The 1698 Treaty of The Hague, also known as the 1698 Treaty of Den Haag or First Partition Treaty was one of two attempts by France, Great Britain, and the Dutch Republic to achieve a diplomatic solution to the issues that led to the 1701–1714 War of the Spanish Succession .
41-618: The death of Charles II had been anticipated from his succession in 1665, but by 1697 appeared clearly imminent. As he was childless, the closest heirs were of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy or the French House of Bourbon . The acquisition by either of the undivided Spanish Empire would change the European balance of power. Negotiations took place immediately after the financially crippling Nine Years' War (1688-97) to attempt to resolve
82-481: A common disease, despite the accusations of poison that often accompanied the death of significant people. Whether he would have become king if he had survived is open to question since few seemed keen on the treaty. One suggestion is Louis saw it as a delaying tactic to build Spanish support for a French candidate. However, the three parties involved began negotiating the Second Partition Treaty, also known as
123-554: A direct cognate, "stead holder" (in modern Dutch "stad" means "city", but the older meaning of "stad" – also "stede" – was "place", and it is a cognate of English "stead", as "instead of"); it was a term for a " steward " or " lieutenant ". However, this is not the word for the military rank of lieutenant, which is luitenant in Dutch. Stadtholder s in the Middle Ages were appointed by feudal lords to represent them in their absence. If
164-479: A lord had several dominions (or, being a vassal , fiefs ), some of these could be ruled by a permanent stadtholder , to whom was delegated the full authority of the lord. A stadtholder was thus more powerful than a governor, who had only limited authority, but the stadtholder was not a vassal himself, having no title to the land. The local rulers of the independent provinces of the Low Countries (which included
205-546: A position he would hold until his death (his cousin William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg held the post in the remaining two provinces, Friesland and Groningen). Tensions nonetheless persisted between Orangists and republicans in the United Provinces, sometimes exploding into direct conflict. Maurice in 1618 and William III of Orange from 1672 replaced entire city councils with their partisans to increase their power:
246-566: A series of wars to achieve defensible borders and establish French military supremacy in Europe, most recently the 1688–1697 Nine Years' War against the Grand Alliance . The war ended with the Treaty of Ryswick , producing only minor gains for France, and Louis accepted that he could not achieve his objectives without external support. While Charles had survived far longer than anyone expected, his health
287-675: A similar process to prevent war over the succession, but it had excluded Austria and Spain, the two parties that were most affected. Initial discussions were held in Paris between the Earl of Portland and the Marquis de Pomponne , followed by more substantive talks at The Hague beginning in May with Anthonie Heinsius , Grand Pensionary of Holland , and the French foreign minister, the duc de Tallard . On 11 October 1698,
328-567: The Act of Abjuration , the representative function of the stadtholder became obsolete in the rebellious northern Netherlands – the feudal lord himself having been abolished – but the office nevertheless continued in these provinces who now united themselves into the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands . The United Provinces were struggling to adapt existing feudal concepts and institutions to
369-506: The Duchy of Milan , a possession that was considered vital to the security of Austria's southern border. Negotiations were conducted in secret, which was normal practice for the absolutist regime of Louis XIV but not in England. The senior English legal officer, Lord Chancellor Somers , learned of its terms shortly before the treaty was signed on 11 October. His reaction was unfavourable, but since
410-612: The Spanish Netherlands , the Philippines and large areas of the Americas . Since his closest heirs were from the ruling Austrian Habsburg and French Bourbon families, the succession was of great significance to the European balance of power and a matter of debate for many years. For example, it had been referenced in the 1670 Secret Treaty of Dover between England and France and the 1689 Grand Alliance. From 1665, Louis XIV fought
451-607: The Treaty of London . Charles II of Spain Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 757429507 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:32:55 GMT Stadtholder In the Low Countries , a stadtholder ( Dutch : stadhouder [ˈstɑtˌɦʌudər] )
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#1732858374950492-497: The stadtholder of the provinces of Holland and Zeeland was normally also appointed Captain-General of the Dutch States 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 appointments of the five admiralty councils. Legal powers of the stadtholder were thus rather limited, and by law he
533-963: The Duke in his capacity of duke, count or lord. In the 16th century, the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor Charles V , also King of Spain, who had inherited the Burgundian Netherlands, completed this process by becoming the sole feudal overlord: Lord of the Netherlands. Only the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and two smaller territories (the Imperial Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy and the Duchy of Bouillon ) remained outside his domains. Stadtholder s continued to be appointed to represent Charles and King Philip II , his son and successor in Spain and
574-562: The English Army had been reduced to 7,000, with another 12,000 in Ireland. That made a diplomatic solution attractive to William, even if it was only temporary, and provided an opportunity to create a framework for a lasting peace. Talks on ending the Nine Years' War began in 1694 but were completed only in 1697 after Louis had negotiated directly with William. As a result, they placed great faith in
