posted by Charles H. Russo on May 22
The country was part of the Holy Roman Empire until it was acquired piece by piece by the Burgundians. At the end of the middle ages, it became a Spanish possession (together with what is now Belgium). Little survives from this period, except a few historic city centers, and a few castles.
Following a revolt led by national hero Willem van Oranje (William of Orange), the father of the currently ruling House van Oranje (of Orange), the Spanish were kicked out as part of the Thirty Year’s War (known as the Eighty Year’s War in the Netherlands: 1568-1648). The split with Belgium came when the northern provinces signed the Union of Utrecht in 1579.
It grew to become one of the major economic and seafaring powers in the world during the 17th century, which is known as the Gouden Eeuw, or Golden Age, in the Netherlands. During this period, a number of colonies were founded or conquered, including Indonesia and New York, which was later traded with the British for Suriname.
In 1815 it became a kingdom (its status being somewhat ambiguous before that) together with Belgium. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. Avoiding the liberal revolutions of 1848, The Netherlands quietly became a constitutional monarchy and remained neutral in World War I but suffered a brutal invasion and occupation by Gera number of in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EC, and participated in the introduction of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999.
Posted by: Lee
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