French Annexations (1810-1813)

The French Annexation is the period in which the Netherlands was annexed by the First French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte. After Napoleon forced his brother Louis Napoleon to abdicate in July 1810, the Kingdom of Holland was formally dissolved and the (French) annexation began.

Despite the fact that the occupation placed a heavy burden on the population, this era also brought many benefits. Examples include administrative reforms (civil registry and land registry), surnames, conscription, and the metric system (meters and kilograms).

Coinage during this period consisted of French francs (1/2 franc to 20 francs) minted in Utrecht in 1812 and 1813.