As commander-in-chief of the Dutch States Army, his indecision, several changes of mind and lack of coordination with his Anglo-Hanoverian, Hessian, Prussian and Austrian allies contributed to the eventual surrender of Nijmegen to the French revolutionaries.

[2] William V left Nijmegen again and resumed his residence in The Hague, while reinforcing his stadtholderian powers through the Act of Guarantee and his new alliances with Prussia and England, which made the Netherlands a de facto Anglo-Prussian protectorate, now run as a hereditary monarchy under the House of Orange-Nassau in all but its old name: the Dutch Republic.

[3] In the summer of 1794, the momentum changed when the French Revolutionary troops in the Austrian Netherlands won one victory after another over the forces of the anti-French reactionary First Coalition, to which William V's son Frederick, the hereditary Prince of Orange, contributed a States contingent.

[4] The Prussians and Austrians fled to the Rhineland, while the Anglo-Hanoverian, Hessian and Dutch States troops withdrew further northwards to defend the United Provinces.

The French came closer by the day, and there were multiple minor field battles and skirmishes near the outposts to the south of Nijmegen, while the city and the surrounding forts were being reinforced.

On 20 October, there were skirmishes on the heath near Wijchen and the flower mountains near Zyfflich, while the French bombarded Tiel and severed the connection between Grave and Nijmegen.

In the morning of 21 October, the Hanoverian general Wallmoden asked the magistrate of Nijmegen whether there were enough food supplies to make it through a siege; from the doubtful answer he received, he concluded that the city had to be evacuated.

[1] On 24 and 25 October, the city was geared into a state of emergency, while food shortages began to grow and Coalition soldiers started plundering the countryside.

Hulst, who showed some pro-French sympathies in his account, called the stadtholder's decision to risk the city to withstand a siege 'nonsensical' because of a lack of supplies, and he claimed that the citizenry would rather capitulate quickly.

[1] From 29 October to 1 November, the French did not attack, but carefully prepared for a long-term siege by constructing more trenches and batteries in the ever colder weather.

In the end, only a single sortie involving 300 British and 200 Hanoverian soldiers was performed towards a French battery located on the Hunnerberg, but it was beaten back with a loss of 100 men.

At night, Hanoverian troops made another sortie and reached the French trenches, but it appeared that they did not achieve more than capturing a few spades whilst incurring 60 deaths and 40 injuries.

At the third line, however, they met with fierce French counter-fire of cannons and muskets, suffering heavy losses and breaking ranks, after which they fled back to the city in great disorder.

A large number of Scottish troops that tried to climb the Hunnerberg were shot down by French Jäger until they were relieved by a Hanoverian battalion that escorted them back into the city.

[1] The Duke of York, commander of the British troops, planned a counter-offensive with Austrian assistance to relieve Nijmegen, but this was cancelled when the Hanoverian contingent refused to participate.

[8] In the morning of 6 November, the stadtholder once again assured the population that he would defend the city, and even promised to relieve her within three days as soon as the necessarily reinforcements had arrived.

They scaled the walls, entered the city without resistance and opened up three gates (the Hesepoort, Molenpoort and Hertogsteegsepoort), after which the main force was informed.

[10] Hulst reported that the French troops were very disciplined, and did not engage in looting, but walked across the street gleefully and singing while greeting civilians.

[1] With the conquest of Nijmegen, the French Republic had reached the Rhine and the Waal rivers, which were often claimed to be the 'natural boundary' of France, and that it had tried to seize during the past several revolutionary years.

[10][11] Daendels, however, pressed the French command to liberate the rest of the Dutch Republic, where the Patriots were increasingly stirring up revolts and demanded the departure of the Orangists.

The resulting Treaty of The Hague (16 May 1795) stipulated that only the Generality Lands of Staats-Vlaanderen, Staats-Overmaas and Staats-Opper-Gelre would become French territory, while Staats-Brabant and the parts of Duchy of Guelders and the County of Holland below the river Waal would remain in Batavian control.

Nijmegen thus became part of the new Batavian Republic, but the division of Guelders caused the city to be reassigned to the Department of the Dommel and to lose its status as capital to 's-Hertogenbosch.