Capital of the Netherlands and residence of the Counts of Holland. Amsterdam in the mean time was growing to be a more important city. After the establishment of the Republic of the United Netherlands in 1572/1581, Dordrecht briefly became the seat of government of the United Provinces, residence of the States General, the Council of State and the Prince of Orange as Prince Stadtholder. In 1588 these central governmental institutions were moved to The Hague, which, from that point onwards, kept the position of seat of government for the whole republic. Amsterdam remained loyal to the Spanish/Burgundian empire until relatively late in the Eighty
Second city of the United Kingdom Second city of the United Kingdom The second city of the United Kingdom is an unofficial claim made at various times by several cities since the establishment of the UK in 1707. Commonly a country's second city is the city that is thought to be the second-most important, usually after the capital or first city according to criteria such as population size, economic importance and cultural contribution. Historically several cities have been considered the "second city of the British Empire". In the early 19th Century, Dublin was considered by many to be the second city; later in the century, Glasgow