View source for States General of the Netherlands

{{short description|Supreme legislature of the Netherlands}}
{{Infobox legislature
 | name               = States General
 | native_name        = {{native name|nl|Staten-Generaal|icon=no}}
 | transcription_name = 
 | legislature        = 
 | coa_pic            = Coat of arms of the Staten Generaal.svg
 | coa_res            = 150px
 | house_type         = Bicameral
 | body               = 
 | houses             = [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]]<br />[[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]]
 | leader1_type       = [[President of the Senate (Netherlands)|President of the Senate]]
 | leader1            = [[Jan Anthonie Bruijn]]
 | party1             = [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy|VVD]]
 | election1          = 2 July 2019
 | leader2_type       = [[Speaker of the House of Representatives (Netherlands)|Speaker of the House of Representatives]]
 | leader2            = [[Martin Bosma]]
 | party2             = [[Party for Freedom|PVV]]
 | election2          = 14 December 2023
 | members            = '''Senate''': 75 <br />''' House of Representatives''': 150
 | house1             = [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]]
 | house2             = [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]]
 | structure1         =Netherlands Eerste Kamer 2023.svg 
 | structure1_res     =250px 
 | structure2         = File:Dutch House of Representatives, December 2023, English Wiki colours.svg
 | structure2_res     = 250px
 | political_groups1 = '''[[Schoof cabinet|Government]] (24)'''<br />
* {{color box|{{party color|Farmer–Citizen Movement}}|border=black}} [[Farmer–Citizen Movement|BBB]] (14)
* {{color box|{{party color|People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (2020)}}|border=black}} [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy|VVD]] (10)

'''Opposition (51)'''
* {{color box|{{party color|GroenLinks–PvdA}}|border=black}} [[GroenLinks–PvdA|GL–PvdA]] (14)
* {{color box|{{party color|Christian Democratic Appeal}}|border=black}} [[Christian Democratic Appeal|CDA]] (6)
* {{color box|{{party color|Democrats 66}}|border=black}} [[Democrats 66|D66]] (6)
* {{color box|{{party color|Party for Freedom}}|border=black}} [[Party for Freedom|PVV]] (4)
* {{color box|{{party color|Socialist Party (Netherlands)}}|border=black}} [[Socialist Party (Netherlands)|SP]] (3)
* {{color box|{{party color|Christian Union (Netherlands)}}|border=black}} [[Christian Union (Netherlands)|CU]] (3)
* {{color box|{{party color|Party for the Animals}}|border=black}} [[Party for the Animals|PvdD]] (3)
* {{color box|{{party color|JA21}}|border=black}} [[JA21]] (3)
* {{Color box|{{party color|Forum for Democracy (Netherlands)}}|border=black}} [[Forum for Democracy|FvD]] (2)
* {{color box|{{party color|Reformed Political Party}}|border=black}} [[Reformed Political Party|SGP]] (2)
* {{color box|{{party color|Volt Netherlands}}|border=black}} [[Volt Netherlands|Volt]] (2)
* {{color box|{{party color|50PLUS}}|border=black}} [[50PLUS]] (1)
* {{color box|{{party color|Independent Politics Netherlands}}|border=black}} [[Independent Politics Netherlands|OPNL]] (1)
* {{color box|grey|border=black}} Independent (1)
 | political_groups2  ='''[[Schoof cabinet|Government]] (51)'''
* {{Color box|{{party color|People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (2020)}}|border=black}} [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy|VVD]] (24)
* {{Color box|{{party color|New Social Contract}}|border=black}} [[New Social Contract|NSC]] (20)
* {{Color box|{{party color|Farmer-Citizen Movement}}|border=black}} [[Farmer–Citizen Movement|BBB]] (7)
'''Opposition (99)'''
* {{Color box|{{party color|Party for Freedom}}|border=black}} [[Party for Freedom|PVV]] (37)
* {{Color box|{{party color|GroenLinks–PvdA}}|border=black}} [[GroenLinks–PvdA|GL–PvdA]] (25)
* {{Color box|{{party color|Democrats 66}}|border=black}} [[Democrats 66|D66]] (9)
* {{Color box|{{party color|Christian Democratic Appeal (2021)}}|border=black}} [[Christian Democratic Appeal|CDA]] (5)
* {{Color box|{{party color|Socialist Party (Netherlands)}}|border=black}} [[Socialist Party (Netherlands)|SP]] (5)
* {{Color box|{{party color|Forum for Democracy}}|border=black}} [[Forum for Democracy|FvD]] (3)
* {{Color box|{{party color|Party for the Animals}}|border=black}} [[Party for the Animals|PvdD]] (3)
* {{Color box|{{party color|Reformed Political Party}}|border=black}} [[Reformed Political Party|SGP]] (3)
* {{Color box|{{party color|ChristianUnion}}|border=black}} [[ChristianUnion|CU]] (3)
* {{Color box|{{party color|DENK (political party)}}|border=black}} [[DENK (political party)|DENK]] (3)
* {{Color box|{{party color|Volt Netherlands}}|border=black}} [[Volt Netherlands|Volt]] (2)
* {{Color box|{{party color|JA21}}|border=black}} [[JA21]] ([[Joost Eerdmans|1]])

