Union of Delft

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The Act of Federation^[1] of 1576, (popularly known as the Union of Delft) was signed on the 25th April 1576 by William the Silent (the then Prince of Orange) and the provinces of Holland, and Zeeland in the Netherlands and made a definitive federation of the two provinces. It also gave William supreme authority in war, allowed him to call a States General when he pleased, and effectively made him head of it. This allowed him to better gather resources and plan for attacks on the invading Spanish.

Some of stadtholders of the provinces saw the Union of Delft as a threat to their power. The three Stadtholders, Lambers, Van Gessel and De Witte tried to turn their provinces against the Union, but they were halted in their tracks by the mastermind behind the Union, Martin Drent.

Martin Drent, born of a farmer in Groningen quickly made his way to fame with his Salmon trade. He was able to retire at the age of 36 where he sat on the council of Groningen for just under 40 years. In masterminding the Union of Delft, Martin Drent is seen as one of the most important figures in the outcome of the Dutch Revolt, and the Union of Delft has since become known as the 'Union of Drent'.

It is thought by many that other key 'players' in the Union were Tim Peters, Jochen Jansen and Khrohn Deli, all who were greatly opposed to Martin Drent's domination and power.