Dutch Golden Age

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History of the Netherlands
Joannes van Deutecum - Leo Belgicus 1650 - published by Claes Jansz Visscher Amsterdam.jpg
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Dutch language West Germanic language


History of the Netherlands Dutch history

The History of the Netherlands is the history of seafaring people thriving on a lowland river delta on the North Sea in northwestern Europe. Records begin with the four centuries during which the region formed a militarised border zone of the Roman Empire. This came under increasing pressure from Germanic peoples moving westwards. As Roman power collapsed and the Middle Ages began, three dominant Germanic peoples coalesced in the area, Frisians in the north and coastal areas, Low Saxons in the northeast, and the Franks in the south.

Trade Exchange of goods and services.




Economists use several concepts featuring the word "power":

Koenraad Wolter Swart (1916–1992) was a Dutch-American historian, best known for his work on the role of William of Orange in the Dutch Revolt, and for his doctoral dissertation on the relationship between the state and state functionaries in the seventeenth century.

Causes of the Golden Age

Rembrandt The Night Watch (1642) The Nightwatch by Rembrandt - Rijksmuseum.jpg
Rembrandt The Night Watch (1642)


Dutch Republic Republican predecessor state of the Netherlands from 1581 to 1795

The Dutch Republic, or the United Provinces, was a confederal republic that existed from the formal creation of a confederacy in 1581 by several Dutch provinces—seceded from Spanish rule—until the Batavian Revolution of 1795. It was a predecessor state of the Netherlands and the first Dutch nation state.

Union of Utrecht 1579 treaty unifying the northern Netherlands provinces

The Union of Utrecht was a treaty signed on 23 January 1579 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, unifying the northern provinces of the Netherlands, until then under the control of Habsburg Spain.

Philip II of Spain 16th-century King of Spain who became King of England by marriage

Philip II was King of Spain (1556–98), King of Portugal, King of Naples and Sicily, and jure uxoris King of England and Ireland. He was also Duke of Milan. From 1555 he was lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands.


Netherlands Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Europe


Twelve Years Truce peace treaty

The Twelve Years' Truce was the name given to the cessation of hostilities between the Habsburg rulers of Spain and the Southern Netherlands and the Dutch Republic as agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609. It was a watershed in the Eighty Years' War, marking the point from which the independence of the United Provinces received formal recognition by outside powers. For Spain the Truce was seen as a humiliating defeat as they were forced to make several sacrifices but they scarcely got anything in return. For the time of its duration however the Truce allowed King Philip III and his favorite minister the Duke of Lerma to disengage from the conflict in the Low Countries and devote their energies to the internal problems of the Spanish Monarchy. The Archdukes Albert and Isabella used the years of the Truce to consolidate Habsburg rule and to implement the Counter-Reformation in the territories under their sovereignty.

Peace of Westphalia Peace treaty ending the European Thirty and Eighty Years Wars

The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster, largely ending the European wars of religion, including the Thirty Years' War. The treaties of Westphalia brought to an end a calamitous period of European history which caused the deaths of approximately eight million people. Scholars have identified Westphalia as the beginning of the modern international system, based on the concept of Westphalian sovereignty, though this interpretation has been seriously challenged.

Migration of skilled workers to the Dutch Republic

Fishing for Souls (Zielenvisserij), 1614, a satirical allegory of Protestant-Catholic struggles for souls during the Dutch Revolt (Rijksmuseum) De zielenvisserij - Fishing for souls (Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne).jpg


Fall of Antwerp siege


A skilled worker is any worker who has special skill, training, knowledge, and ability in their work. A skilled worker may have attended a college, university or technical school. Or, a skilled worker may have learned their skills on the job. Examples of skilled labor include engineers, software development, paramedics, police officers, soldiers, physicians, crane operators, truck drivers, machinist, drafters, plumbers, craftsmen, cooks and accountants. These workers can be either blue-collar or white-collar workers, with varied levels of training or education.

Amsterdam Capital city of the Netherlands and municipality

Amsterdam is the capital city and most populous municipality of the Netherlands. Its status as the capital is mandated by the Constitution of the Netherlands, although it is not the seat of the government, which is The Hague. Amsterdam has a population of 854,047 within the city proper, 1,357,675 in the urban area and 2,410,960 in the metropolitan area. The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country but is not its capital, which is Haarlem. The Amsterdam metropolitan area comprises much of the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, which has a population of approximately 8.1 million.

In addition to the mass migration of Protestant natives from the southern Netherlands to the northern Netherlands, there were also influxes of non-native refugees who had previously fled from religious persecution, particularly Sephardi Jews from Portugal and Spain, and later Protestants from France. The Pilgrim Fathers also spent time there before their voyage to the New World.


Portugal Republic in Southwestern Europe

Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe. It is bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain. Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments.

