Stadtholder

Stadtholder, a barbarous English form of the Dutch Stadhouder, 'stead-holder,' of which the French lieu-tenant is a literal translation, Stadthalter being the corresponding German. The word, as usually written in English, suggests quite falsely that it is connected with the German word Stadt, 'a city.' The title of Stadhouder (i.e. royal lieutenant or viceroy) of the provinces Holland, Zealand, and Utrecht was in defiance of the rights of these provinces conferred in 1540 on a foreigner, René, Prince of Orange, at whose death (1544) it passed to his cousin, William the Silent. In 1559 there were in the Low Countries eight other Stadhouders of provinces, or groups of provinces, besides the Prince of Orange; all were commanders-in-chief of their provinces, and all except Count Egmont were also supreme civil and criminal judges. In Brabant there was no Stadhouder other than the Regent. After the United Provinces had thrown off the yoke of Spain (see HOLLAND, Vol. V. p. 742) this title, now grown dear, was retained (though a nismomer) for the head of the republic, and became hereditary in the House of Orange until superseded by the title of king.