Kingdom of Holland

The Kingdom of Holland was a country made by Napoleon Bonaparte in March 1806. It replaced the Batavian Republic with a monarchy so France could control the Netherlands more easily. Napoleon chose his brother, Louis Bonaparte, to be the king.

The kingdom covered most of what is now the Netherlands and some parts of Germany, such as East Frisia and Jever. King Louis tried to protect Dutch interests instead of always following Napoleon’s orders. This upset Napoleon.

In 1810, the Kingdom of Holland ended when France took control of the Netherlands. The area stayed under French rule until 1813. This was the first time the Netherlands had a formal monarchy since 1581, when it was part of the Spanish Netherlands. For the country today, see the Netherlands and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Coat of arms

Napoléon’s brother Louis Bonaparte became the 'King of Holland' on 5 June 1806. At first, the kingdom’s symbol was planned to look like the Kingdom of Italy. It would have an eagle holding a shield with the arms of the United Netherlands, including a lion with a crown.

In December 1806, a new design was made in Paris. It mixed the Napoléonic eagle with the Dutch lion. The shield was surrounded by the French Order of the Grand Eagle, and behind it were crossed sceptres. Above the shield was Napoleon’s star.

A few months later, on 20 May 1807, King Louis changed the design. He added a helmet, took away his brother’s star, and replaced the Grand Eagle with his own Dutch Order of the Union. He also added the old Dutch phrase "Unity makes strength" around the shield. Two hands came out from behind the shield holding swords. This showed King Louis as Connétable de France.

History

The Batavian Republic changed its name to the Batavian Commonwealth in 1801, giving more power to local areas and less to the central government in The Hague. But Napoleon Bonaparte thought this was not strong enough.

In 1806, Napoleon changed the government of the Netherlands to a monarchy. He chose his brother, Louis Bonaparte, to be the new king. Louis came to The Hague in June 1806. He worked to improve the country. He learned the Dutch language, made new laws, and helped people during hard times. Many Dutch people liked him as a king.

But Louis did not always agree with Napoleon. He did not want to make young men join the army or control trade too much. This made Napoleon unhappy. In 1810, Napoleon took control of the Netherlands, and the Kingdom of Holland ended.

Administrative division

In 1807, the Kingdom of Holland was divided into eleven parts called departments. Each department was split into smaller areas named quarters, districts, and cities. This way of organizing the country was inspired by rules from France.

The departments were:

• Department Amstelland [nl]
• Department Brabant [nl]
• Department Drenthe [nl]
• Department East-Friesland [nl]
• Department Friesland [nl]
• Department Gelderland [nl]
• Department Groningen [nl]
• Department Maasland [nl]
• Department Overijssel [nl]
• Department Utrecht [nl]
• Department Zeeland [nl]