De geschiedenis en schepen van de Nederlandse Koninklijke Marine (ALT Netherlands TL)

[Count of Crisco]

Preface

​

Throughout much of the period covered in this work the primary government naval base the Willemsoord base would begin construction in the Napoleonic wars and be repeatedly modernized since. Depicting the base as it appeared in the 1910s before a major fire the above image represented the base at its most active before its extensive reconstruction.

While never reclaiming its former status as a naval power capable of competing with the royal navy of the British empire the Koninklijke Marine would have an active and engaging history in the years between 1815 and 1950 as a mid tier player in the naval realm. Sadly as the KM engaged in only a single conflict during this period in the second world war from 1940 until 1945, and operated mostly a cruiser centric force its history is sadly neglected by the English speaking world.

This work aims to give an account in some detail of the history, infrastructure, ships, and men of the Koninklijke Marine from its reconstruction following the chaos of the Napoleonic wars and the French occupation of the Netherlands under the puppet Batavian Republic until the fleet began its reconstruction in the aftermath of the second world war. While this work can in no way hope to comprehensively cover this broad range of topics it is hoped that this will serve as an introduction to the subject for the English speaking world and present its material in an interesting and engaging way which will foster further independent research once a reading of this publication is finished.​

​

 

[Count of Crisco]

Hello, this is going to be an off and on TL written as I have time, it aims to present an alternate history of the Netherlands between 1815 and 1950 told primarily through the lens of a historical account of the Dutch navy. A topic that in OTL I feel deserves far more attention than it gets otherwise. It is partly inspired by my playing of @CV(N)-6 series of naval games, and messing around in UAD a bit.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Also just wanted to say this TL would be so much easier to write if Navypedia wasnt offline due to a special military operation shaped disaster so just be warned I am going to be using more wikipedia than I would like for this.

 

[CV(N)-6]

Also just wanted to say this TL would be so much easier to write if Navypedia wasnt offline due to a special military operation shaped disaster so just be warned I am going to be using more wikipedia than I would like for this.

One of our players found it in the wayback machine so it is actually still available, if a bit slow. Watched.

 

[Count of Crisco]

One of our players found it in the wayback machine so it is actually still available, if a bit slow. Watched.

Saved and thanks!

 

[faddllz]

interesting tl..... watched.

 

[sonofpegasus]

This will be a very intersting story I think

 

[Count of Crisco]

Glad there is interest in this, should be fun to write, and I hope fun to read.

 

[jonathan hanson]

interested in seeing where this goes

 

[Count of Crisco]

The Netherlands and its empire at its maximum extent (1889-1940) While the Dutch colonial empire was not the largest in the world it was one of the most profitable. producing a steady stream of revenue from mining, agriculture, and other industries. Throughout the period covered it would be the defense of this empire that would be the primary driving factor behind the expansion and growth of the navy.

The navy possessed three primary bases, Den Helder in the Netherlands served as the official home of the fleet where the admiralty, board of construction, and naval arsenals were housed. Batavia in the east indies which acted as the home of the Dutch naval presence there and capital of the colony. And Kaapstad in Zuid Africa which acted as a key middle point between the two.

 

[Count of Crisco]

So hopefully as you can see from the map (not accurate in some areas as I am not a map maker) this isnt trying to be a Dutch wank. At the end of the day the Netherlands retains part of the cape, and expands their colony there, they also retain more of Belgium due to a slightly different Belgian revolution. Just enough to give them greater access to some natural resources and a larger population, but not enough to bring them into great power status.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Before we begin our look at the Koninklijke Marine I feel a brief summary of the history of the Netherlands will be useful to act as a foundation for understanding the context behind the navies actions and construction during the period. While not a proper historical work this summary should serve to enlighten many on a history that is seldom taught in most schools in the English speaking world.

 

[Count of Crisco]

As the French Empire was in its death throes and French forces retreated all across Europe a provisional government would be established in the former United Provinces made up of mostly conservatives and Oranje sympathizers. This provisional government would invite the son of the last Stadtholder of the Netherlands, prins William, to become king of the Netherlands. William would refuse and accept the title of sovereign prince instead, at his insistence the new state would adopt a generally conservative constitution granting him wide reaching, nearly absolute powers.

In 1814 he would also be appointed governor-general of the Austrian Netherlands by the members of the coalition, also receiving the Bishopric of Liege, and trade the duchy of Nassau to Prussia in exchange for the title of Grand Duke of Luxembourg. At the stroke of a pen, and without an army, William had achieved the long held Orangist dream of uniting the low countries under a single ruler.

William lands at Scheveningen, November 1813 while a crowd flocks to meet him.
​

William, the new Sovereign Prince, would not have long to enjoy his new status as ruler of a large and prosperous northern European state as just a few months later Bonaparte would return from his exile on the island of Elba to once more declare himself French emperor. Gathering his forces Napoleon would attempt to replicate earlier French successes with sweeping conquests of the states around him. States like that ruled by William.

