broke out between France and Britain in 1806 Napoleon made the Netherlands a kingdom under his brother Louis. However Louis paid for his independence in 1810 when The Netherlands were annexed directly to the French empire.
Short term impacts: The Napoleonic code was operated in full as it was in France so bringing changes such as the ending of the powers of the guild allowing people nearly complete freedom of profession, brought about equality before the law in Holland and the equal division of property among all citizens. However conscription laws were very harsh and drained many men out of the country. Military police known as the Gendarmeries enforced the conscription and maintained order.
Long term impact on the Netherlands: Due to Napoleonic reign, long-term impacts consisted of the creation of a stable, civilian administrative system of local government, which was based on the prefects and allowed the laws of the Napoleonic Civil Code to come into full-scale operation. It guaranteed the protection of persons and the property they allowed. The Gendarmeries were a parliamentary police force dedicated to policing the countryside, this proved popular especially among the isolated peasant communities, which was retained by the Netherlands after 1814. French domination was also offensive but despite their challenges, the religion of the Catholic Church remained vital to the lives of millions of Europeans. In 1799, the British tried to attempt a landing in Holland but Napoleon was wary and in response the National Assembly was broken up by a coup d'etat in September 1801 and was replaced by Regency of State. This caused the destruction of the National Assembly.
Supporters of Napoleonic Rule: In France different sections of society valued Napoleonic rule for apparently opposite reasons, their underlying connexion seems to be the economic benefits suggested. For example, the wealthy enjoyed new roles as 'Notables'. Napoleon created an education system promising to educate upper middle- and upper- class children. The artisans benefited from the continental system. However, the poor were susceptible to changes in the economy, they only benefited when it was stable, chances are that they would only have supported Napoleonic rule during these periods. The poor would not have appreciated the Napoleon's Empire building. All strata of society benefited from improvements such as the standardising of the law, weights and measures and the judicial system. Countries that experienced Napoleonic rule usually accepted it similarly, despite insurrections against it occasionally, the most serious of these being Spain's in 1808. Most countries supported the idea of nationalism spread through Napoleonic ideals.
Opponents: Most people relieved that Holland hadn't just been annexed onto
France in 1806. Napoleon wasn't satisfied with the people of Holland's defence of their country
under the continental system, as smuggling continued. King Louis Napoleon of Holland gained people's support by aiding the victims of floods in 1808 and 1809 J.D van der capellen (1741-1784) began to popularise the ideas of the enlightenment and the french revolution and this thought led to popular approval of the French revolution and subsequently Napoleon. When the country was annexed onto France in 1810, lots of this support was lost