615-556: The French invasion of 1747, the regents were forced by a popular movement to accept William IV, Prince of Orange , stadtholder of Friesland and Groningen , as stadtholder in the other provinces. On 22 November 1747, the office of stadtholder was made hereditary ( erfstadhouder ) everywhere (previously only in Friesland). As William (for the first time in the history of the Republic) was stadtholder in all provinces, his function accordingly
656-640: The French occupation. On 13 November 1813 he returned to the Netherlands to accept the invitation. On 16 March 1815 he assumed the title of King of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands . The stadtholderate was taken as a political model by the Founding Fathers of the United States with regard to the executive powers – Oliver Ellsworth for example arguing that without its influence in the United Provinces, "their machine of government would no more move than
697-560: The Low Countries (the electoral Imperial title would be held by his brother Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and his heirs in the separate Austrian branch of Habsburgs). Due to the centralist and absolutist policies of Philip, the actual power of the stadtholder s strongly diminished, compared to the landvoogd (es) or governor-general. When, in 1581, during the Dutch Revolt , seven of the Dutch provinces declared their independence with
738-550: The Second Partition Treaty, or Treaty of London , in March 1700. In 1665, Charles II became the last Habsburg King of Spain. He had suffered from ill health for most of his life and by 1697 seemed likely to die childless. Although Spain's financial and military power had declined during the 17th century, the Spanish Empire remained powerful and largely intact, with territories in Italy ,
779-642: The States, the stadtholder could very indirectly influence the general policy. In Zeeland , the Princes of Orange , who after the Dutch Revolt most often held the office of stadtholder there, held the dignity of First Noble , and were as such a member of the States of that province, because they held the title of Marquis of Veere and Flushing as one of their patrimonial titles. On the Republic's central 'confederal' level,
820-535: The country to the brink of civil war . Through Prussian military intervention in 1787 , Prince William V of Orange was able to suppress this opposition, and many leaders of the Patriot movement went into exile in France. The stadtholderate was strengthened with the Act of Guarantee (1788). The exiles returned with French armies in the winter of 1795 and overcame the frozen Dutch Water Line . William V fled to England, and
861-499: The early Dutch Republic . As multiple provinces appointed the same stadtholder, the stadtholder of the powerful province of Holland at times functioned as the de facto head of state of the Dutch Republic as a whole during the 16th to 18th centuries, in an effectively hereditary role. For the last half century of its existence, it became an officially hereditary title under Prince William IV of Orange . His son, Prince William V ,
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#1732858374950902-478: The first province to rebel, Holland, as a replacement of the royal stadtholder (He had previously held the post as an appointee of Philip II.). His personal influence and reputation was subsequently associated with the office and transferred to members of his house. After his assassination, however, there was a short-lived move to install Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester as governor-general of Elizabeth I before Maurice in 1590 became stadtholder of five provinces,
943-501: The issue without another expensive war. Signed on 11 October 1698, the treaty made the six-year-old Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria heir to the Spanish throne, with Spain's European possessions divided between France and Austria. However, neither Austria nor Spain was consulted, and the Spanish refused to accept the division of their empire. The death of Joseph Ferdinand in February 1699 led to
984-529: The new situation and tended to be conservative in this matter, as they had after all rebelled against the king to defend their ancient rights. The stadtholder no longer represented the lord but became the highest executive official, appointed by the States of each province (e.g. the States of Holland and West Friesland and the States of Friesland ). Although each province could assign its own stadtholder , most stadtholder s held appointments from several provinces at
1025-682: The office of stadtholder was abolished that year, when the French revolutionary forces installed the Batavian Republic . Similarly, while from 1572 in the Southern Netherlands the Habsburg lords continued to appoint provincial stadtholders for the region, this ceased when they were annexed by France in 1794. In 1806, Napoleon established the Kingdom of Holland , putting his younger brother Louis on
1066-554: The present-day Netherlands , Belgium and Luxembourg ) made extensive use of stadtholder s, e.g. the Duke of Guelders appointed a stadtholder to represent him in Groningen . In the 15th century the Dukes of Burgundy acquired most of the Low Countries, and the constituent parts (duchies, counties, lordships) of these Burgundian Netherlands mostly each had their own stadtholder , appointed by
1107-428: The same time. The highest executive and legislative power was normally exerted by the sovereign States of each province, but the stadtholder had some prerogatives, like appointing lower officials and sometimes having the ancient right to affirm the appointment (by co-option ) of the members of regent councils or choose burgomasters from a shortlist of candidates. As these councils themselves appointed most members of
1148-549: The so-called "Changings of the Legislative" ( Wetsverzettingen ). By intimidation, the stadtholder s tried to extend their right of affirmation, while they also attempted to add the remaining stadholderships like Friesland and Groningen to their other holdings. In reaction, the regents in Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel, after the death of William II in 1650, appointed no stadtholder , and banned his son William from