Spain Kingdom in Southwest Europe


Protestant work ethic

Economists Ronald Findlay and Kevin H. O'Rourke attribute part of the Dutch ascendancy to its Protestant work ethic based on Calvinism, which promoted thrift and education. This contributed to "the lowest interest rates and the highest literacy rates in Europe. The abundance of capital made it possible to maintain an impressive stock of wealth, embodied not only in the large fleet but in the plentiful stocks of an array of commodities that were used to stabilize prices and take advantage of profit opportunities." [3]

Cheap energy sources

A river landscape with fishermen in rowing boats, windmills beyond, 1679 Abraham Storck - A river landscape with fishermen in rowing boats (1679).jpg


Birth and wealth of corporate finance

Syndics of the Drapers' Guild by Rembrandt depicting wealthy Amsterdam burghers. Rembrandt - De Staalmeesters- het college van staalmeesters (waardijns) van het Amsterdamse lakenbereidersgilde - Google Art Project.jpg



Although the trade with the Far East was the more famous of the VOC's exploits, the main source of wealth for the Republic was in fact its trade with the Baltic states and Poland. Called the "Mothertrade" (Dutch: "Moedernegotie"), the Dutch imported enormous amounts of bulk resources like grain and wood, stockpiling them in Amsterdam so Holland would never lack for basic goods, as well as being able sell them on for profit. This meant that unlike their main rivals the Republic wouldn't face the dire repercussions of a bad harvest and the starvation it accompanied, instead profiting when this happened in other states (bad harvests were commonplace in France and England in the 17th century, which also contributed to the Republic's success in that time). In time the Dutch traders gained such a dominant position in Poland and the Baltic they all but turned into de facto satellite states.



Monopoly on trade with Japan


European Great Power



Other industries


National consciousness


Social structure

Canal in Leiden LeidenOudeRijn.jpg
Canal in Leiden





Women's roles

A family portrait, second half of the 17th century Gillis van Tilborgh - Family Portrait (detail) - WGA22404.jpg
A family portrait, second half of the 17th century


Unmarried women

The Dancing Couple, by Jan Steen, 1663 Jan Steen - The Dancing Couple - Google Art Project.jpg
The Dancing Couple , by Jan Steen, 1663


Married women and mothers


Maternity and motherhood were highly valued in Dutch culture. Mothers were encouraged to breastfeed their children, as using a wet nurse would prevent a bond from forming between mother and child. The Dutch believed that a mother's milk came from the blood originally in her womb and that feeding the infant such substances would also reap physiological and health related benefits. [8] Seventeenth-century Dutch society dictated that children should first begin to learn religion at home. Therefore, along with their husbands, women used family meal times to discuss religious topics and to focus on prayer. [8]

Old women and widows



Interior of the Laurenskerk in Rotterdam, c. 1664 Interior of the Sint-Laurenskerk in Rotterdam by Cornelis de Man.jpg
Interior of the Laurenskerk in Rotterdam, c. 1664






Astronomer, by Gerrit Dou, c. 1650 Gerard Dou - Astronomer - WGA06646.jpg
Astronomer, by Gerrit Dou, c. 1650



Portrait of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek by Jan Verkolje. Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723). Natuurkundige te Delft Rijksmuseum SK-A-957.jpeg
Portrait of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek by Jan Verkolje.










Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring Meisje met de parel.jpg
Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring





The Kaaswaag (Cheese Weigh House) in Gouda, finished in 1667, was designed by architect Pieter Post (1608-1669), as was the Waag in Leiden. Gouda waaggebouw februari 2003b.jpg










During this time, a climate of tolerance developed in comparison to other European states with strict censorship restrictions paving the way for the Dutch to become a powerhouse in the book trade. This transformation is described by modern historians as the 'Dutch miracle.' Additionally, the Dutch enjoyed high literacy rates, and Dutch entrepreneurs took advantage of this. As a result, seventeenth century Holland became a great centre for the production of news, Bibles, political pamphlets. Louis Elzevirs and his descendants created what is considered one of the most eminent dynasties of the book trade. The House of Elzevir produced pocket editions of classical Latin texts which were scholarly, reliable, and reasonably priced. The Elziver dynasty died out in 1712 and the 'Dutch miracle' waned as international competition caught up to the Dutch book trade. [20]

See also


  1. Swart, Koenraad Wolter (1969). The miracle of the Dutch Republic as seen in the seventeenth century. London: H.K.Lewis & Co Ltd.
  3. 1 2 "Commodity Market Integration, 1500–2000" (PDF).
  4. Saag Molens were invented in Uitgeest, according to the "Haarlemmermeer boeck" by Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater
  6. Quinn, Stephen. Roberds, William. The Big Problem of Large Bills: The Bank of Amsterdam and the Origins of Central Banking. August 2005. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
  7. Baltic Connections: Mercantilism in the West Baltic
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Koot, Gerard (2015). "The Portrayal of Women in Dutch Art of the Dutch Golden Age: Courtship, Marriage and Old Age" (PDF). University of Massachusetts.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Schama, Simon (1980). "Wives and Wantons: Versions of Womanhood in 17th Century Dutch Art" (PDF). The Oxford Art Journal. Washington University in St. Louis.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Franits, Marjorie Wieseman; with contributions by H. Perry Chapman, Wayne E. (2011). Vermeer's women : secrets and silence. Cambridge: Fitzwilliam Museum. ISBN   9780300178999.
  13. "Antony van Leeuwenhoek". www.ucmp.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  14. "Optical Polishing & Lens Grinding Services - United Lens". United Lens. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  15. de Graaf, Reitze A. (16 August 2004). "De rijke Hollandse dis". WereldExpat (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 23 December 2008.
  16. "De Nederlandse keuken". Antiqbook (in Dutch). 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  17. 1 2 Rose, Peter G. (2002). "Culinary History of New York" (PDF). 16 (1). Culinary Historians of New York: 1–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2013.
  19. Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms: Pronkstilleven
  20. Lyons, Martyn. 2011. Books: a living history. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum.

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