Batavian Legion
Encyclopedia
The Batavian Legion was a unit of Dutch volunteers under French command, created and dissolved in 1793.
in exile in France at the end of the 1780s was born in December 1791. The Patriots' initial idea was to form the embryo of a Dutch national army, on the French model, so as to set up and support a Batavian republic and replace the Dutch Republic
's pseudo-monarchy under stathouder William V of Orange-Nassau. However, France was not yet at war with the Dutch Republic and the French government rejected the idea of a Batavian legion. A second petition to the Legislative Assembly
in May 1792, at the time the Belgian Legion
was forming, did not meet with success.
It took until February 1793 and the Dutch Republic's entry into the war against France for the Batavian Legion to get off the ground. The minister for war, Dumouriez
, advanced 700,000 livres for its formation and it gathered in the Dunkirk region under the command of lieutenant-colonel Herman Daendels. It then fought in Belgium alongside the French army and the Belgian Legions.
It was dissolved after its defeat at Neerwinden
in October 1793 and its members merged into French units. Although it had been unable to fight in the conquest of the Dutch Republic and the institutio of the Batavian Republic
in 1795, a number of its members formed the ranks of that new regime's army.
History
The project to regroup the supporters of the Batavian RevolutionBatavian revolution
The term Batavian revolution refers to the political, social and cultural turmoil that marked the end of the Dutch Republic at the end of the 18th century...
in exile in France at the end of the 1780s was born in December 1791. The Patriots' initial idea was to form the embryo of a Dutch national army, on the French model, so as to set up and support a Batavian republic and replace the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
's pseudo-monarchy under stathouder William V of Orange-Nassau. However, France was not yet at war with the Dutch Republic and the French government rejected the idea of a Batavian legion. A second petition to the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly (France)
During the French Revolution, the Legislative Assembly was the legislature of France from 1 October 1791 to September 1792. It provided the focus of political debate and revolutionary law-making between the periods of the National Constituent Assembly and of the National Convention.The Legislative...
in May 1792, at the time the Belgian Legion
Belgian Legion
Several military units have been known as the Belgian Legion:-French Revolution:The first Belgian and liégeois legions were formed in 1792 from volunteers who had come to serve the First French Republic from the Austrian Netherlands and Principality of Liège respectively...
was forming, did not meet with success.
It took until February 1793 and the Dutch Republic's entry into the war against France for the Batavian Legion to get off the ground. The minister for war, Dumouriez
Charles François Dumouriez
Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. He shared the victory at Valmy with General François Christophe Kellermann, but later deserted the Revolutionary Army and became a royalist intriguer during the reign of Napoleon.-Early life:Dumouriez...
, advanced 700,000 livres for its formation and it gathered in the Dunkirk region under the command of lieutenant-colonel Herman Daendels. It then fought in Belgium alongside the French army and the Belgian Legions.
It was dissolved after its defeat at Neerwinden
Battle of Neerwinden (1793)
The Battle of Neerwinden took place on near the village of Neerwinden in present-day Belgium between the Austrians under Prince Josias of Coburg and the French under General Dumouriez...
in October 1793 and its members merged into French units. Although it had been unable to fight in the conquest of the Dutch Republic and the institutio of the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
in 1795, a number of its members formed the ranks of that new regime's army.