Dutch Profile
Dutch Monarchy
Founded: 1544 AD
While not a monarchy in the traditional sense, the House of Orange-Nassau played an invaluable role in the history of the Netherlands. The first member of the House of Orange to earn great renown was William of Orange, known colloquially as "William the Silent." His political and military savvy helped to loosen the Spanish hold on the provinces of the Netherlands for the first time in almost a century. He eventually earned the position of Stadtholder, effectively placing the fate of the Netherlands in his hands. William would struggle valiantly, securing numerous concessions for his nation, before being assassinated in 1584.
The battle for Dutch independence continued after William's death - as did control of the position of Stadtholder by the House of Orange. Finally, in 1648, the Treaty of Westphalia granted the Netherlands complete self-rule. With the passing of William II of Orange - grandson of William the Silent - not two years after the passage of the treaty, and the successor to the Stadtholdership - William III - nothing more than a babe, the position was left vacant.
During this "Stadtholderless" period, the Netherlands became one of the most powerful commercial bodies in the world, creating an economy that rivaled that of Spain or Portugal. In 1672, England and France, tired of the Dutch meddling in international commerce, declared war on the Netherlands. William III, having already taken up his family's rightful position, led the Netherlands to war and was more successful than any could have expected. Not only did William defend his nation from the two of the most powerful countries in the world, but he took the throne of England as a trophy. In 1689, William III of Orange became King of England as well as the leader of the Netherlands.
Following William III, the power of the Netherlands began to wane. Yet even in its diminishing global strength, the House of Orange remained among the most important in the Netherlands. When, in 1815, fear of Napoleon was running rampant across Europe, the Prince of Orange at the time, William Frederick, declared himself King of the Netherlands, becoming the nation's first actual monarch. The Dutch monarchy remains to this day, although its powers have always been considerably more limited than those of more absolute monarchies.
Adriaen van der Donck
Counsel of the New Netherlands
Lived: c. 1618 – 1655
Traits: Mercantile (market prices are less sensitive), Charismatic (+100-percent time between tax increases)
Adriaen van der Donck was a lawyer and bureaucrat, who became one of New Netherland's most ardent proponents of a participatory government.
Trained as a lawyer in Holland, van der Donck made the journey to the New World in 1641. There van der Donck found employment in the service of a wealthy landowner, serving as sheriff, counsel and tax collector. His duties held little interest for the young lawyer, however, and van der Donck spent much of his time visiting the local natives, learning the lay of the land and taking in-depth notes about local flora and fauna. This extracurricular activity would prove to be extremely beneficial: when Indian raids threatened the estate of van der Donck's master, van der Donck helped negotiate a treaty between his employer and his native acquaintances.
Upon the death of his employer, van der Donck took up residence for a time in the city of New Amsterdam, finding employment as attorney to the various powers of the colony. He soon began to involve himself in the pursuit of self government for the colony, growing to become one of the colony's most respected citizens. The money he earned performing various legal duties allowed him to buy an enormous estate up the Hudson River. So vast was his estate that he acquired the nickname of "Jongheer" or "Young Gentleman." This name stuck, and the land on which van der Donck's estate was built eventually became Yonkers, New York.
It was about this time that an autocratic new governor named Peter Stuyvesant was selected to lead New Amsterdam. Van der Donck, along with several other members of the colony, disgusted by Stuyvesant's iron-fisted methods, demanded that the Dutch citizenry be given a measure of input into the decision-making of the colony. The result was the Board of Nine, a group of nine of the most prominent members of the community who were to advise the governor. In 1649, van der Donck was selected for membership o...