Moving quickly a new coalition was formed, with British and Prussian armies rushing to contain the French menace. An Anglo-Dutch army meeting the French near the hamlet of Saint-Jean with a Prussian army fighting a series of battles nearby. The resultant French defeat, and the surrender of the emperor to the Anglo-Dutch army would mark the end of the first Napoleonic period in France, and put an end to the period of wars sparked by the French Revolution.

​

The French lines collapse under the weight of the allied army.

Meeting before Bonaparte's desperate 100 day long return the major powers of Europe had convened a conference in Vienna to discuss what the state of the continent would be after nearly twenty four years of nearly constant war and upheaval. A key element of the conference was the concept of balancing the great powers against one another as a means of guaranteeing a period of peace. This conference would continue its deliberations during the waterloo campaign, and once the battle was won it would eventually ratify a redrawn map of the European continent.

With the support of the congressional powers William would in the aftermath of the Saint-Jean battle William would declare all the lands under his rule to be a unified kingdom, known today as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. A new constitution would be ratified, similar in most respects to its predecessor but broader in its jurisdictions. The kingdoms creation being especially championed by the British and Prussians, who wished to see a strong nation bordering France that would be able to challenge the rise of a return of the revolution and act as the center around which any anti-French coalitions could form.​

​

 

[Gokbay]

Watched.

I had thought of somehing similar for Turkey/Ottomans (mainly an Ottoman Empire that managed to remain a second level power rather than being overtaken so much in the late 19th century, probably a similar starting point to this is the most sensible. Starting from when Ottomans were still decently strong and being able practically to start over from zero navally thanks to the steam and ironclad revolutions), at least in the form of a list thing at minimum if not a timeline with proper write-ups.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Following the chaos of the 100 days the new united kingdom of the Netherlands would begin the process of formally establishing the new state in practice as well as name. A currency would be introduced, taxes established, and a common law code written down. The constitution would be expanded to include wording to the effect of granting religious freedom to all the states citizens and much of the power of the Catholic church in the southern provinces was neutered as the state took greater power upon itself.

The effects of these new laws, policies and economic decisions would lead both to the kingdom experiencing a booming economy in the 1820s and also to the eventual Belgian revolution, the civil war, the leaderless war, the Dutch revolution, Belgian civil war, and the eventual treaty of London granting the southern provinces independence. But for the moment the policies were the first steps of the new nation as a united political entity.

Painted in 1819 Willliam the first is depicted in a generals uniform with various items around him symbolizing both his royal power (the crown and cape)
as well as his knowledge and understanding of matters of law and science. Portraying the king as he wished to be seen by his subjects this is perhaps the
most well known image of the first king of the Netherlands.
​

On the international stage the new state would in its first significant diplomatic negotiations. Those being with the British empire over the return of the Dutch colonial empire seized during the Napoleonic wars. While the British were happy to return most of the empire sore points soon sprung up regarding the island of Ceylon and the African cape. Both of which had long been eyed by the British enviously and now that they had them it appeared they were totally unwilling to give them back.

Some argument was made that the island and cape colony rightfully belonged to Britain as payment for their defense of the Dutch empire during the war, to which the inevitable response was that the only people the Dutch colonial empire needed protecting from was the British as without their invasion it had been very unlikely that anyone would attempt to seize them. A line of debate which inevitably resulted in many insults, both thinly veiled and said in the open, to go both ways across the table and accomplished nothing. The British would return the Dutch east and west indies even without a proper agreement in 1816, refusing initial Dutch requests to return to the negotiating table over the issue at hand.

After a few months of pause the negotiations would resume once more, with the Dutch making a determined effort to get Ceylon, and to a lesser extent the cape colony returned to Dutch rule. The Dutch dangling their willingness to abandon conflicting claims of a number of areas the British considered their special area of interests. These areas included the Malay peninsula, New Holland in Australia, and some areas in Africa where both nations traditionally held interests.

The British would agree, not because they were willing to return Ceylon, or the cape initially, but because they wanted to see what the Dutch were willing to cede for future negotiations that may happen. The offer was as expected insufficient to get the British to bite on giving up their prize. And it seemed that both sides were at an impasse, the British holding all the cards and the Dutch having very little to bargain with. Both sides began to drawn back and the name calling began once again.

But eventually a compromise was reached between the two sides. The British agreed to "buy" Ceylon at a price of a little less than a million pounds, really this just amounted to some waiving of Dutch debt payments spaced out over twenty years, and the cape was agreed to be split between the two nations, with the settlement of Capetown being ruled jointly by both sides, with the Dutch retaining control over the colonies civil administration while the British were responsible for the defense of the cape, and thus practically held control over it. In exchange the Dutch would abandon claims over several areas, notably giving up any claims for lands in Australia or New Zealand and agree to support British plans in several other ongoing negotiations with other powers.