 | committees1        = 
 | committees2        = 
 | joint_committees   = 
 | voting_system1     = [[Indirect election]]
 | voting_system2     = [[Party-list proportional representation]]
 | last_election1     = [[2023 Dutch Senate election|31 May 2023]]
 | last_election2     = [[2023 Dutch general election|22 November 2023]]
 | session_room       = Den Haag Binnenhof & Skyline 2.jpg
 | session_res        = 300px
 | meeting_place      = [[Binnenhof]]<br />[[The Hague]], [[Netherlands]]
 | website            = {{url|staten-generaal.nl}}
 | footnotes          = 
}}
The '''States General of the Netherlands''' ({{langx|nl|Staten-Generaal}} {{IPA|nl|ˈstaːtə(ŋ) ɣeːnəˈraːl||Nl-Staten-Generaal.ogg}}) is the [[Parliamentary sovereignty|supreme]] [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] [[legislature]] of the [[Netherlands]] consisting of the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]] ({{langx|nl|Eerste Kamer}}) and the [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]] ({{langx|nl|Tweede Kamer}}). Both chambers meet at the [[Binnenhof]] in [[The Hague]].

The States General originated in the 15th century as an assembly of all the provincial states of the [[Burgundian Netherlands]]. In 1579, during the [[Dutch Revolt]], the States General split as the northern provinces openly rebelled against [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]], and the northern States General replaced Philip II as the supreme authority of the [[Dutch Republic]] in 1581. The States General were replaced by the [[National Assembly of the Batavian Republic|National Assembly]] after the [[Batavian Revolution]] of 1795, only to be restored in 1814, when the country had regained its sovereignty. The States General was divided into a Senate and a House of Representatives in 1815, with the establishment of the [[United Kingdom of the Netherlands]]. After the constitutional amendment of 1848, members of the House of Representatives were directly elected, and the rights of the States General were vastly extended, practically establishing parliamentary democracy in the Netherlands.

Since 1918, the members of the House of Representatives have been elected for four years using [[party-list proportional representation]], while the 75 members of the Senate are elected by the [[States-Provincial]] every four years. On exceptional occasions{{examples needed|date=April 2024}} as stipulated by the [[Constitution of the Netherlands|Constitution]] or the [[Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands|Charter for the Kingdom]], the two houses form a joint session known as the United Assembly (''verenigde vergadering)''. The [[President of the Senate (Netherlands)|president of the Senate]] serves as President of the States General during a United Assembly.

==Etymology==
The archaic Dutch word ''staten'' originally related to the feudal classes ("[[Estates of the realm|estates]]", or {{lang|nl|standen}} in Dutch) in which medieval European societies were stratified; the clergy, the nobility and the commons. The word eventually came to mean the ''political body'' in which the respective estates were represented. Each province in the [[Habsburg Netherlands]] had its own ''staten''. These representative bodies (and not their constituent estates)<ref>Unlike the [[Estates General (France)|Estates General of France]], which were organised by estate.</ref> in turn were represented in the assembly that came to be known as {{lang|nl|Staten-Generaal}} (a [[plurale tantum]]), or {{lang|nl|Algemene Staten}} (General States).<ref name=Koenigsberger>{{cite book|last=Koenigsberger|first=H.G.|title=Monarchies, States Generals and Parliaments: The Netherlands in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries|year=2001|publisher=Cambridge U.P.}}</ref>{{rp|5–15}} The English word "states" may have a similar meaning as the Dutch word ''staten'', as in e.g. [[States of Jersey]]. The English phrases "States General" is probably a literal translation of the Dutch word.<ref>In treaties, such as the [[Treaty of Westminster (1654)]], the States General were called:"Celsos Potentesque Dominos Ordines Generales Foederatarum Belgii Provinciarum", or "High and Mighty Lords States General of the united Netherlands' Provinces", where ''ordines'' corresponds with "states."</ref> Historically, the same term was used for the name of other national legislatures as, for example, the Catalan and Valencian [[Generalitat]] and the [[Estates General (France)|Estates General]] of France during the [[Ancien Régime]].

