Archief van de Staten-Generaal
Item
Country
NL
Name of institution (English)
National Archives
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
dut
Contact information: postal address
Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 20, 2595 BE The Hague
Contact information: phone number
0031 703315400
Contact information: web address
https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/
Contact information: email
Reference number
1.01.02
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Archives of the States General
Title (official language of the state)
Archief van de Staten-Generaal
Language of title
dut
Creator / accumulator
Staten-Generaal
Date(s)
1431/1796
Language(s)
ara
deu
dut
eng
fra
ita
lat
ota
rus
Extent
1,029 linear meters
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Archief van de Staten-Generaal comprises documentation produced by States General of the Netherlands (nowadays also known as the Dutch National Parliament), whose activity in the Early Modern Age was especially relevant in matters of foreign relations, administration of the Generality Lands, supervising of the trading companies (Dutch East India Company (VOC) and Dutch West India Company (WIC)) and management of the joint finances. The fonds is composed of eleven large series arranged according to document types: 1) Resoluties van de Staten-Generaal (resolutions of the States General); 2) De bijlagen bij de resoluties van de Staten-Generaal (appendices to the resolutions, including minutes and correspondence sent by different institutions and provinces of the Netherlands to the States General and other documents related to the Staten van oorlog (states of war), as well as reports and outgoing letters); 3) De depêcheboeken en de brievenboeken van de Staten-Generaal (despatch books and letter books ); 4) De akten van de Staten-Generaal (acts and deeds); 5) Registers van leden en personeel en betreffende de titulatuur van de Staten-Generaal (records of members and staff of the States General); 6) De Loketkas en de Secrete kas van de Staten-Generaal (the Counter cabinet and Secret treasury, mostly containing documents related to economic and financial management); 7) Tractaten en ratificaties (18th-century treaties and ratifications); 8) Overgedragen archivalia aan de Staten-Generaal, afkomstig van instellingen en personen (archival records transferred from other people and institutions); 9) Inventarissen van het archief en catalogi van de boekerij van de Staten-Generaal (inventories of the archives and catalogues of the library); 10) Later aangetroffen stukken die niet zijn ingevoegd of waarvan de herkomst niet duidelijk is (documents found later that have not been incorporated or whose provenance is uncertain); 11) Oude omslagen Loketkast (old covers of the Counter cabinet).
The relevance of the Sephardic community in the economy of the Netherlands and the participation of Sephardim in the Dutch trading companies is witnessed in several documents of this vast fonds. The second series, which comprises the appendices to the resolutions of the States General, is particularly abundant in materials related to the Sephardic trade networks in the Netherlands and its overseas territories. These appendices included correspondence and documents that supported the discussions during the States General meetings and the decisions taken. The documents related to the VOC and the WIC contain abundant information on Sephardic merchants. For instance, there is a letter from Jacob Cohen, on behalf of several Jewish merchants, to the States General on May 27, 1672, indicating numerous Sephardim who were creditors of the West India Company (5768; see Klooster 2010, 77-82). Decades earlier, on April 23, 1609, a Christian merchant named B. Jacapse complained against the growing Jewish presence in Dutch commerce (4918, see Israel 1990, 424).
The fonds also contains records with information regarding Sephardim living in the Dutch West Indies. Some of this data can be found in the Processtukken van rechtbanken in West-Indië (Court records of the West Indies) sub-series, as the following:
9496: Proceedings before the States General of Samuel Abarbanel Aredes, merchant in Amsterdam, on behalf of Sara Henriques de Barrios, widow of the late Joseph Arias, residing in Surinam. 1740-41.
9504: Proceedings of Joseph Samuel Cohen Nassy against Joseph de Meza, both residing in Surinam. 1749-1750.
9506: Proceedings involving Paulus Loeff, the merchant Isaac Yesurum Lobo, David Uziel d'Avilar, Abraham Hisquia Arias, and Isaac Carilho. 1756.
9515: Letter from the Governor and Councils of Police and Criminal Justice of Surinam to the States General regarding a petition from Salomon Mantel, a resident of the Jewish colony in Surinam. 1764.
