The United Provinces were not a simple unitary naval state. Seven provinces sent representatives to the States General, while poor inland Drenthe paid no taxes and therefore received no representation. Its lack of a coastline also separated it from the commercial interests that drove naval policy. The arrangement left coastal provinces carrying the practical burden of fleets, convoys, and war spending, making Dutch sea power inseparable from taxation and regional representation.
Chapter · 25:52-28:05
A republic where maritime power was unevenly funded
The Dutch Republic's provincial structure made naval policy a question of representation, taxation, and unequal access to the sea.