- Maximilian II of Burgundy, 1547-1558
- William of Orange, 1559-1567
- Maximilian of Hennin, 1567-1573
- Philip of Noircarmes, 1573-1574
- William of Orange, 1572-1584
- Adolf van Nieuwenaar, 1584-1589 (only in Utrecht)
- Maurits of Nassau, 1585-1625
- Frederik Hendrik of Orange, 1625-1647
- William II, Prince of Orange, 1647-1650
First Stadtholderless Period, 1650-1672
- William III of Orange, 1672-1702
Second Stadtholderless Period, 1702-1747
During the Stadtholderless Eras, the provinces of Holland, Zealand and Utrecht were governed by their States free from autocratic intervention. The Second Stadtholderless Era in Holland ended when the Frisian stadtholder became hereditary stadtholder for all provinces of the Dutch Republic.
[edit] Stadtholders of Friesland
- Floris van Egmond, Count of Buren, 1515-1518
- Willem van Roggendorff, 1518-1521
- Jancko Douwama, 1522
- Georg Schenck van Tautenburg, 1521-1540
- Maximiliaan van Egmond, Count of Buren, 1540-1548
- Jean de Ligne, Count of Arenberg, 1559-1568
- Charles de Brimeu, Count of Megen, 1568-1572
- Gillis van Berlaymont, Lord of Hierges, 1572-1574
- Caspar de Robles, 1574-1576 (according to some sources 1572-1576)
- George van Rennenberg, 1576-1581 (in the service of Phillip II)
- Francisco Verdugo, 1581-1594 (in the service of Phillip II)
- William of Orange, 1580-1584
- Willem Lodewijk, 1584-1620
- Ernst Casimir, 1620-1632
- Hendrik Casimir I, 1632-1640
- Willem Frederik, 1640-1664
- Hendrik Casimir II, 1664-1696
- Johan Willem Friso of Orange-Nassau, 1696-1711
- Willem IV of Nassau, 1711-1747 (subsequently became hereditary stadtholder for all provinces)
[edit] Stadtholders of Gelre
- Willem van Egmond, 1473-1475
- Willem van Egmond jr., 1475-1476
- Filips van Croy, 1474-1477
- Willem van Egmond jr., 1480-1481
- Adolf III of Nassau-Wiesbaden-Idstein, 1481-1492
- Jan V of Nassau-Vianden-Diez, 1504-1505
- Philip of Burgundy, 1505-1507
- Floris van Egmond, 1507-1511
- René of Châlon, 1543-1544
- Filips van Lalaing, 1544-1555
- Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn, 1555-1560
- Karel van Brimeu, 1560-1572
- Gillis van Berlaymont, 1572-1577
- John I the Old of Nassau, 1578-1581
- Willem IV van den Bergh, 1581-1583
- Adolf van Nieuwenaar, 1584-1589
- Maurice of Nassau, 1590-1625
- Frederick Henry of Orange, 1625-1647
- William II of Orange, 1647-1650
First Stadtholderless Era, 1650-1675
- William III of Orange, 1675-1702
Second Stadtholderless Era, 1702-1722
- William IV of Orange, 1722-1747 (subsequently became hereditary stadtholder for all provinces)
[edit] Stadtholders of Groningen
From 1584 to 1594, there were two stadtholders: one appointed by the King of Spain, whose authority was only recognized in the city of Groningen, and one on the side of the United Provinces.
- Cristoffel van Meurs, 1519-1522
- Jasper van Marwijck, 1522-1530
- Karel van Gelre, 1530-1536
- Ludolf Coenders, 1536
- Georg Schenck van Toutenburg, 1536-1540
- Maximiliaan van Egmond, count of Buren, 1540-1548
- Jan van Ligne, count of Arenberg, 1549-1568
- Karel van Brimeu, count of Megen, 1568-1572
- Gillis van Berlaymont, heer van Hierges, 1572-1574
- Caspar van Robles, 1574-1576
- Georges van Lalaing, count of Rennenberg 1576-1581
- Francisco Verdugo, 1581-1594 (from 1584 only recognized in the city of Groningen)
- Willem Lodewijk, 1584-1620 (until 1594 only recognized in the province of Groningen; from 1594 also in the city of Groningen)
- Maurice of Nassau, 1620-1625
- Ernst Casimir, 1625-1632
- Hendrik Casimir I, 1632-1640
- Willem Frederik, 1640-1664
Albertine Agnes van Oranje-Nassau, regentess for Hendrick Casimir II, 1664-1673
- Hendrik Casimir II, 1664-1696
Henriette Amalia von Anhalt, regentess for Johan Willem Friso, 1696-1707
- Johan Willem Friso of Orange-Nassau, 1696-1711
Marie Louise von Hessen-Kassel, regentess for William IV, 1711-1729
- William IV of Orange, 1711-1747 (subsequently became hereditary stadtholder for all provinces)
[edit] Stadtholders of Overijssel
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[edit] (General) Hereditary Stadtholders of the United Provinces
The style was changed from 22 November 1747, when the office was enacted as hereditary in every province, to Stadhouder-generaal [Hereditary] 'General Stadholder'
- William IV of Orange, 1747-1751 (had been Stadtholder for all provinces except Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht for some time)
Anne, Princess Royal, regentess for William V, 1751-1759
Marie Louise von Hessen-Kassel, regentess for William V, 1759-1765
Carolina of Orange-Nassau, regentess for William V, 1765-1766
- William V of Orange, 1751-1795
- 16 February 1795 office of stadholder was abolished by the Staten-Generaal (now styled Algemene Staten, a Dutch purism, also translating as 'General Estates').
[edit] Scandinavian equivalents
[edit] Danish Statholder
- In Denmark, a ministerial high office of royal governor in the capital, at Copenhagen castle
- During the personal union of Denmark (the dominant partner) and Norway, the Danish King appointed a Governor-general in Norway styled Statholder: 1536- 4 November 1814
[edit] Swedish Stattholder
During the personal union of Sweden (the dominant partner) and Norway, the Swedish king appointed a Governor-general in Norway styled Stattholder (or in full Rigsstatholder in Norwegian or Riksståthållare in Swedish, i.e. Lieutenant of the Realm): 4 November 1814 - 21 July 1873; several were noblemen, five even Swedish Crown Princes, who were then styled Visekonge, i.e. Viceroy.
[edit] Sources and references
- WorldStatesmen - the Netherlands
- Van Dale Etymologisch Woordenboek (Dutch etymology, in Dutch)
- Dutch language Wikipedia: List of stadtholders
