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In the 1st century BC, the Romans defeated the tribes that lived in the area we now know as The Netherlands, and they ruled it for 250 years.
The French invaded the Netherlands and took control of it. In the 9th and 10th centuries AD, the Vikings came from Sweden and Norway and made repeated attacks, looking for treasure. The towns built defences to defeat the Vikings.
Phillip 2nd of Spain
All through the Middle Ages, the French continued to dominate, but in the 16th century, The Netherlands became part of the Spanish kingdom. King Charles 5th left control of this area to his son, Phillip, who ruled harshly. The people revolted, and fought the Spanish for 80 years, but at last made them leave.
The Netherlands became an independent nation in 1648.
After this, The Netherlands flourished. There were great painters such as Rembrandt and Vermeer. See some of the paintings here
http://www.abcgallery.com/R/rembrandt/rembrandt.html
Dutch explorers set off from Amsterdam to explore the world, much of which was unknown to Europe. They established trading posts all over the world, and controlled the trade of spices that they imported from places like the Caribbean and south east Asia. This made the Dutch unpopular with other European countries, and the English and French fought many wars against them. Gradually England became the most successful seafaring country.
During the 1st World War, The Netherlands was neutral, which meant it took neither side. However, in the 2nd World War, the country was not able to do this. Germany invaded in May 1940, and the Dutch suffered greatly throughout the war.
Acknowledge
this source in your bibliography like this:
The Netherlands (2003). [Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au
Back to The Netherlands Index page
updated October 2006