9521: Trial before the Court of Police and Criminal Justice of Surinam of Bernard Texier against David Gomes da Costa and Jan Prange, sent to the States General. Paramaribo, 1766.
9522: Letter and annexes from the Governor and Councils of Curaçao to the States General due to complaints from the Spanish Extraordinary Ambassador against Isaac Henriques Morão, residing in Curaçao. 1766.
9582: Proceedings before the States General of Moses Vas Nunes, Moses de Jacob, Levy-Maduro, Esther, daughter of Isac Calvo and widow of Manuel Abenator Melo, Samuel of Isac Levy-Maduro and Ephraim Jesurum Henriques, residing in Curaçao, against Isaac Haim Rodrigues da Costa, also living in Curaçao. 1783.
9587: Process before the Council of Curaçao of Nicolaas Hendrik Matthias Evertsz against Joseph Obediente Jr., sent to the States General. 1784.
The relevance of the Sephardic community in the economy of the Netherlands and the participation of Sephardim in the Dutch trading companies is witnessed in several documents of this vast fonds. The second series, which comprises the appendices to the resolutions of the States General, is particularly abundant in materials related to the Sephardic trade networks in the Netherlands and its overseas territories. These appendices included correspondence and documents that supported the discussions during the States General meetings and the decisions taken. The documents related to the VOC and the WIC contain abundant information on Sephardic merchants. For instance, there is a letter from Jacob Cohen, on behalf of several Jewish merchants, to the States General on May 27, 1672, indicating numerous Sephardim who were creditors of the West India Company (5768; see Klooster 2010, 77-82). Decades earlier, on April 23, 1609, a Christian merchant named B. Jacapse complained against the growing Jewish presence in Dutch commerce (4918, see Israel 1990, 424).
The fonds also contains records with information regarding Sephardim living in the Dutch West Indies. Some of this data can be found in the Processtukken van rechtbanken in West-Indië (Court records of the West Indies) sub-series, as the following:
9496: Proceedings before the States General of Samuel Abarbanel Aredes, merchant in Amsterdam, on behalf of Sara Henriques de Barrios, widow of the late Joseph Arias, residing in Surinam. 1740-41.
9504: Proceedings of Joseph Samuel Cohen Nassy against Joseph de Meza, both residing in Surinam. 1749-1750.
9506: Proceedings involving Paulus Loeff, the merchant Isaac Yesurum Lobo, David Uziel d'Avilar, Abraham Hisquia Arias, and Isaac Carilho. 1756.
9515: Letter from the Governor and Councils of Police and Criminal Justice of Surinam to the States General regarding a petition from Salomon Mantel, a resident of the Jewish colony in Surinam. 1764.
9521: Trial before the Court of Police and Criminal Justice of Surinam of Bernard Texier against David Gomes da Costa and Jan Prange, sent to the States General. Paramaribo, 1766.
9522: Letter and annexes from the Governor and Councils of Curaçao to the States General due to complaints from the Spanish Extraordinary Ambassador against Isaac Henriques Morão, residing in Curaçao. 1766.
9582: Proceedings before the States General of Moses Vas Nunes, Moses de Jacob, Levy-Maduro, Esther, daughter of Isac Calvo and widow of Manuel Abenator Melo, Samuel of Isac Levy-Maduro and Ephraim Jesurum Henriques, residing in Curaçao, against Isaac Haim Rodrigues da Costa, also living in Curaçao. 1783.
9587: Process before the Council of Curaçao of Nicolaas Hendrik Matthias Evertsz against Joseph Obediente Jr., sent to the States General. 1784.
Archival history
The States General archives were transferred to the Algemeen Rijksarchief (State Archives) in 1814. After that, new documentation and copies of documents from other fonds were added to the archives in order to complete the collection. This process was particularly relevant in the case of the resolutions concerning topics debated in each case. Document series were also transferred to other fonds, whilst some collections from other institutions were added to the State Archives, including those from institutions created prior to 1588, during the Spanish administration. Thus, sub-collections and series became mixed with a broad range of documents of different provenances. This complex structure contributed to a delay in the production of the inventory of the States General archive. After a work by Van Riemsdijk in 1885 (De griffie van hare hoog mogenden), the archive remained poorly studied for about half a century. It was only in 1954-1963 that N. M. Japikse undertook a new effort to compile an inventory of the States General archive. In 2010, partial inventories of the States General Archives (1.01.03 to 1.01.09) were combined to produce a single inventory, which is at present available for consultation on the National Archives website.