In practice the agreement eventually settled on largely left things where they were except that the Dutch were suddenly responsible for the expenses of the cape colony and held some nominal control over the region where the British said they did and had abandoned any and all claims on the one island they were desperate to regain control over. In hindsight it is clear that the British achieved a victory in the negotiations but at the time it was presented as a win in the Netherlands. Joint control over the cape would prove difficult at times, but with the Dutch deciding on a path of neutrality in the aftermath of the Belgian revolution issues between the two states would gradually wind down and the two sides would develop a firm means of working through any major disputes.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Watched.

I had thought of somehing similar for Turkey/Ottomans (mainly an Ottoman Empire that managed to remain a second level power rather than being overtaken so much in the late 19th century, probably a similar starting point to this is the most sensible. Starting from when Ottomans were still decently strong and being able practically to start over from zero navally thanks to the steam and ironclad revolutions), at least in the form of a list thing at minimum if not a timeline with proper write-ups.

Go for it if you have time. The Ottomans had so many chances to do better than they did but always seemed to miss their chance through a number of factors. Of which you are much more knowledgeable about than me I am sure. Thats if you have the time.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Although united in the aftermath of the congress of Vienna into a single political entity the union between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg was far from an equal one. William I appointing primarily Protestant officials from the north to the government of the new nation, and in the process isolating the majority of the Catholic, French speaking south. Although the process started slowly, and the king did make some gestures to assuage worries about the kingdom becoming a northern dominated autocracy with William as absolute monarch. And on the whole these gestures seemed to work, for a time.

Unfortunately William had other ideas about what he saw as his kingdom.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Shorter update, had a big trip and its been hot as all get out in the real world. Next update will be out in the next week or so, should cover the Belgian uprising, revolution, Dutch revolution, civil war, leaderless war, and independence of Belgium and Luxembourg in the early 1830s.

 

[Count of Crisco]

While William initially seemed willing to reform the state and accept the demands of the people he would quickly go back on his promises, and also roll back any reforms which were actually passed. These actions would cause widespread dissatisfaction in the north where officials called for limitations on the powers of the monarch and a stronger elected government. Some called for further reforms, such as changes to the tax system, expansion of education, and greater power to local governments over the government. These calls were successfully ignored by William I for most of the 1820s as his policy of vague promises of change, shifting the blame, and just ignoring the issues would work well in the north.

But this was not the case in the south where the Belgians part of the kingdom had far more to complain about with the situation than in the north. The Belgian provinces represented a majority of the unified kingdoms population and economy. Yet were represented by just forty percent of the seats in the government, Belgians were virtually unknown in the ministries, and taxed significantly more than in the south. Belgium also had far less debt than the north, yet was expected to help pay off the debt of the North. There was also the issue that Belgium was a multi-lingual state where both French and Nederlands were spoken in different regions, which also corresponded largely to the split between Catholics and Protestants.

French speaking Catholics were even less represented than their Dutch speaking protestant counterparts, and with William showing a clear bias in appointing protestants to his government, even when he did appoint someone from the south to government, these people felt even more unrepresented. And then in the late 1820s the government began to stress reforms to the education system, establishing a number of government backed universities. These universities, and several other policies were seen as being anti-church as they removed the role in education traditionally played by the church in the area, which was a core part of society in the region.

These issues would be ignored by William, but would quietly build in the background.

 

[Count of Crisco]

Depicting one of the bloodier episodes of the Belgian Revolution this painting in later years would become a cornerstone of the Belgian national identity.
​

Tensions in Belgium would erupt when news of the July Revolution in France was published in the papers. Inspiring a series of revolts in the southern provinces of the kingdom and igniting a wave of protests in the north. Eventually resulting in deep changes in the political structure of the Netherlands, the independence of the south, and the abdication of William I in favour of his son who became king William II in 1833.

The Belgian Revolution would break out in August, where a performance of the play The mute girl of Portici in a local theater in Brussels was followed riots in the streets. Riots which local constabulary forces proved unable to stop. Eventually the rioters would seize several important government buildings and the town arsenal. Arming themselves and rallying around the flag of the independent Brussels movement the revolution would quickly spread throughout the South.

William would dispatch his sons, each at the head of an army, to end the revolution and retake the south, Crown Prince William taking the lead in the north and Prince Frederick taking the lead in the south. Frederick would set about his task with gusto, viewing any town which did not immediately capitulate as supporting the revolutionaries, arresting many and inciting public opinion against him and the king.

