The office originated in
Flanders. Initially, the role was referred to as clerk or advocate. The earliest pensionaries in the
county of Holland were those of
Dordrecht (1468) and of
Haarlem (1478). The pensionary conducted the town's legal business and was the secretary of the town council and its representative and spokesman at the meetings of the
Provincial States. The post of pensionary was permanent, and he had great influence. In the States of the province of Holland the pensionary of the order of nobles
(Ridderschap) was the foremost official of that assembly and, until the death of
Oldenbarneveldt in 1619, he was named
Land's Advocate, or more shortly the advocate. His importance was much increased after the revolt in 1572, and still more so during the long period 1586–1619 when John van Oldenbarneveldt held the office. After the downfall of Oldenbarneveldt the office of lands advocate was abolished, and a new post, tenable for five years only, was erected in its place with the title of
Raad-Pensionaris or Pensionary of the Council, usually called by English writers
Grand Pensionary. The first holders of this office were
Anthony Duyck,
Jacob Cats and
Adrian Pauw, in the days of the stadtholders
Frederick Henry and
William II of Orange-Nassau had to be content with lessened powers, but in the
First Stadtholderless Period (1650–1672) the grand pensionary became even more influential than Oldenbarneveldt himself, since there was no prince of Orange filling the offices of stadtholder, and of admiral and captain-general of the
Union. From 1653–1672
Johan de Witt, re-elected twice, made the name of grand pensionary of Holland forever famous during the time of the
wars with England. The best known of his successors was
Anthony Heinsius, who held the office from 1688 to his death in 1720. He was the intimate friend of
William III, and after the decease of the king continued to carry out his policy during the stadtholderless period that followed. The abolishment of the office occurred after the revolutionaries transformed the "old"
Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, establishing the new democratic
Republic of Batavia, supported by the French forces of the first republic in AD
1795. == Responsibilities ==