Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands

This article is about the specific polity Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

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A short-lived sovereign principality and the precursor of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The principality was proclaimed in 1813 when the victors of the Napoleonic Wars established a political reorganisation of Europe, which would eventually be defined by the Congress of Vienna.

Summary

In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, the Netherlands emerged as an independent sovereign state once more, with the establishment of the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands in 1813.

The path to this restoration of Dutch sovereignty began with the defeat of French forces in the Netherlands in late 1813. A popular uprising, led by Dutch patriots and supported by British and Prussian troops, drove out the French occupiers. This paved the way for the creation of a new Dutch state.

In November 1813, the former Stadtholder William VI of Orange returned from exile and was proclaimed the sovereign prince of the new Principality of the United Netherlands. The principality combined the former Batavian Republic, the Kingdom of Holland, and the Austrian Netherlands (present-day Belgium) into a single political entity under the House of Orange-Nassau.

The principality was intended to serve as a buffer state between France and the expanding power of Prussia and the United Kingdom. It was granted international recognition at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, which also established the boundaries of the new state.

The Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands was a transitional political arrangement, laying the groundwork for the eventual establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815. During this period, the principality worked to consolidate its governance structures and reintegrate the formerly divided Dutch and Belgian territories.

While the principality lacked the full trappings of statehood, it marked a crucial step in the restoration of Dutch independence and national unity after the Napoleonic era. It set the stage for the creation of the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands, which would emerge as a significant European power in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Establishment

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Were a series of conflicts between France and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompass first the French Revolutionary Wars against the newly declared French Republic and from 1803 onwards the Napoleonic Wars against First Consul and later Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. They include the Coalition Wars as a subset: seven wars waged by various military alliances of great European powers, known as Coalitions, against Revolutionary France - later the First French Empire - and its allies.

1.1.War of the Sixth Coalition

Was a war between France and a a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States. The coalition emerged after the decimation of the French army in the French invasion of Russia. The coalition ultimately invaded France and forced Napoleon to abdicate and go into exile.

1.2.Congress of Vienna

Was a series of international diplomatic meetings after the end of the Napoleonic wars whose aim was a long-term peace plan for Europe. It redraw the borders of Europe and partially restored the Monarchies of the pre-revolutionary period.

Disestablishment