States-General of the Batavian Republic

The States General of the Batavian Republic was the name for the Dutch government between January, 1795 and March 1796. It was nominally the same as the States-General of the Dutch Republic, the predecessor of the Batavian Republic, as the old constitution, the Union of Utrecht remained in place till a new National Assembly of the Batavian Republic was seated after general election, under universal manhood suffrage. In practice, however, the places of the members of the previous Orangist regime as representatives of the Seven Provinces were now taken by members of the Patriot party. The presidents of the States-General, both under the old and the new Republic, were acting as head of state for their term in office as president (usually a month).

Note

It is a common misunderstanding that the Stadtholder was the head of state in the Dutch Republic. However, since 1588 the States-General had been the Sovereign power in the Republic. The stadtholder (when one was in office as for long periods of time, the so-called First Stadtholderless Period and Second Stadtholderless Period, the Republic dispensed with their services) was just their "first servant."

Dutch heads of state between 1795 and 1796

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