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The second golden age of the Dutch Republic.
The age of the second age of true freedom, as the Republicans called it began, after hindsight with the Peace of Utrecht in the winter of 1709. Earlier that year Louis XIV sought serious peace but, even after he offered very reasonable terms in May that year, the Allies refused and came with more demands. The campaign season started late that year and for the front in the Spanish Netherlands, and 1709 was a difficult campaign. It cumulated in the unexpected long siege of Tournai which finally fell after a siege of 70 days. Since it was late in the year Marlborough, the commander of the Allied troops in the North and Prince Eugene hesitated between besieging Ypres in the marshy West or Mons in the higher and dryer East. They, reluctant turned West and laid siege of Ypres. Villars, the very competent commander of the French forces, now get the order of his king to prevent another successful siege. Despite a well-chosen, defensive position, Marlborough, reacted faster than anticipated and advanced with a large portion of his troops to the French positions. The Battle of….was a crushing defeat for the French in which Villars was killed and Boffleurs seriously wounded. The turning point was a bold, but bloody third attack of the Dutch Blue guard on the French right under command of the young and eager John William Friso, at the same moment the French centre was under high pressure. When the French cavalry attacked were killed the French retreat turned in a root, in which the Allied cavalry destroyed French last hope of a favourable negotiating position. Later Marlborough gave the young John William Frisso and the Dutch troops much credit of their attacks and enveloping of the entrenched French right flank. At the end of the campaign season of that year the Allies and most important the Whigs of the English parliament could be persuaded to accept the terms. This was mostly due to the diplomacy of the Dutch State Pensioner Anthonie Hensius. Hensius realized that the war, which lasted now almost 8 year, should come to an end, and now the positions of the Allies were better than ever, this very favourable position could not last longer, only decline. To put the Whigs under pressure, he offered the French the terms of the Dutch Republic, only informing them after the overture, which were now not only a string of Barrier Cities and favourable trade agreements but contained also territory. Louis XIV, confronted with a terrible financial state, famine due to failed harvests of the last two years, and enemy troops foraging (looting) the North of France, and an army which was by now soundly defeated, was willing to accept almost everything, even terms which would harm the Spanish. When the Whigs agreed to come to terms the Peace of Utrecht became not only favourable for the Dutch but for the English as well and for the Whigs in particular since they won the next elections which they probably would lose if they pressed to continue the war.
The treaty comprised the following: By the treaties' provisions, Louis XIV's grandson Philip, Duke of Anjou was recognized as King of Spain (as Philip V), thus confirming the succession as stipulated in the will of the late King Charles II. However, Philip was compelled to renounce for himself and his descendants any right to the French throne, despite some doubts as to the lawfulness of such an act. In similar fashion various French princelings, including most notably the Duke of Berry (Louis XIV's youngest grandson) and the Duke of Orléans (Louis's nephew), renounced for themselves and their descendants any claim to the Spanish throne.
Spain's European empire was also divided: Savoy received Sicily and parts of the Duchy of Milan, while Charles VI ( who become the Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria the next year), received the Spanish Netherlands including the part of Flanders and the county of Arras which was conquered by France in the previous century, the Kingdom of Naples, Sardinia, and the bulk of the Duchy of Milan. Portugal had its sovereignty recognised over the lands between the Amazon and Oyapock rivers, in Brazil. In 1715, the Portuguese also recovered Colonia del Sacramento, taken by Spain in Uruguay.
In addition, Spain ceded Gibraltar and Minorca to Great Britain and agreed to give to the British the Asiento, a valuable monopoly slave-trading contract. In North America, France ceded to Great Britain its claims to the Hudson's Bay Company territories in Rupert's Land, Newfoundland and Acadia. The formerly partitioned island of Saint Kitts was also ceded in its entirety to Britain. France was required to recognize British suzerainty over the Iroquois and commerce with the Far Indians was to be open to traders of all nations. France retained its other pre-war North American possessions, including Île-Saint-Jean (now Prince Edward Island) as well as Île Royale (now Cape Breton Island), on which it erected the Fortress of Louisbourg.
Spain ceded the salt fields of the peninsula Punta de Araya, the land around Cumaná and the island Margaraita to the Dutch Republic and France ceded the plantation island Tobago to the Dutch. Next to the Barrier cities in the former Spanish Netherlands it demanded, as one of the additional demands the county of Limbourg and the Fortres cities of Dunkerque and Gravelines.
