A
stadtholder (, ), literally
place holder (in modern Dutch "stad" means "city", but the older meaning of "stad" - also "stede" - was "place", and it is a cognate of English "stead", as "in stead of"), was a term for a "
steward" or "
lieutenant". In the
Low Countries, the stadtholder was a medieval function, which during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries developed into a rare type of
de facto hereditary
head of state of the thus
crowned republic of the
Netherlands. It is comparable with the French title Lieutenant and England's 16th century
Lord Lieutenant. Additionally, this position was tasked with maintaining peace and provincial order in the early
Dutch Republic. The
Dutch Monarchy is a cognatic descendant of the first Stadtholder of the young Republic,
William of Orange. He was the leader of the successful
Dutch Revolt against the
Spanish Empire.