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Stadtholder

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A stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder, 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 in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his name, in the latter case roughly corresponding with 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 crowned republic. The word can also be used to render etymologically parallel titles in other Germanic languages.

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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 Luxemburg) 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.

During the sixteenth century, the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor Charles V one by one acquired all secular Low Country provinces (the prince-bishopric of Liège remained outside of the Holy Roman Empire's Burgundian Kreits 'Circle', but the Sticht of Utrecht was secularised) and became 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.

After some of the Dutch provinces declared their independence in 1581 with the Oath of Abjuration, the function of stadtholder became obsolete in absence of the (abolished) land owner, but the function was continued in the (until 1648 only de facto independent, and not yet de jure) provinces of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. Although each province could assign its own stadtholder, most stadtholders were appointed by several provinces at the same time. Normal executive power was 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 Zeeland 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 southern provinces 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 ruled as a military dictator and William II of Orange attempted the same.

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 with coming of the French and the start of the Batavian Republic.

List of stadtholders for the Low Countries provinces

Stadtholders of The stadtholdership of Holland and Zeeland has always been combined. Since the office was instituted there in 1534, 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.

First Stadtholderless Period, 1650-1672

Second Stadtholderless Period, 1702-1747

During the Stadtholderless Eras, the provinces of Holland, Zeeland 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.

Stadtholders of

Stadtholders of
  • Jan V of Nassau-Vianden-Diez, 1504-1505
  • Filips of Burgundy, 1505-1507
  • Floris van Egmond, 1507-1511
First Stadtholderless Era, 1650-1675 Second Stadtholderless Era, 1702-1722

Stadtholders of 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 Henriette Amalia von Anhalt, regentess for Johan Willem Friso, 1696-1707 Marie Louise von Hessen-Kassel, regentess for William IV, 1711-1729

Stadtholders of ...

(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' 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

Scandinavian equivalents

Danish Statholder

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.

Sources and references

 

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