Several geographic place names are derived from the States General. In 1609, [[Henry Hudson]] established Dutch trade in [[Staten Island]], New York City and named the island {{lang|nl|Staaten Eylandt}} after the States General. [[Isla de los Estados]], now an [[List of islands of Argentina|Argentine island]], was also named after this institution, the Spanish name being a translation of the Dutch name. [[Abel Tasman]] originally gave the name [[Staten Landt]] to what would become New Zealand. [[Staaten River]] is a [[rivers of Australia|river]] in the [[Cape York Peninsula]], Australia.

==History==
===Burgundian and Habsburg rule===
Historically, the convocation of the States General consisted of delegates from the States of the several provinces, like the [[States of Brabant]], and dated from about the middle of the 15th century, under the rule of the [[Duchy of Burgundy|Dukes of Burgundy]]. The first important session was the [[Estates General of 1464]] that met on 9 January 1464 in [[Bruges]], [[County of Flanders|Flanders]], on the initiative of the [[States of Holland and West Friesland|States of Holland]], the [[States of Flanders]], and the [[States of Brabant]], with the initially reluctant agreement of [[Philip the Good]].<ref name=Koenigsberger />{{rp|31}} Later, regular sessions were held at [[Coudenberg]] in [[Brussels]], [[Duchy of Brabant|Brabant]]. The next important event was the convocation of the States General by the ducal Council for 3 February 1477 after the death of [[Charles the Bold]]. In this session the States General forced the grant of the [[Great Privilege]] by [[Mary of Burgundy]] in which the right of the States General to convene on their own initiative was recognised.<ref name=Koenigsberger />{{rp|42ff.}} The main function of the States General in these early years was to form a platform for the central government to discuss matters of general importance with the States of the provinces, especially the special subsidies known as ''beden'' or ''aides''. Legislative and executive functions were still reserved for the Sovereign in these years<ref name=Koenigsberger />{{rp|29,35–36, 97}}

===Dutch Republic===
[[File:Great Assembly of the States-General in 1651 01.jpg|thumb|left|The Great Assembly of the States General in 1651.]]
At the start of the [[Dutch Revolt]] the States General (who were then not continually in session) remained loyal to the overlord of the [[Habsburg Netherlands]], [[Philip II of Spain]] (who did not have the title of King in the Netherlands, but held the title of duke and count in the several provinces, and was just a Lord of the Netherlands). In 1576 the States General as a whole, however, openly rebelled against the Spanish crown. In 1579 the States General split as a number of southern provinces, united in the [[Union of Arras]] returned to obedience, while other provinces, united in the [[Union of Utrecht]] continued the rebellion.<ref name=Koenigsberger />{{rp|260–268,288–296}} After the [[Act of Abjuration]] in 1581 the northern States General replaced Philip II as the supreme authority of the northern Netherlands, which then became known as the [[Dutch Republic|United Provinces]].

This was a [[confederation]] in which most government functions remained with the provincial States (and local authorities, like the [[Vroedschap]]pen). These delegated representatives to the States General as a kind of ambassadors acting with a mandate limited by instruction and obligatory consultation ({{lang|nl|last en ruggespraak}}). The States General, in which the voting was by province, each of the seven provinces having one vote,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Kimberly|title=The Political Institutions of the Dutch Republic, 1572–1672|url=http://www1.umassd.edu/euro/2007papers/martin2.pdf|website=umassd.edu|publisher=University of Massachusetts Dartmouth|access-date=4 June 2014}}</ref> took on many executive functions after the [[Council of State of the Netherlands]] had temporarily come under English influence, due to the [[Treaty of Nonsuch]].<ref name=Koenigsberger />{{rp|305–315}}<ref name=Israel>{{cite book|last=Israel|first=Jonathan I.|title=The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness and Fall, 1477–1806|year=1998|publisher=Clarendon Press}}</ref>{{rp|293–294}} The States General for this reason since 1593 remained continually in session until their dissolution in 1795. The presidency rotated weekly among the senior representatives of the provinces. Under the Union of Utrecht treaty the States General formally was the sovereign power, representing the Republic in foreign affairs and making treaties with foreign monarchs.<ref name=Israel />{{rp|292–293}} As such the honorific title of the States General collectively was {{lang|nl|Hoogmogende Heren}} (mightiest, or very mighty, lords).<ref>''Hoogmogende'' ([[superlative]] of the adjective ''mogend(e)'') ''Heren'' was translated into Latin in international treaties not as ''potentissimos'' (superlative of ''potens'') ''Dominos'', as it should have been, but as ''Celsos Potentesque Dominos'', and the latter wording was rendered in English as "high and mighty lords", which is still the standard translation.</ref>

