|
==History==
{{Main|History of New Netherland}}
====Early years====
The colony was founded by the Dutch West India Company in the early 1600s to capitalize on the North American fur trade, with the establishment of various trading outposts in the north, and the settlement of ''Nieuw-Amsterdam'' in the Manhattans' island. Geared towards trade, New Netherland did not experience the same settler growth that her neighbors (New England, Maryland, and Virginia) experienced during the 17th century. However, efforts have been made to increase settlement, such as the introduction of Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions, which established the patroon system, where land would be granted to whoever could settle at least 50 people in New Netherland.
As the population of New Netherland grew, the people were becoming more disenchanted with the governance of the Dutch WIC over the colony. In order to appease the colonists, the Dutch WIC had convened multiple councils composed of colonists to advise the Director-General. However, the advice of these councils were often ignored by the Director-General. This disgruntlement was amplified when a Director-General, Willem Kieft, started a war against the natives over stolen pigs in 1643, against the wishes of the colonial council.
As a response to Kieft’s war, the Board of Nine, led by colonist and lawyer Adriaen van der Donck, penned a complaint to the Dutch Republic against the unresponsiveness of the Dutch WIC to the colonists’ rights and requests. This document was called the Remonstrance of New Netherland, and had condemned the WIC for mismanagement and demanded full rights for the colonists as citizens of the Netherlands.
===The Charter of 1656===
The Dutch WIC responded to the complaints by appointing Peter Stuyvesant as the Director-General. During this time, land ownership regulations were loosened and liberalized, and the province experienced exponential growth. However, multiple complaints were still made against the WIC’s control and governance over the province. This had led Adriaen van der Donck to return to the Dutch Republic once again and seek redress. After years of political and legal wrangling, the Dutch Republic finally came down against the Dutch WIC and decided to grant New Netherland a new municipal charter in 1652, which granted them a popularly elected government to govern internal affairs.
In OTL, this charter never took effect because of the outbreak of the First Anglo-Dutch War. The States-General of the Dutch Republic feared experimentation with local government in a time of war, and needed the close cooperation of the West India Company (practically a branch of the military) in the struggle, and so rescinded their decision. Defeated, van der Donck tried to return to New Netherland, but was blocked because of the destabilizing effect of his activism. The charter was never revisited after the war and never granted to New Netherland.
In this timeline, however, due to the continued activism of Van der Donck in the Dutch Republic after the war, the States-General proceeded with the municipal charter and established a popularly elected government in New Netherland in 1656, with Van Der Donck as the leader. This charter also barred the Dutch WIC from internal affairs and governance. Instead, the Dutch WIC began shifting their interests towards trade with the Iroquois, and began establishing forts in the west. This land would eventually expand and would become known as the Dutch Tussenland, which was ruled by the Dutch WIC.
===Independence===
New Netherland had achieved independence during the late French Revolutionary wars, when the French Republic had invaded the Dutch Republic and forced stadtholder Prince William V into exile in Britain. Directly after his arrival in England, the Prince wrote a number of letters (known as the Kew Letters) to the governors of the Dutch colonies, including New Netherland, instructing them to hand over their colonies to the British "for safe-keeping." Although demoralizing, the colonial government of New Netherland complied and declares its surrender. But before Britain had put its troops in New Netherland, a coup against the New Netherland colonial government had taken place, overthrowing the Director-General and putting him under arrest for treason. A provisional government had been set up by the patroons. Britain demands the provisional government's surrender, but the patroons had refused, plunging them to the Independence War (then known as the Autumn War). However, as the situation worsens in Europe for Britain and her allies, the British withdrew from the Autumn War and signed a treaty with New Netherland, which would guarantee their independence in the coming future years.
== Geography ==
== Government and Politics ==
New Netherland is a semi-decentralized unitary parliamentary republic comprising eight provinces, a capital district, and an overseas territory. The head of government and the head of state are manifested in one person, the Raedspensionaris, who is accountable to the States-General. The state is subject to the laws laid out in the [[Republican Constitution (1903)|Constitution of 1903]].
