financing of the rebellion against the Spanish occupation was discussed, Phillip II was unanimously denounced and William of Orange was chosen as the new stadtholder and recognized as the official leader of the revolt. Orange was promised financial support of his struggle against the Spanish and at his own request, freedom of religion was declared in all of Holland.
The gathering is regarded as the first important step towards the free and independent Dutch Republic. Other gatherings such as the Union of Brussels (1577) and the Union of Utrecht(1579) paved the way for official independence of the Netherlands, declared in the Act of Abjuration in 1581.
The Union of Dordrecht was held in an Augustinian monastery, nowadays simply called het Hof ("the Court"). The room in which the meeting was held is called de Statenzaal ("The Hall of States") and features a stained glass window in which the coats of arms of the twelve cities that were present at the meeting can be seen.
Synod of Dordrecht
In 1618/1619, an important religious meeting took place in Dordrecht, called the Synod of Dordrecht. It settled a theological dispute between the orthodox Calvinists and the liberal Arminiansthat had brought the country on the brink of civil war. The Arminians were defeated, resulting in the formulation of the Canons of Dort.
The Patriots movement
From 1780 to 1787, Dordrecht was home to the Patriots faction which intended to remove the hereditary Stadtholder position held by the House of Orange-Nassau. The Netherlands was after all a republic de jure. Soon after, more cities followed and William V fled from Holland. But his brother-in-law, King Frederick William II of Prussia, came to the aid of William V and on 18 September 1787, Dordrecht capitulated to Prussian troops. The Patriots were defeated and Willem V was restored in his position as Stadtholder
