Hat 8025 Waterloo Dutch Infantry

The Republic of the United Provinces, called Holland for short, was in 1795 transformed - as a result of French military victories - into the Batavian Republic, and in 1806 into the Kingdom of the Netherlands. When talking about the Dutch armed forces at that time, it is worth remembering that when the wars with revolutionary France broke out (1792), the Dutch troops did not have significant combat experience, were often badly trained and poorly commanded, and did not display high morale. It is not surprising then that during the Batavian Republic (1795-1806) the emphasis was placed on reforming the land forces that had to face the British invasion in 1799. After repelling this invasion, the Dutch army took part in many campaigns in the years 1800-1810 in the areas of, among others, Germany and Austria. Among other things, they took part in the capture of Stralsund in 1807 and 1809 and, to a limited extent, in the Battle of Frederick in 1807. In 1810, the Dutch army was incorporated into the Napoleonic Grand Army and lost even the appearance of independence. Some Dutch regiments took part in the Russian campaign in 1812, where they probably suffered losses of 50-70% of their jobs. From 1814, the Dutch army fought in the anti-Napoleonic coalition, taking part in the final campaign of 1815, which led to the Battle of Waterloo.