The northern, predominantly Dutch speaking provinces would be dealt with very differently. The Crown-Prince felt that negotiation, not oppression, was the way to deal with the revolt. And he would make it known that he was willing to hear the people and was willing to agree to some reforms provided they were not too extreme. The revolutionaries would take this offer up, and invite him to meet with them in person, if he would come alone. An offer which William accepted against the advice of his advisers, and father. He would enter Brussels and spend several days in the city with just a small entourage.

News of the Crown-Prince meeting with the revolutionaries would quickly travel, solidifying resistance in the south against prince Frederick, who had been making slow progress already, and lead to the king publicly ordering his son to resume the offensive and retake the south at whatever cost. He intended this order to act as a rallying point for the nation and an ultimatum for those revolting to cease their efforts or face the consequences, but it would have the opposite effect.

While the northern provinces, the original seven of the Dutch Republic, had not dealt with the same issues as the south there were still problems. With the manner in which William had ruled being a major source of problems for many, while the rising national debt and increased tax burden had also led to some hardships. And the low level hostility many felt towards the king would boil over after and calls for his abdication would erupt late in the year when the crowds were stirred up by Republicans who viewed the Crown-Prince as a more level headed figure who would be easier to deal with.

William would respond with customary harshness and send the army out to put down the riots in Amsterdam where the crowds were the strongest. But the army was already depleted from deployments in the south, and the forces which were available were split between fighting the crowds and defending the palace and government buildings. Proving unable to fully put down the crowds, who grew in strength after the troops fired into a crowd, killing six and wounding many others. The royal palace in the Hague would be besieged briefly in November despite the winter.

Events now moved quickly, with the crown-prince reaching an agreement with the rebels in the northern Belgian provinces. Agreeing to several reforms and changes and promising greater inclusion for the south in the affairs of the kingdom in future. He also made vague remarks that he would accept a more liberal constitution upon his ascension to the throne.

Although these remarks were intended mostly to appease the south so the crown-prince could settle the revolt and return north to help his father the promise of a liberal constitution would lead in December to the formation of a provisional government in the north, the Staten Generaal being dissolved by William the month prior when they refused to declare the revolt in Amsterdam illegal. The provisional government would begin drafting a constitution, extending an offer to the crown-prince to head the drafting council.

William I would realize that he had lost and abdicated the first of the year 1831, moving aside for his son to take the throne. Thus ending the brief civil war and paving the way for the Netherlands to transform into a liberal Constitutional Monarchy. With crown-prince William leaving northern Belgium to accept the new constitution and be crowned as William II.

This would badly divide the revolutionaries in Belgium, with the now king William II leaving his army in control of the provinces of Antwerp, as well as west and east Flanders, and his troops surrounding Brussels. In the north where William II has been sent by his father support for continued membership in a unified kingdom with the Netherlands remained high, with even the revolutionary council in Brussels being divided on what should be done. While in the south, where prince Frederick had led Dutch forces in a much more brutal campaign, there was far less division and consensus remained firmly in favor of independence.

Fearing that Brussels, the center of the revolution, would choose to remain with the Netherlands revolutionaries in the south would accept the entry of French troops into Namur and Hainaut in support of Belgian independence. In a few weeks French forces had driven the Dutch out of Brussels and attempted to enter Antwerp where they would be rebuffed by an army composed of elements of the southern and northern armies rallied by prince Frederick.

The entry of France into the war would quickly trigger several events. The first being the raising of another army to reinforce the troops fighting in Antwerp by William II in preparation for a war with France as he saw their intervention as a flagrant violation of international law and unwarranted meddling in Dutch affairs. In his eyes the Belgian issue had been mostly dealt with and the French were arriving late to the party (indeed the French had been debating entering the fighting since it began) to mop up the scraps for themselves.

The second event would be the prompt intervention of the British in the conflict as they did not wish France to have a chance to expand their power and influence at this point. With the British managing to deescalate the situation and forge a ceasefire between the Dutch and Belgians, which had the side effect of making it necessary for the French to withdrawal.

Belgium would not receive its independence officially until 1835 in the treaty of York with its borders comprising the provinces of north and south Brabant, Limburg, Liege, Hainaut, Namur, and parts of Luxemburg, which itself would remain in a personal union with the Netherlands until 1841 when Luxemburg would become an independent grand Duchy under the rule of William the seconds brother Frederick. The provinces of Antwerp, east and west Flanders would remain a part of the Netherlands, which they have until the present day. The three states would retain somewhat tense relations until the 1860s when talks about forming a new state would occur intermittently before being abandoned in the aftermath of Prussian expansion in the unification of Germany.

And with that done a tense period of history would close which would see the Belgian Revolution, Dutch civil war, abdication of king William and the establishment of a new constitutional monarchy, and French invasion all within the span of a few years. And now the country would enter a prolonged period of peace which would see the nation steadily develop and flourish.