Keeping Their Heads Above Water

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Holland - Dutch History until 1830

Before the Netherlands was politically organized as the County of Holland, early settlers located in the Rhine River Delta, a land of low marshlands and changing geography. The rivers continually chose different paths across the land while the ocean intruded from the west during storms. This fight against water comprises a large part of Dutch history and the resulting Dutch character.

Modern Dutch History seems to begin in the 10th century when Dirk I landed and established a stronghold.

The Netherlands has a rich history with a Golden Age of great economic, artistic and social prosperity. The Netherlands has also been subject to foreign occupation and control. The area has been overrun or controlled by the Romans, the Vikings and a fuedal system which led to the Duchy of Burgundy, all before 1477.

In 1477, the death of Charles the Bold led to the intrusion of the Habsburg power in Austria. Charles' heir, Mary of Burgundy was married to Maximillian of the Habsburg Empire, and she was forced to concede the Netherlands autonomy in favor of Austro-Hungarian control which lasted almost a century.

Then in 1555 the period of Spanish domination began, lasting until 1581 when the Republic of the United Provinces was created. This led to the Golden Age. With the formation of the Dutch East and West India Companies, the Netherlands enjoyed nearly 200 years of relativly unbroken prosperity.

This prosperity ended in 1795 when the French army conquered and controlled the United Provinces, which were renamed the Batavian Republic. In 1806 Louis Bonaparte became King of the Kingdom of Holland, but his career was cut short in 1810 when he abdicated this throne.

In 1810 the Kingdom of Holland became part of the French Empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1813 William VI of the House of Orange is named as the last Dutch leader under the old Stadholder system. When Napoleon was ultimately defeated in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the resulting mess was sorted out by the Congress of Vienna.

This Congress renamed William VI of Orange to William I, Prince of Orange, King of the Netherlands, and Grand Duke of Luxembourg. At this time the Netherlands was expanded to include Belgium, making William I ruler in all of modern-day Benelux (BElgium, NEtherlands, LUxembourg.) The ties to the House of Orange continue today, with orange as the national color and Queens Wilhemina, Juliana, and today's Beatrix as daughters of the House of Orange.

In 1830 Brussels Revolution was the precursor the Belgium's independence. While Luxembourg remained in flux through World War II, 1830 saw the birth of the independent Kingdom of the Netherlands, which has lasted until today.