United Provinces

United Provinces. 1581 - 1795. The general name for the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands or Provinces, called Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden or Provinciën in Dutch, the precursor to the present day Netherlands. This full name was not always used and several shorter variations were generally known, such as the United Provinces. This state came into being when the northern Netherlands formally deposed their lord Philip II of Spain and decided to govern themselves, and lasted until French revolutionary forces invaded in 1795 and set up a new republic, called the Batavian Republic and later the Kingdom of Holland.

The Netherlands became independent of France in 1813. In the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 the names "United Provinces of the Netherlands" and "United Netherlands" are used. In 1816 it joined with Belgium to be the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and then the Kingdom of the Netherlands after Belgium became independent.