This result gave Hensius a increase of his already large prestige. This prestige he needed when the States of Province Overijsel asked for a big meeting of all the States of the republic. Key point was to reform the constitution of the Republic was defacto a very loose Confederation. It was soon called the second Big Meeting, since it was considered as important of the meeting of 1651. Most reforms were originated by the Treasurer Simon van Slingelandt. The proposals of van Slinglandt comprised a strong increase of the influence of a central government and a drastic decrease of power of the States. The Counsel of States would evolve in the central government, and would be controlled by the State General. Most important would be that the members of both institutions had to operate without counselling their own states. This practice was time consuming, confusing and very often used as method of delay. It was due to the political skill of Hensius that almost all proposals by van Slingelandt were accepted and other proposals like a central State army, one Admiralty materialized as well. The following years Hensius intermediate as well between John William Friso and the King in Prusia over the will of late William III, most important issues were the claim of the title Prince of Orange, the county of Lingen and the distributing of other possession and debts. In 177 an agreement was made, John William Frisso would change Lingen with Kleve and recently acquired Spanish Guelres and would take all the debts and would pay a large sum to the King of Prussia. The title Prince of Orange was less satisfying the title was divided between William Frisso, the Prussian King and Louis XIV. The debt and payment was an secret arrangement between the State Pensioner and Prince William Frisso.
1717 Reform of the Bank of Amsterdam into the Bank of the United Provinces which controlled now the national debt. 1720 Anhonie Hensius died and is succeeded by Isaäc van Hoornbeek. Van Hoornbeek used his power and influence to make start to reduce the debt of the Republic and get the finances of the Republic on order. One his minor acomplishments were the purchase of the Fief Vianen, Vrije Heerlijkheid Vianen ,of the family Von Lippe for 898.000 guilders. The small city state was up till then a refuge place for crooks and bankrupts. Together with the Tresurer he was the driving force, as part of financial reforms, to come to a single curency and tax reforms. If nothing changed the Republic would be come the poorest state with the whealties citizen of Europe. 1721 After lengthy debate the United Provinces agreed on one single currency, the Guilder. 1723 The WIC and in some point the VOC would like to come to an arrangement which could reduce the cost of their fortified trade posts. The VOC cede Cape colony to the State Counsel and the WIC cede many of its forts among fort Elmina on the Gold coast, several forts of the Guyana’s, South America, would be ruled by the State Counsel as well. Within a year a private enterprise purchased land from the Xhosa nearby the bay the VOC bought in 1689, and erected the colony Stavenisse. 1725 Despite the ceding of the Cape the VOC established Fort Leijdzaamheid on Delagoa. 1727 Simon van Slingelandt is chosen as State Pensioner. As main objective he expanded the influence and power of the Counsel of States, and reformed the State finances further. The burden of a standing army the Dutch could not keep, since the standing armies now were closer to 100.000 men than to 50.000 men. The Counsel of States accepted the bill of conscription. The standing army was fixed on 30.000 men but the bulk would be formed by conscripted men in time of crises and war. The system was loosely based on the Swedish and Prussian system of cantons and in 1730 could raise an army of 80.000 conscripted men.
1728 Tax reform, introduction of the progressive income tax, after initial problems and a resistance, it increased the revenues of the Dutch Republic considerable, and combined with a decent financial regime reduced the still large debt. 1735 Some years before a “Fire machine” (Newcomen machine) was built to provide water for an estate, some years later, at a polder close to Rotterdam, another one was build, as an extra pump to drain the polder when there was no wind for longer periods for the windmills who normally drained the polder. Initially the farmers were very reluctant to have this fire machine close to their farms, it could cause fire and the cows could stop giving milk, but after a unusual wet autumn, the Steam pump proved their value and several Steam pumps were built in other polders. The first machine came from England in parts, but the second one, was build and the brass cylinder cast in Rotterdam. The second one was as well an improved and better adjust type.
Now the Counsel of States agreed to drain the Haarlemmermeer with the assistance of 4 groups of Fire machines, next to 8 rows of Windmills. The Steam pumps were by now improved and were more economic with their coal consumption, equipped with a large wheel and the extra vessel around the brass cylinder to cool the steam, later patented by James Watt as an improved condenser. The reason to the lake was to stop the water erosion the lake caused. How the lake would be the largest surface drained at once ever attempted. It would be the prelude of more public works funded with tax money. Brick paved Post Roads, canals and (naval) ports followed, most impressive were the sea sluices West of Haarlem, across the dunes which provided a direct route for Amsterdam and Haarlem to the sea build between 1740 and 1743. The Haarlemmermeer was dry in 1740…….