Page "Batavian Republic" Paragraph 1

The new Republic enjoyed widespread support from the Dutch population and was the product of a genuine popular revolution.

Nevertheless, it clearly was founded with the armed support of the revolutionary French Republic.

The Batavian Republic became a client state, first of that " sister-republic ", and later of the French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte, and its politics were deeply influenced by the French who supported no fewer than three coups d ' état to bring the different political factions to power that France favored at different moments in her own historical development.

Nevertheless, the process of creating a written Dutch constitution was mainly driven by internal political factors, not by French influence — until Napoleon forced the Dutch government to accept his brother as monarch.