[[File:Binnenhof, The Hague -hu-1777.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Binnenhof]], seat of the ''Staten-Generaal'']]
Due to the vagaries of the [[Eighty Years' War]] in which territories were lost and (partially) reconquered, not all territories that had originally signed up for the Union of Utrecht remained represented in the States General. The [[States of Brabant]] and of [[States of Flanders|Flanders]] lost their representation after 1587 as most of their territory had been conquered by the [[Army of Flanders]], and it was not restored after part of that territory (together with parts of the [[Duchy of Limburg]]) was reconquered by the Dutch Republic. The [[Drenthe]] territory was never directly represented in the States General.
Twenty per cent of the new Republic's territory, known as the [[Generality Lands]], was so under the direct rule of the ''Generality'' ({{lang|nl|generaliteit}}).<ref name=Israel />{{rp|297–300}} The [[Dutch East India Company]] and the [[Dutch West India Company]] were also under its ''general'' supervision; for this reason [[Staten Island]] in New York City (originally [[New Amsterdam]]) and [[Staten Island, Argentina]] (Discovered by Dutchman [[Jacob le Maire]]), are among places named after the {{lang|nl|Staten-Generaal}}.

The "southern" States General after 1579 were a continuation of the States General as they had been under the Habsburg Netherlands. After the (re)conquest of most of the territory of the States of Brabant and of Flanders these States again sent representatives to these States General for the [[Southern Netherlands]], together with the "obedient" provinces of the Union of Arras. The southern States General only occasionally came in session, however. The last regular session was in 1634, when [[Philip IV of Spain]] dissolved them.<ref name=Koenigsberger />{{rp|315–321}}

The States General in both The Hague and Brussels came to an end after 1795; the South was annexed by France, and the North saw the proclamation of the [[Batavian Republic]] and the subsequent convocation of the National Assembly (1 March 1796).

===Kingdom of the Netherlands===
The name {{lang|nl|Staten-Generaal}} was resurrected in the title of subsequent Dutch parliaments in and after 1814, after the end of the annexation to the [[First French Empire]] by [[Napoleon I of France]] in 1813. These had, however, little resemblance to the States General under the Republic. Beginning with the [[Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands]] the States General was a [[unicameral]] legislature, without executive functions, in which the 55 representatives no longer represented the [[States-Provincial]] (though those newly constituted entities elected them, now acting as electoral colleges), but the entire people of the Netherlands and without {{lang|nl|last en ruggespraak}} (the Netherlands had become a [[unitary state]] under the Batavian Republic and the federal structure of the Dutch Republic was not restored).<ref name=Pot>{{cite book|last=Pot|first=C.W. van der|title=Van der Pot, Handboek van het Nederlandse staatsrecht, 15th edition|year=2006|publisher=Kluwer|display-authors=etal}}</ref>{{rp|136}} The States General became a [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] legislature under the [[United Kingdom of the Netherlands]] in 1815, in which the 50 members of the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]] were appointed for life by the new King from the resurrected {{lang|nl|ridderschappen}}, representative bodies of the aristocracy, and the 110 members of the [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]] (55 for the North and 55 for the South) were elected by the States-Provincial (in their new form).<ref name=Pot />{{rp|138}}

