The republic was a confederation of seven provinces, which had their own governments and were very independent, and a number of so-called Generality Lands. The latter were governed directly by <answer>the States General (Staten-Generaal in Dutch), the federal government</answer>. The States General were seated in The Hague and consisted of representatives of each of the seven provinces. The provinces of the republic were, in official feudal order:
Who were the Generality Lands governed by?
the States General (Staten-Generaal in Dutch), the federal government