The guilds were vassals of the towns, the towns, vassals of the feudal lord.

The guild voted in the "broad council" of the city as one person; the city voted in the estates as one person.
The people of the United Netherlands was the personage yet to be invented, It was a privilege, not a right, to exercise a handiwork, or to participate in the action of government.

Yet the mass of privileges was so large, the shareholders so numerous, that practically the towns were republics.

The government was in the hands of a large number of the people.

Industry and intelligence led to wealth and power.