The Union of Delft, (officially the "Act of Federation") was signed on 25 April 1576 by

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

, and the provinces of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

and

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and made a definitive federation of the two provinces. It also made William the effective head of the federation, granted him supreme authority in war and allowed him to call a

States General The word States-General, or Estates-General, may refer to: Currently in use * Estates-General on the Situation and Future of the French Language in Quebec, the name of a commission set up by the government of Quebec on June 29, 2000 * States Gener ...

when he pleased with the aim of more effectively gathering resources and planning operations in the Eighty Years' War. Some of stadtholders of the provinces saw the Union of Delft as a threat to their power. The three Stadtholders, Lambers, Van Gessel and De Witte tried to turn their provinces against the Union, but they were halted in their tracks by the mastermind behind the Union, Martin Drent.

References

{{Reflist 1576 in the Habsburg Netherlands 1576 in law

See also

References