In December 1794 French troops invaded Holland and by 16 January 1795 they had already advanced as far as Utrecht. On January 18th Prince Willem V of Orange-Nassau fled to England. Amsterdam anti-Orangist orientated, meanwhile prepared for 'liberation' by replacing (as had already been done in other Dutch occupied towns), the burgomasters with a revolutionary committee 'The Provisional Representatives of the People of Amsterdam'. The next day, 19 January 1795, French troops entered the capital of Holland. This ended and sealed the bloodless revolution as proclaimed on The Dam Square where a Tree of Liberty was erected in the presence of an enthusiastic crowd. As the ground was frozen hard in that severe winter, the tree had to be tethered with ropes.