Netherlands · 200 years of the Kingdom

The anniversary commemorated the restoration of an independent Dutch state in 1813. Since 1795, the Netherlands had been under strong French influence. The Batavian Republic was followed in 1806 by the Kingdom of Holland, ruled by Napoleon’s brother Louis Bonaparte; in 1810, Napoleon incorporated the territory directly into the French Empire. After the withdrawal of the French troops, a provisional government took over the administration in 1813 and recalled Wilhelm Friedrich, the son of the last stadtholder, from exile.

Wilhelm Friedrich landed in Scheveningen at the end of November 1813 and was installed shortly thereafter as sovereign prince. A constitution limited his rule in 1814 and laid the foundations for a constitutional monarchy. The actual royal title followed in 1815. Following the Congress of Vienna, the new state initially also included the Southern Netherlands, later Belgium. The latter broke away as a result of the revolution of 1830; the separation was recognized by treaty in 1839. The constitutional order also continued to change. The constitutional reform of 1848 transferred political responsibility largely to the ministers and Parliament, while the monarch assumed a predominantly constitutional and representative role.

The fact that the anniversary was already commemorated in 2013, although the Kingdom was formally established only in 1815, is explained by counting from 1813: The political upheaval of that time was regarded as the beginning of regained independence and the modern monarchical constitutional order. The anniversary events therefore extended over the period from 2013 to 2015.

The coin issue also coincided with a change of monarch. Beatrix abdicated in April 2013, and Willem-Alexander succeeded her. Thus, the retrospective on two centuries of monarchy was linked with the beginning of a new reign. In this context, the unbroken linework of the design refers to dynastic continuity despite territorial, constitutional and social changes.