Zeeland, historically known in English by the exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east, South Holland to the north, as well as the country of Belgium to the south and west. It consists of a number of islands and peninsulas and a strip bordering the Flemish provinces of East and West Flanders. Its capital is Middelburg with a population of 48,544 as of November 2019, although the largest municipality in Zeeland is Terneuzen. Zeeland has two seaports: Vlissingen and Terneuzen. Its area is 2,933 square kilometres (1,132 sq mi), of which 1,154 square kilometres (446 sq mi) is water; it had a population of about 391,000 as of January 2023.
The Union of Utrecht was an alliance based on an agreement concluded on 23 January 1579 between a number of Dutch provinces and cities, to reach a joint commitment against the Habsburg prince Philip II. By joining forces, they hoped to force him to stop his harsh administrative measures. In addition, some important political matters were regulated in areas such as defence, taxation and religion, which is why the treaty in question is also seen as a first version or precursor of a later constitution. The Union of Utrecht complemented the so-called General Union of 1576, established by the Pacification of Ghent, which is why it is also referred to as the Further Union.
There are twelve provinces of the Netherlands representing the administrative layer between the national government and the local governments, with responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance.
The Reformed Political Party is a conservative Reformed Christian political party in the Netherlands. The SGP is the oldest political party in the Netherlands existing in its present form, and has been in opposition for its entire existence. Since 1925, it has won between 1.5% and 2.5% of the votes in general elections. Owing to its orthodox political ideals and its traditional role in the opposition, the party is considered a testimonial party.
William the Silent or William the Taciturn, more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange, was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs that set off the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. Born into the House of Nassau, he became Prince of Orange in 1544 and is thereby the founder of the Orange-Nassau branch and the ancestor of the monarchy of the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, he is also known as Father of the Fatherland.
The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, excessive taxation, and the rights and privileges of the Dutch nobility and cities.
The Reformatory Political Federation was a minor Protestant Christian political party in the Netherlands.
The Peace of Münster was a treaty between the Lords States General of the Seven United Netherlands and the Spanish Crown, the terms of which were agreed on 30 January 1648. The treaty, negotiated in parallel to, but not part of, the Peace of Westphalia, is a key event in Dutch history, marking the formal recognition of the independent Dutch Republic and the end of the Eighty Years' War.
The Free Anti Revolutionary Party was a Dutch conservative Reformed political party, which existed from 1898 to 1903.
Johannes "Jan" van Aartsen was a Dutch jurist and politician of the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP).
The Christian Historical Party was a conservative Reformed political party in the Netherlands which existed from 1903 to 1908.
The County of Zeeland was a county of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries and it later became one of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic. It covered an area in the Scheldt and Meuse delta roughly corresponding to the modern Dutch province of Zeeland. The County of Zeeland did not include the region of Zeelandic Flanders which was part of Flanders; conversely, the modern Province of Zeeland does not include Sommelsdijk, historically part of the County of Zeeland.
The Provincial Council of Zeeland, also known as the States of Zeeland, is the provincial council of Zeeland, Netherlands. It forms the legislative body of the province. Its 39 seats are distributed every four years in provincial elections.
Provincial elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday 2 March 2011. Eligible voters elected the members of the provincial councils in the twelve provinces. These elections also indirectly determined the members of the Senate, since the 566 members of the twelve provincial councils elected the Senate's 75 members in the Senate election on 23 May 2011.
The New National Party was a Dutch nationalist political party which existed between 1998 and 2005. It succeeded the Volksnationalisten Nederland party which had been founded in 1997. The NNP was originally named Nationale Partij Nederland but because another party had used a similar name earlier the name was rejected by the Electoral Council.
Johannes Marcellus Maria "Han" Polman is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party. He has been the King's Commissioner of Zeeland since 1 March 2013. Previously he was Mayor of Bergen op Zoom and Noordwijkerhout.
Jan de Voogd was a Dutch politician, he served as member of the House of Representatives for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy between 1977 and 1981. He was also active in politics in his native province of Zeeland, serving as member of the States of Zeeland between June 1974 and March 1991 and concurrently as member of the Provincial-Executive from 1982 to March 1991.
Jacqueline van den Hil is a Dutch politician of the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). She has served intermittently as a member of the House of Representatives since the 2021 general election. Before entering politics, Van den Hil worked as a health care manager in her native province of Zeeland.
