🇳🇱 Dutchpedia

The History of the Netherlands

The middle ages

  • In the Middle Ages, many Dutch people were Christian.
  • The Netherlands was not yet an independent country.
  • In the 16th century, the King of Spain had power in the Netherlands. He was against the Protestants.

The Eighty Years’ War

The Eighty Years’ War (1568-1648), also known as The Dutch Revolt and Dutch War of Independence. It was between Spain and the Netherlands. After the war, the Netherlands became independent and a republic.

Willem van Oranje

In 1568, the Netherlands rebelled against Spain, led by William of Orange, a Protestant who sought both independence for the Netherlands and religious freedom.

The Golden Age

The Dutch Golden Age, spanning from 1585 to 1702, marked a period of remarkable development in science, commerce, and arts, establishing the Netherlands as a leading global power. Flourishing through trade, the Dutch expanded their influence by constructing numerous ships and embarking on extensive voyages worldwide during the seventeenth century.

Dutch East India Company

  • Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (De VOC) The VOC was a wealthy Dutch company during the Golden Age. It operated numerous ships, sailed to Asia, Indonesia, Africa, and America.

Rembrandt van Rijn

Rembrandt van Rijn, a renowned painter of the Golden Age, is famous for his masterpiece “The Night Watch”.

The colonies of the Netherlands

  • Dutch East Indies (Nederlands-Indie) (1945)
  • Suriname (1975)
  • The Netherlands Antilles (De Nederlandse Antillen) (2010)

Independence

During the Golden Age, the Netherlands engaged in the slave trade, purchasing individuals from Africa and Asia and transporting them to the Netherlands and America. Slavery was banned in 1983, and from 1986 onwards, people began receiving payment for their work.

Democracy

Koning Willem I van Oranje was the first king of the Netherlands (1815). His successor, King Willem II, wielded significant power, while the people and ministers had little influence, as democracy had yet to emerge. In 1848, spurred by discontent with the king’s authority, the people rebelled and demanded a greater say in political decisions, marking the beginnings of democratization in the Netherlands.

Grondwet

King Willem II commissioned Minister Thorbecke to write a new constitution. De Grondwet in 1848 was the beginning of the modern democracy of the Netherlands.

World War 2

During WW2, Germany occupied the Netherlands from 1940 to 1945.

Dodenherdenking (May 4)

The Netherlands commemorates the victims of war on May 4 every year. We call this the day of remembrance for those who died.

Bevrijdingsdag (May 5)

The Netherlands was liberated by its allies Britain, America and Canada on May 5, 1945. Many festivals and concerts on May 5, which is the official liberation day.

Anne Frank

Anne Frank was a very famous Jewish girl who died in a concentration camp during the Second World War.

  • Het Achterhuis dagboek.

After the WW2

The Netherlands is a member of both the United Nations and the European Union.

  • United Nations (1945)
  • European Union (1957)

Immigrants(Guest workers) and Refugees

  • Guest workers: After World War II, as the Dutch economy continued to develop, many guest workers came to the Netherlands to work in the 60s and 70s.
  • Refugees: Since 1980, many refugees have settled in the Netherlands.

List of words

eeuw: century, middle ages: middeleeuwen, christelijk: christian, katholieke: catholic, kerk: church, onafhankelijk: independent, macht: power, tegen: against, opstand: revolt, handel: trade, joden: jewish, gastarbeiders: immigrants, vluchtelingen: refugee, geallieerden: allies, slavernij: slavery, oorlog: war, gouden: golden.