Five admiralties in a divided Dutch naval system

The United Provinces comprised eight areas, but only seven had representation in the States General. Drenthe was too poor to pay taxes after repeated devastation in land wars, so it had no representation. Five regional admiralties managed naval forces, and their jurisdictions did not map neatly onto provincial boundaries. Merchants created the oldest admiralty to protect commerce from Spanish ships, French privateers, and especially the Dunkirkers, while others arose from separate regional decisions. This arrangement could generate ships and convoy protection, but wartime coordination required negotiation among institutions with different interests.