1189-625: The stadtholdership by an Act of Seclusion , something overcome by popular feeling during the catastrophic events of 1672, the Dutch Year of Disaster ( Rampjaar ), when the future William III of England was swept to power. After the death of William III in 1702 they again abstained from appointing a stadtholder. These periods are known as the First Stadtholderless Period and the Second Stadtholderless Period . After
1230-607: The throne. He abdicated his throne in 1810 in favour of his son Louis II . He ruled for nine days, until his uncle Napoleon took charge himself, annexing the kingdom to the French Empire, until its fall in 1813. Soon after the French army withdrew from the Netherlands, William Frederick , the son of William V , was invited by the Triumvirate of 1813 to become the first 'Sovereign Prince'. William had been living in exile in London during
1271-629: The treaty as only a pause in hostilities. Unlike those of Austria and France, the crown of Spain could be inherited through the female line, which would enable Charles's two sisters to pass their rights onto their children. They both had one surviving child. His half-sister Maria Theresa (1638–83) married Louis XIV and had a son Louis, known as le Grand Dauphin . His full sister, Margaret Theresa (1651–1673), married Emperor Leopold. Their daughter Maria Antonia (1669–1692) married Maximillian Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria , and they had one surviving son, Joseph Ferdinand . The Spanish political establishment
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1312-468: The treaty had been agreed, he could see no means of undoing it. The Spanish refused to have their empire divided without being consulted, and on 14 November 1698, Charles II published his will making Joseph Ferdinand heir to an independent and undivided Spanish Empire. Maria Anna was appointed Queen Regent during his minority, an announcement allegedly received by his Spanish councillors in silence. In February 1699, Joseph Ferdinand died of smallpox , then
1353-574: The treaty was signed by Tallard on behalf of France, Portland for England, and eight representatives from the Dutch Provinces . Louis XIV first proposed his son, the Grand Dauphin , as Charles's successor, but that was rejected. The parties compromised by selecting Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria. That was supported by Charles' German wife, Maria Anna, a member of the House of Wittelsbach , a family whose head
1394-606: Was Max Emmanuel of Bavaria, Joseph Ferdinand's father. The treaty's provisions made Joseph Ferdinand heir to the bulk of the Spanish Empire, which included the Spanish Netherlands , which was governed by Max Emmanuel as Spanish viceroy. France was allocated the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily and other concessions in Italy as well as the modern Basque province of Gipuzkoa . Finally, Leopold's younger son Archduke Charles became ruler of
1435-473: Was a steward , first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The stadtholder was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and Habsburg period (1384 – 1581/1795). The title was used for the highest executive official of each province performing several duties, such as appointing lower administrators and maintaining peace and order, in
1476-452: Was a mere official. His real powers, however, were sometimes greater, especially given the martial law atmosphere of the 'permanent' Eighty Years War . Maurice of Orange after 1618 ruled as a military dictator, and William II of Orange attempted the same. The leader of the Dutch Revolt was William the Silent (William I of Orange); he had been appointed stadtholder in 1572 by the States of
1517-467: Was a significant figure in Europe because of his military leadership of the Grand Alliance during the Nine Years' War and his dual role as King of England and Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. The conflict was not only a dynastic dispute between Habsburgs and Bourbons but also an issue that affected the security of England and the Dutch Republic. The French Army remained on a war footing, but by 1699,
1558-561: Was clearly in terminal decline, and France needed allies. Louis's concern was increased by Austrian victories over the Ottoman Empire and resulting conquest of Hungary and Transylvania . The resulting growth in Habsburg power and confidence meant Emperor Leopold I initially refused to sign the Treaty of Ryswick, as it left the succession unresolved. He did so in October 1697, but many viewed
1599-567: Was restyled Stadhouder-Generaal . After William IV's death in 1751, his infant son was duly appointed stadtholder under the regency of his mother. The misgovernment of this regency caused much resentment, which issued in 1780 in the Patriot movement , seeking to permanently limit the powers of the stadholderate. The Patriots first took over many city councils, then the States of the province of Holland , and ultimately raised civil militias to defend their position against Orangist partisans, bringing
1640-560: Was split between pro-Austrian and pro-French factions. For most of Charles's reign, government was controlled by the Austrians, led by his mother, Mariana of Austria . After her death in 1696, that role was assumed by his wife, Maria Anna , whose elder sister Eleonore was Leopold's third wife. When Charles fell seriously ill in 1698, the dominance of the Austrian faction made co-operation with Britain an attractive option for Louis. William III
1681-600: Was the last stadtholder of all provinces of the Republic, until fleeing French revolutionary troops in 1795. His son, William I of the Netherlands , in 1815 became the first sovereign king of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands . The title stadtholder is roughly comparable to the historical titles of Lord Protector in England, Statthalter in the Holy Roman Empire and Governor-general of Norway . Stadtholder means "steward". Its component parts literally translate as "place holder," from Latin locum tenens , or as