Act of Seclusion
Encyclopedia
The Act of Seclusion is a secret annex in the Treaty of Westminster (1654)
between the United Provinces
and the Commonwealth of England
in which William III, Prince of Orange
, was excluded from the office of Stadtholder
. The First Stadtholderless Period
was heralded in January 1651 by the regents
, such as the republican-minded brothers Cornelis
and Andries de Graeff
and their Cousins Andries
and Cornelis Bicker, during the Grote Vergadering in The Hague
, a meeting of representatives of the States of each of the United Provinces. This meeting was convened after the death of stadtholder William II
on November 6, 1650, when the States of Holland
decided to leave the office of Stadtholder vacant in their province.
Through the Treaty of Westminster Johan de Witt
, Grand Pensionary
of Holland, not only ended the First Anglo–Dutch War, but also ensured that the Orangist
faction would no longer hinder the regents, so that English Republicans no longer needed to fear that William III (three years of age at the time) could become a strong Dutch leader who could bring the throne
back to the Stuarts
to whom he was closely related. Ironically, William III would later drive out the Stuart King James II
during the Glorious Revolution
and thereby end moves in England towards absolutism
.
As the other provinces would have refused to sign the treaty if they had known of the secret clause, de Witt arranged that this clause would only be signed by the States of Holland. The States-General of the Netherlands
were completely left in the dark, as was the Frisian plenipotentiary at the negotiations. Only the two Holland representatives (one of whom was the renowned diplomat Hieronymus van Beverningh
) were in on the secret. Consequently, the States-General ratified the treaty on April 22, 1654, without the secret annex. The prime movers behind the Act of Seclusion, in which William III, Prince of Orange
was excluded from the office of Stadtholder, was Jan de Witt and his uncle Cornelis de Graeff
. Then the States of Holland debated the Act and passed it on May 4, 1654, over the opposition of the Holland ridderschap and six of the cities. Only then did the English Parliament ratify the treaty (including the secret clause) as agreed beforehand.
According to Grand Pensionary de Witt, it was Oliver Cromwell
who demanded the secret annex and he managed to have it ratified only with the greatest effort. The Deputated States of Friesland even demanded that the conduct of the Dutch plenipotentiaries be investigated. When the Act of Seclusion became known later, it was commonly assumed that de Witt masterminded it himself. In the 19th century, investigation of his secret correspondence appeared to acquit him of this. Nowadays, different positions are taken in this matter stemming from the insight that DeWitt may have manipulated these writings out of fear that they may fall into the wrong hands. He was seldom spontaneous when writing or speaking.
When the English Restoration brought Charles II
to the throne of England, the States of Holland declared that the Act of Seclusion had thereby lost its validity, since the Act was signed by the Commonwealth which had now ceased to exist.
In 1667, de Witt and his partisans tried to permanently bar the House of Orange from influence by the Perpetual Edict
. However in 1672, the States revoked the Edict and made William of Orange Stadtholder.
'
Treaty of Westminster (1654)
The Treaty of Westminster was signed on 8 May 1654, which ended the First Anglo-Dutch War . Based on the terms of the accord, the United Provinces recognized Oliver Cromwell's Navigation Acts, which required that imports to the Commonwealth of England must be carried in English ships, or ships from...
between the United Provinces
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
and the Commonwealth of England
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
in which William III, Prince of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
, was excluded from the office of Stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
. The First Stadtholderless Period
First Stadtholderless Period
The First Stadtholderless Period or Era is the period in the history of the Dutch Republic in which the office of a Stadtholder was absent in five of the seven Dutch provinces...
was heralded in January 1651 by the regents
Regenten
In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the regenten were the rulers of the Dutch Republic, the leaders of the Dutch cities or the heads of organisations . Though not formally a hereditary "class", they were de facto "patricians", comparable to that ancient Roman class...
