 Though the French presented themselves as liberators , they behaved like conquerors . After acrimonious negotiations between the representatives of the new Batavian Republic , a name that refers to the Germanic tribe of the Batavians that in Dutch nationalistic lore represented both its ancestry and its ancient quest for liberty , and those of the French Republic , a harsh Treaty of The Hague was concluded on May 16 , 1795 . Apart from imposing territorial concessions and a huge indemnity , this obligated the Dutch to maintain a French army of occupation of 25 @,@ 000 men . This changed the Dutch republic from a client state of England and Prussia into a French one ; henceforth it would conduct a foreign and military policy dictated by France , where its predecessor had followed British dictates since 1787 ( an offensive and defensive alliance of the two republics was part of the treaty ) , while its economic policies would in effect also be made subservient to the interests of France . However , this did not mean that it lost its independence in all respects . The program of reform that the Dutch revolutionaries attempted to put in place ( however constrained by the political realities of the French revolution as this was to progress ) was mostly driven by indigenous needs and aspirations . The political events in the Netherlands were mainly derived from Dutch initiative , with some notable exceptions . The French were responsible for at least one of the coups d 'état , and the French ambassador often acted as a proconsul . 
