The Netherlands is known for the fact that, during the Republic (1588-1795), the government took a relatively lenient stance toward non-Reformed religious communities. Especially Lutherans and Jews were tolerated. In line with this, reinforced by the spirit of the Enlightenment, in the Kingdom of the Netherlands that was established in 1815, several other groups besides the privileged Netherlands Reformed Church were also eligible for subsidies from the state. Despite its previous tolerance, the government took harsh action when the Reformed Church split in 1834. In this paper, I want to describe this schism from a legal-historical perspective. What motivated the government, and more specifically King William I, to intervene so drastically? But also: what made the government decide to give more space within a relatively short period of time? How did these events affect legislation and regulations in the following decades of the nineteenth century?