The Batavian Republic came after the Dutch Republic was invaded by the French Republic. It was announced on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, when Louis Bonaparte took the Dutch throne. From October 1801 onward, it was called the Batavian Commonwealth. It was named after the Batavi, an ancient Germanic tribe.
The constitution that was made in 1798 was genuinely democratic.
It was a client state of France, but its governments tried to maintain some independence and to serve Dutch interests even where they clashed with the interests of the French.
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