The United Provinces, also known as the Dutch Republic, was a republic in Europe that existed from 1588 to 1795, with Amsterdam serving as its capital. The republic was formed during the Dutch Revolt against Spain, with the Dutch states forming the Union of Utrecht in 1579. In 1588, these states united into a confederative republic consisting of the united provinces of Guelders, Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Overijssel, Frisia, and Groningen, and the government of the United Provinces was ruled by the States General and the Stadtholder (Steward). The United Provinces nominally had a republican government, but the title of Stadtholder became a hereditary title held by the House of Orange; the country was more akin to a monarchy. The United Provinces was well-known for its vast wealth acquired from banking, foreign trade, and from its massive colonial empire, and it waged colonial wars against Spain from its birth until 1648, against Portugal from 1601 to 1661, against England during the second half of the 17th century, and France from 1689 to 1795. In 1795, during the French Revolutionary Wars, French forces invaded the Netherlands and occupied Amsterdam, putting an end to the United Provinces. The United Provinces was replaced with the Batavian Republic puppet state.
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