Brief History of Holland

1. Celts, Batavians and Frisians were the early inhabitants of the lowlands, which were regularly flooded by the coastal waters.

2. From around 50 BC they were ruled by the Roman Empire.

3. After 300 AD, more Franks from Germany spread west and settled and gradually the Netherlands grew.

4. In the 8^th century they became part of Frankish Emperor Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire.

5. During the Middle Ages, a series of principalities, sort of semi-autonomous states, was formed.

6. Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, gained control in 1348.

7. When Philip's granddaughter Mary of Burgundy married Maximillian I, the Holy Roman Emperor, the Burgundian possessions ended up in Austrian Habsburg hands and - eventually - under Spanish control.

8. In the 16^th century German Martin Luther and Frenchman John Calvin brought Protestantism to the northern provinces of the Netherlands.

9. In 1568 the Eighty Years' War broke out.

10. William of Orange led the revolt against Spain; the Dutch Republic was born in 1648.

11. In the 17^th century, a time of great prosperity --- so-called "Golden Age," the Netherlands became a mighty maritime power with great commercial interests in the West Indies (Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean), the East Indies (Sri Lanka and Indonesia), and South Africa.

12. In the 18^th century Holland quickly diminished, and the Republic ended in 1795 with the invasion of French forces. In 1810 the lands were incorporated into the French Empire.

13. William Frederick returned to the Netherlands and later in 1813 became King William I. For a short period the seven Northern United Provinces of the Netherlands were joined with the Southern Provinces, consisting of what is nowadays known as Belgium and Luxemburg. The union was short-lived.

14. In 1830 the south revolted and nine years later the Dutch officially recognized the Kingdom of Belgium.

15. The Netherlands stayed neutral in WWI and WWII. However, in May 1940 the German army invaded and occupied the country. At the end of the war in 1945 much was in ruins.

16. The postwar period was focused on repair and there was also a shift from agriculture to industry. Holland also played a key role in the European Union.