After the [[Belgian Revolution]] of 1830 under the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]] the States General remained bicameral, but after the revision of the [[Constitution of the Netherlands]] in 1848, the (now 39) members of the Senate were elected by the States-Provincial, and the members of the House of Representatives were [[Direct election|directly elected]] in [[electoral district]]s (one for every 45,000 electors, so the number of members of that House became variable for a while). The House of Representatives became more powerful at the same time, as it received the important rights of inquiry and [[Amend (motion)|amendment]], while its budgetary rights were strengthened. Formally, the position of the States General was strengthened, because henceforth the ministers of the Crown became politically accountable to them, making the role of the King largely ceremonial.<ref name=Pot />{{rp|142–145}}

With the constitutional revision of 1888 the number of members of the House of Representatives was fixed at 100, while the Senate was enlarged to 50 members. The [[suffrage]] was enlarged at the same time, but still limited to male citizens possessing a certain wealth. Universal male suffrage would be granted in 1917 and women would receive suffrage in 1919. At this occasion, the electoral system was changed to [[proportional representation]]. The States General were suspended from 1940 to 1945, during the [[History of the Netherlands (1939–1945)#German occupation|German occupation]]. In 1956 the number of members of the Senate was enlarged to 75, and that of the House of Representatives to 150.<ref name=Pot />{{rp|151,153–155, 329}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180px">
File:Algemene Politieke Beschouwingen in Eerste Kamer (10553669036).jpg|The [[Senate (Netherlands)|Dutch Senate]] ''(Eerste Kamer)''
File:Tweede Kamer 2.jpg|The [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|Dutch House of Representatives]] ''(Tweede Kamer)''
</gallery>

==Functions==
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|-
| '''[[Tweede Kamer]]'''
* 150 members
* elected directly in general elections
* term of office: 4 years
|| '''[[Eerste Kamer]]'''
* 75 members
* elected indirectly through [[Provincial council (Netherlands)|provincial councils]]
* term 4 years 
|-
| colspan="2" align="center"| '''Verenigde Vergadering'''
(joint session of both houses)
|}

[[File:Koning Willem-Alexander spreekt de Troonrede 2015 uit in de Ridderzaal.webm|thumb|[[Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands|King Willem-Alexander]] giving the annual speech from the throne in the [[Ridderzaal]], 2015]]
{{Politics of the Netherlands}}
The States General meets in joint session at least once a year, at the opening of the parliamentary year, when the [[Dutch Monarchy|king]] gives his [[Speech from the Throne]] on [[Prinsjesdag|Prince's Day]]. On special occasions, such as when a States Generate vote on a marriage of a member of the royal house, an [[Inauguration of the Dutch monarch|inauguration of the monarch]], or the death of a member of the royal house, both houses also meet in a joint session ({{lang|nl|Verenigde Vergadering}}), with the president of the Senate presiding. They take place in the [[Ridderzaal]] (Hall of Knights) in the Binnenhof, except for the [[inauguration]] of the monarch, which occurs in the [[Nieuwe Kerk (Amsterdam)|Nieuwe Kerk]] in [[Amsterdam]]. The rest of the time, the two chambers sit separately.

Constitutionally, all functions of the parliament are given to both houses, except for the rights of initiative and amendment, which only the {{lang|nl|Tweede Kamer}} has. The Joint Session also appoints the monarch if there is no heir to the throne and the regent is unable to exercise his or her powers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.houseofrepresentatives.nl/how-parliament-works/democracy-netherlands|title=Democracy in the Netherlands|date=April 12, 2011|website=www.houseofrepresentatives.nl}}</ref>

An important question is whether the relationship between cabinet and parliament should be [[dualism (politics)|dualistic]] or monistic. That is, whether ministers and leaders of governing parliamentary parties should prepare important political decisions. According to the dualistic position, members of parliament of governing parties should remain independent of the cabinet. The term "monism" is used to refer to a stance that important decisions should be prepared by the people of the governing coalition in order to promote political stability.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Netherlands |volume=19 |pages=413–421 |first=George |last=Edmundson}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|https://staten-generaal.nl}}

{{Netherlands topics}}
{{National bicameral legislatures}}
{{Parliaments in Europe}}
{{Authority control}}
{{coord|52.0796|N|4.3130|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}

[[Category:States General of the Netherlands| ]]
[[Category:Dutch political institutions]]
[[Category:Government of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Political history of the Dutch Republic]]
[[Category:Habsburg Netherlands]]
[[Category:Bicameral legislatures|Netherlands]]
[[Category:National legislatures|Netherlands]]
[[Category:Courts and councils in the Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands]]