 The final days of the intermittent constitutional monarchy / republic , the Dutch Republic , which had governed the Netherlands since the late 16th century , were quite eventful . Due to the Fourth Anglo @-@ Dutch War fought at sea that went poorly and lost many of the plantation colonies of the Dutch , the Patriot party revolted against the authoritarian regime of stadtholder William V but were quickly struck down through the intervention of William 's brother @-@ in @-@ law Frederick William II of Prussia in June 1787 . Most Patriots went into exile in France , while Holland 's own " Ancien Régime " strengthened its grip on Dutch government chiefly through the Orangist Grand Pensionary Laurens Pieter van de Spiegel . 
