 The Open Door Web Site |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The United Provinces In 1568 the seven northern provinces of the Spanish Netherlands rose in revolt against their Spanish masters. In 1579, although the struggle against Spain was far from over, the seven provinces signed the Union of Utrecht which declared them to be an independent federal state. During the first century of its existence the Dutch spent a great deal of time trying to decide how their new state would be governed. In theory, the seven provinces were equal, with each sending an equal number of representatives to the national assembly or States-General. In practice, the States-General was dominated by the two rich maritime provinces of Holland and Zeeland. In addition, the war of independence against Spain had brought the Orange family to power as political and military leaders; Maurice of Nassau (1589-1623), Frederick Henry (1625-1647) and William II of Orange (1647-1650) were really uncrowned kings. When peace finally came at the end of the Thirty Years' War the Orange family began to lose its authority. The United Provinces was then governed by peaceful and tolerant burghers of whom the most famous was the gifted and incorruptible John de Witt.
This was a country of merchants, explorers and city-dwellers which was growing rich on colonial trade. By 1660 Amsterdam had become the financial capital of the world because of the fabulous profits made by the Dutch East India Company. Freedom of religion and of thought stimulated intellectual activity. The Dutch Republic became a center of the arts (Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens), of literature (Constatijn Huygens), of science (Christiaan Huygens, Leuwenhoek) and of philosophy (Spinoza, Descartes). Encouraged by financial prosperity, a new civilisation emerged, devoted to calm, beauty and comfort. Public buildings and monuments were erected, not to the glory of kings or princes of the Church, but to corporations and private families. These were embellished by the works of incomparable artists, such as Ruysdael and Frans Hals.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||