, such as the republican-minded brothers Cornelis
Cornelis de Graeff
Cornelis de Graeff, also Cornelis de Graeff van Polsbroek was the most illustrious member of the De Graeff family. He was a mayor of Amsterdam from the Dutch Golden Age and a powerful Amsterdam regent after the sudden death of stadholder William II of Orange...
and Andries de Graeff
Andries de Graeff
Free Imperial Knight Andries de Graeff was a very powerful member of the Amsterdam branch of the De Graeff - family during the Dutch Golden Age. He became a mayor of Amsterdam and a powerful Amsterdam regent after the death of his older brother Cornelis de Graeff...
and their Cousins Andries
Andries Bicker
Andries Bicker was a wealthy merchant on Moscovia, a member of the vroedschap, the leader of the Arminians, an administrator of the VOC, representative of the States-General of the Netherlands and colonel in the Civic guard...
and Cornelis Bicker, during the Grote Vergadering in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, a meeting of representatives of the States of each of the United Provinces. This meeting was convened after the death of stadtholder William II
William II, Prince of Orange
William II, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 14 March 1647 until his death three years later.-Biography:...
on November 6, 1650, when the States of Holland
States of Holland
The States of Holland and West Frisia were the representation of the two Estates to the court of the Count of Holland...
decided to leave the office of Stadtholder vacant in their province.
Through the Treaty of Westminster Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt, heer van Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp and IJsselveere was a key figure in Dutch politics in the mid 17th century, when its flourishing sea trade in a period of globalization made the United Provinces a leading European power during the Dutch Golden Age...
, Grand Pensionary
Grand Pensionary
The Grand Pensionary was the most important Dutch official during the time of the United Provinces. In theory he was only a civil servant of the Estates of the dominant province among the Seven United Provinces: the county of Holland...
of Holland, not only ended the First Anglo–Dutch War, but also ensured that the Orangist
Orangism (Netherlands)
Orangism is a monarchist political support for the House of Orange-Nassau as monarchy of the Netherlands. It played a significant role in the political history of the Netherlands since the Dutch revolt...
faction would no longer hinder the regents, so that English Republicans no longer needed to fear that William III (three years of age at the time) could become a strong Dutch leader who could bring the throne
Throne
A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many expressions such as "the power behind the...
back to the Stuarts
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
to whom he was closely related. Ironically, William III would later drive out the Stuart King James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
during the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
and thereby end moves in England towards absolutism
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
.
As the other provinces would have refused to sign the treaty if they had known of the secret clause, de Witt arranged that this clause would only be signed by the States of Holland. The States-General of the Netherlands
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
were completely left in the dark, as was the Frisian plenipotentiary at the negotiations. Only the two Holland representatives (one of whom was the renowned diplomat Hieronymus van Beverningh
Hieronymus van Beverningh
Hieronymus van Beverningh was a prominent Dutch regent, diplomat, amateur botanist, and maecenas, who lived during the Dutch Golden Age.-Early life:...
) were in on the secret. Consequently, the States-General ratified the treaty on April 22, 1654, without the secret annex. The prime movers behind the Act of Seclusion, in which William III, Prince of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
was excluded from the office of Stadtholder, was Jan de Witt and his uncle Cornelis de Graeff
Cornelis de Graeff
Cornelis de Graeff, also Cornelis de Graeff van Polsbroek was the most illustrious member of the De Graeff family. He was a mayor of Amsterdam from the Dutch Golden Age and a powerful Amsterdam regent after the sudden death of stadholder William II of Orange...
. Then the States of Holland debated the Act and passed it on May 4, 1654, over the opposition of the Holland ridderschap and six of the cities. Only then did the English Parliament ratify the treaty (including the secret clause) as agreed beforehand.
According to Grand Pensionary de Witt, it was Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
who demanded the secret annex and he managed to have it ratified only with the greatest effort. The Deputated States of Friesland even demanded that the conduct of the Dutch plenipotentiaries be investigated. When the Act of Seclusion became known later, it was commonly assumed that de Witt masterminded it himself. In the 19th century, investigation of his secret correspondence appeared to acquit him of this. Nowadays, different positions are taken in this matter stemming from the insight that DeWitt may have manipulated these writings out of fear that they may fall into the wrong hands. He was seldom spontaneous when writing or speaking.
When the English Restoration brought Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
to the throne of England, the States of Holland declared that the Act of Seclusion had thereby lost its validity, since the Act was signed by the Commonwealth which had now ceased to exist.
In 1667, de Witt and his partisans tried to permanently bar the House of Orange from influence by the Perpetual Edict
Perpetual Edict (1667)
The Perpetual Edict of August 5, 1667 was a resolution of the States of Holland in which they abolished the office of Stadtholder in the province of Holland...
. However in 1672, the States revoked the Edict and made William of Orange Stadtholder.
Sources
(1995), The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness and Fall, 1477-1806, Oxford University Press,ISBN 0-19-873072-1 hardback, ISBN 0-19-820734-4 paperback'