The period of the 19th century saw notable events in world history. During this period various political revolutions took place. As far as the Dutch Empire was concerned, the 19th century was the turning point in several respects. At the end of the 18th century, in 1975, the French invaded the Netherlands. In 1806, Napoleon declared his brother Louis king of the Netherlands (Schoffer, 1973). However, the Dutch kingdom gained its independence after the defeat of Napoleon in 1813, when William Prince became ruler of the Netherlands and declared himself King of the Dutch and the kingdom as the Dutch Kingdom (Schoffer, 1973). William I united Belgium and the Netherlands as one country. However, Belgium and the Netherlands were too different to be united so much so that the Belgians rebelled against the Dutch kingdom for them and William had to declare independence to Belgium. William I died in 1840 and presented his son William II as heir to the Dutch kingdom (Schoffer, 1973). In 1848, William II introduced a new liberal constitution to transform the Dutch empire into a parliamentary state. The Dutch kingdom had the States General representing a general electorate, which was strictly limited to enacting the payment of taxes proposed by the government and approving a long-term budget. After the death of William II in 1849, his son William III continued the transformation of the kingdom (Rowen, 2013). After Belgium separated from the Dutch kingdom and regained its independence, there were major religious differences in the Dutch kingdom. Differences arose between Calvinist, Catholic, and Protestant groups (Rowen, 2013). A group of Calvinists split from the Dutch Reformed Church... middle of paper... kingdom; however, the main administration is carried out by a group of ministers led by the Prime Minister (Rowen, 2013). The 19th century Dutch kingdom also has a major impact on the immigration process. People are migrating to countries such as the UK and Germany (Rowen, 2013). The old wars between Catholics, Protestants and Jews in the kingdom have led to the introduction of new policies in the current era to maintain a religious tolerance between the groups. The wars between religious communities are over and the country operates with cooperation and peace between the various communities (Rowen, 2013). The Dutch kingdom is one of the economically strongest countries in the world and strives to maintain its position by implementing the old order with a new regime. Therefore, the Dutch kingdom is a classic example of modern kingdoms.