==== Judiciary ====
The judicial system consists of theNew Magistrates'Netherland Courts,is whichdivided hear lesser criminal or civil cases; theinto Provincialthree Courtstiers, whichoriginally based on the eightearly provincescourts of colonial New Netherland; andin the Supremeearly Court,17th century under the highestDutch courtWest inIndia NewCompany. Netherland.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
! colspan="2" |Court name
!Jurisdiction
|-
!Supreme Court
|''Höchraed v'n Nieuw-Nederland''
|New Netherland
|-
!Provincial Courts
|''Provinciale Rechtbancs''
|Respective provinces
|-
!Magistrate Courts
|''Schepens Rechtbancs''
|Respective municipalities
|}
==== Administrative divisions ====
There are two main levels of administrative divisions in New Netherland, namely;
Provincial government in New Netherland is formed by the 8 provinces. Provinces are responsible for spatial planning, local taxes, health policy, certain cultural policy and recreation within limits set out in the national constitution; they additionally oversee the policy and finances of municipalities, and local utilities. Provincial governments consist of a 15 member provincial council elected every 3 years by popular vote with a provincial constituency. A '''Provincial Stadtholder''' is appointed by the Tweede Kamer (Lower House) and approved by the Provincial council every 4 years. The Provincial Stadtholder is the leader of the Provincial government and has the responsibilities of streamlining local governance and acting as a bridge between the national and provincial governments.
New Netherland is subdivided into 10 Provinces (''Provincies''), including the Nieuw Amsterdamn Federal District, which are then further subdivided into townships or ''Hîrlÿkheyds''.
[[File:New Netherland Province Map.png|thumb|Province map of New Netherland in the present-day.]]'''Mainland Provinces'''
*Hakaene (HKE)
*Ieries (IEE)
*Irokesenlandt (IKL)
*Lange-Eylandt (LEL)
*Nürdt-Oudelandt (NOL)
*Nieuw Anglia (NAG)
*Suydt-Oudelandt (SOL
* Swaenendael (SND)
'''Federal District'''
*[[New Amsterdam|Nieuw Amsterdam]] (NAF)
'''Overseas Territory'''
* Provinces (''Provincies'')
*Aruba, Curaçao & Bonaire (ACB)
* Municipalities (''Hîrlÿkheyds'')
* Boroughs (''Stadtsdêls'')
Provinces, according to the 1903 Constitution, are responsible for spatial planning, finances, infrastructure, health policies, and certain cultural policies within their jurisdictions. Provincial governments consist of a 15-member council (''provincialestaten''), elected every three years by popular vote within designated voting constituencies. Provincial executives are called Stadtholders are appointed by the Lower House and confirmed by the Provincial Council every four years. They act as a bridge of communication between local and national government and are entrusted with maintaining the decentralization of power.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Name
! colspan="2" |Cities
! rowspan="2" |Creation
! rowspan="2" |Type
! rowspan="2" |Map
|-
!Capital
!Largest
|-
!Hakaene
|HKE
|
|
|
|
| rowspan="10" |[[File:New_Netherland_Province_Map.png|frameless]]
|-
!Ieries
|IEE
|
|
|
|
|-
!Irokesenland
|IKL
|
|
|
|
|-
!Lange Eylandt
|LEL
|
|
|
|
|-
!North Oudeland
|NOL
|
|
|
|
|-
!South Oudeland
|SOL
|
|
|
|
|-
!New Anglia
|NAG
|
|
|
|
|-
!Swaenendael
|SND
|
|
|
|
|-
!Aruba, Curaçao & Bonaire
|ACB
|
|
|
|
|-
![[New Amsterdam]]
|NAF
| colspan="2" |New Amsterdam
|
|
|}
==Diplomacy and Foreign Relations==
Nieuw Nederlandt maintains foreign relations with most countries in the world barring some exceptions. It’s a founding member of the Internationale Nederlandse gemeenschap (Dutch-sphere organization) which consists of nearly 15 countries, its a founding member of ANAN, The organization for cooperation in the Caribbean, the organization of east American develop and it holds a leading role within the Dutch-speaking world competing often with the Netherlands itself for cultural dominance.
| 