Netherlands History

The History of Netherlands since the early middle Ages is one of prosperity and at the same time politically unstable. Continuously one would see that the ambitions of the French kings and the Holy Roman Emperors would clash against each other as both wanted to acquire the region. However, the excellent response to the wool trade had given rise to proud municipalities. It was only in the early 16th century that the imperial influence had managed to gain an upper hand.

The next phase of the history of the Netherlands can be explained as the struggle for independence. This was the period when there was remarkable growth in Dutch sea power, a phenomenon which has not as yet been explained in satisfactory terms by historians. The 17th century is known as the “Golden Age” when there was a flowering of art and culture. This was perhaps the most crucial period in the history of Netherlands. The Golden Age was certainly a key period in terms of witnessing unprecedented economic, cultural and scientific development. Such was the religious freedom that the republic attracted many immigrant writers and scholars who were unable to publish in their own countries. The power of the Dutch started to decline from the 18th century onwards when it was finally absorbed into Napoleon’s empire in 1810.

It was in 1848 that the history of the Netherlands saw for the first time the monarch being limited with powers after the constitution was amended. Even though the Netherlands was not in World War I, it suffered badly due to the Nazi invasion. The Dutch were however bent on increasing European unity. The effort finally paid off in 1957 which was indeed a happy moment for the history of Netherlands. The Netherlands became one of the founding members of the European Community. Subsequently, the Dutch even held the Presidency of the EC in the latter part of 1991. The recent history of the Netherlands has been all about focusing and deciding the future of EU integration in economic and monetary policy as well as other areas.