Sources:
Administrative / Biographical history
The designation "Staten-Generaal" (States General) dates back to the 15th century. In 1464, Philip III, Duke of Burgundy convened the States General for the first time, with the representatives of the 17 Burgundy districts in the Low Countries.
After the Pacification of Ghent (1576), the States General embodied supraregional sovereignty in the Northern Netherlands. It assembled the Seven United Provinces (Gelderland, Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Friesland, Overijssel and Groningen), and also ruled the so-called Generality Lands (territories that did not belong to any province). In addition, the States General exercised supervision over the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the West India Company (WIC).
The States General was dismantled in 1795. However, after the end of the annexation to the French Empire, it was restored with a different structure and jurisdiction. In 1814-1815, it consisted of one chamber with 55 members elected per province by the provincial councils. In 1815, following the amendment to the Constitution, a bicameral system was introduced, and the States General became composed of the House of Representatives (110 members, elected by the provincial councils) and the Senate (40 to 60 members, appointed by the King).
After the Pacification of Ghent (1576), the States General embodied supraregional sovereignty in the Northern Netherlands. It assembled the Seven United Provinces (Gelderland, Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Friesland, Overijssel and Groningen), and also ruled the so-called Generality Lands (territories that did not belong to any province). In addition, the States General exercised supervision over the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the West India Company (WIC).
The States General was dismantled in 1795. However, after the end of the annexation to the French Empire, it was restored with a different structure and jurisdiction. In 1814-1815, it consisted of one chamber with 55 members elected per province by the provincial councils. In 1815, following the amendment to the Constitution, a bicameral system was introduced, and the States General became composed of the House of Representatives (110 members, elected by the provincial councils) and the Senate (40 to 60 members, appointed by the King).
Sources:
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The fonds is divided into 11 extensive series either relating to types of documents or to documentation added after the fonds was deposited in the State Archives (such as the appendices or the documentation produced by institutions during Spanish administration). In each series and subseries, records are tendentially arranged in chronological order.
Access, restrictions
The archive has restrictions for consulting documents due to poor physical condition, but the fonds is currently being organized and digitized, and digital copies of numerous documents are already available online.
Finding aids
Inleiding op de Inventaris van het archief van de Staten-Generaal, (1431) 1576-1796 (1.01.02)
Inventaris van het archief van de Staten-Generaal, (1431) 1576-1796: Resoluties, 1576-1796 (1.01.03)
Inventaris van het archief van de Staten-Generaal, (1431) 1576-1796: Bijlagen bij de resoluties, (1550) 1576-1796 (1.01.04)
Inventaris van het archief van de Staten-Generaal, (1431) 1576-1796: Vervolg bijlagen bij de resoluties, 1577-1796 (1.01.05)
Inventaris van het archief van de Staten-Generaal, (1431) 1576-1796: Brievenboeken, loketkast, secrete kast (1431) 1576-1796 (1.01.06)
Inventaris van het archief van de Staten-Generaal, (1431) 1576-1796: Vervolg loketkast, vervolg secrete kast (1431) 1576-1796 (1.01.07)
Inventaris van het archief van de Staten-Generaal, (1431) 1576-1796: Vervolg loketkast, vervolg secrete kast, tractaten en ratificaties 1700-1796, overgedragen archivalia, inventarissen en catalogi (1.01.08)
Staten-Generaal, (1431) 1576-1796: Index op de secrete brieven in de secrete kast, 1589-1699 (1.01.09)
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Kevin Soares, 2022
Bibliography
Linked resources
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| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Nationaal Archief | Collections (official language of the state) |
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Collectie Joshua Mozes Levy Maduro | Existence and location of originals | |
| Samuel Oppenheim Papers | Existence and location of originals |