After the French Republican troops attacked and captured Maastricht in 1794, the city was officially incorporated into the French Republic in 1795. This officially ended in one fell swoop the 'ancien regime', the dual lordship on which Maastricht based its urban government for centuries. The French took over control of the city-state and at the same time changed the entire public administration, the judiciary, education, everything. It must have been a huge shock to the residents. But perhaps not entirely. After all, part of the city was quite French-oriented, and familiar with the French language and culture. Moreover, the Francophone Walloon area–with which there were so many relations–was just around the corner. But the new regulations were a hard break with the past. The dual lordship disappeared and instead orders came directly from Paris. The craft guilds were abolished (1795), after which the monastic orders and chapters were abolished (1797) and their possessions were subsequently nationalized (starting from 1797).
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| Fig. 25: An "assignat" of 15 sols. Securities issued by the French State to pay off debts. Church property was the collateral. Too many of these securities were issued and their value dropped dramatically. Dated May 23, 1793 |
Before that, huge tributes had already been imposed on the city and on the wealthy Roman Catholic orders, which they could only pay by selling their possessions or melting down their silver treasures. Much material then disappeared into the melting pot. In 1803, Napoleon - not yet crowned Emperor - visited the city. He was received relatively warmly because he had put an end to revolutionary rule, which was not liked by many people. During the French period, several formerly influential people from the 'ancien regime' managed to acquire a new powerful social position, only to make a turn after the French period and to occupy again an important social position in the Dutch kingdom. Others were willing to immediately help the new rulers and managed to acquire important positions. Both groups benefited greatly from the sale of national goods such as land and buildings, at far too low prices. 'Assignats' and 'bons' were appropriate proofs of payment for this purpose.
Reference:
Ubachs, P.J.H., & I.M.H. Evers, Historische Encyclopedie Maastricht, Zutphen 2005.