Being a Dutchman myself, I'd like to thank you for shining a light on the history of our country! The last time I heard these stories was almost twenty years ago in high school, so this refresher course was fun :)
I've always held the 17th century Dutch in high esteem. They were quite progressive in their appreciation of the value of capitalism, tolerance, and science and appeared to be more interested in trade than conquest. They set the standard for the western liberal republics to follow.
One of my Dad's best friends was Dutch, he was very warm and kind to me. He never talked about WWII and what they had to do, but some people who knew him back then told me he risked his life in the resistance as a 13 year old. When I was a kid, I thought "Dutch Uncle" meant the sweetest guy in the world.
@@pauleohl A fair point, but the Dutch were far from unique in this regard. Slavery was virtually universal at the time, so I wonder what nation you are comparing them to with that criticism. Also, the Netherlands were among the first countries to abolish slavery, most likely as a result of education and industrialization. The former enlightened people to the inhumanity of the practice while the later made it obsolete.
The Dutch had quite an influence on America. There’s a superb book called “The Island at the Center of the World “ about Dutch’s New Amsterdam ie New York that is definitely worth reading!
I have read that book. Yes they Dutch were here long before the British. (before it was nyc) New Amsterdam was a very cosmopolitan city led by a pegged legged Peter Stuyvesant. (Wall Street was given its name from the Dutch)
The Dutch not only founded what was to become the largest and most influential city in the US, it help finance the young United States at a crucial time. We paid them back by freeing them from German occupation. One good turn deserves another.
Speaking about 17th century ships and shipbuilding, in Stockholm Sweden there is a museum housing the Vasa, an immense 17th century Swedish Warship that capsized on her maiden voyage in Stockholm harbor due to too high of a center of mass. She lay on the cold oxygen deprived seafloor for over 300 years before being salvaged and exhibited. Should you ever find yourself in Stockholm spend a few hours touring the Vasa museum. Well worth your time and the immensity of the ship is an incredible sight.
The Vasa She was on her maiden voyage with the king and royalty in attendence. Since she was under review the Captain had all her sails deployed and all her gun ports were open. Since she had all her sails fully deployed she took a stiff breeze wich caused her to heel over putting her lower gun ports below water took from between 6 and 8 minutes to sink I believe, in any regards it was quick. Sank right there in front of the king, also Captain went down with the ship
I thought she sank because strong wind caused her to keel over and allow water to gush into the open gunports. That's what I recall reading. Could be old info.
until a windless day.. the industrial revolution kicked off in Britain , partly due to combination of things. like plentiful supply of coal and iron. waterways etc .. windmills were pretty common everywhere in the period . Holland is associated with them because they preserved a number of them into the modern age after everywhere else had demolished their's. though you still see a few watermills turning on historic houses.
north of amsterdam is a region called zaandam it lies along a river the zaan. according to the people there it is the first industrial area in the world. there is an open air museum there Zaanse Schans with leftovers of this time
It's generally known as proto-industrialization but Britain didn't add much but steam power and steel. There was already proper industrial organization, with standardization and a high degree of specialization. There were other big industries like printing, lens manufacturing, cloth, weapons, fake china. The Dutch also already designed the internal combustion engine, on gunpowder, but that was too far ahead of it's time to go beyond a concept. It was the kick off of modern capitalism as we know it.
@@DenUitvreter "Britain didn't add much but steam power and steel" That seems kind of like saying, "America and Britain didn't add much to the information era but the computer and computer network."
@@vbscript2 Those two probably made it into a revolution because of it's impact on ordinary people's lives, but there's the industrial revolution and there's industrialization. The latter, as an approach to production, already existed, just like modern capitalism. The steam power allowed for production to pick any location and for the power to be fully controlled, the steel allowed for smaller tolerances. That's a big change so it seems fair to me to make the distinction between the industrialization of the industrial revolution and the proto-industrialization from before, which many historians do. That was what I was saying.
I can’t believe that with his quality and passion, Lance does not yet have 1 million subscriptions…… I subscribed at less than 50 k, and his subject matter, writing, and production values have continued to improve and expand. Thanks Lance for a great channel…..
Robert Wynkoop Well, it's 990k, so 1m will be but an eyeblink away. Smoke yourself a spliff for getting in so early. No doubt your subscription is history that deserves to be... oh wait, no it's not.
Don't forget to mention why the fluyt ships had such small decks: it was to undercut tarriffs paid in the strait of denmark, where they got their baltic grain, since denmark used deck size to quickly determine a vessel's toll
As an expat South African now in London, its fascinating to know such things weave their way into my very existence. Probably my own 25% or so Dutch heritage would not exist were it not for these ships, the settlers in Cape Town and then the Great Trek.
The crank that was used to translate the circular motion of the mill into the reciprocating linear motion of the saw would later be patented by a patent troll and Watts's steam engine would employ a clever but more complex arrangement of planetary gears to circumvent the patent.
And, if you visit the Netherlands, you can go and see a working example of a wind powered sawmill. Or you can watch it in action here: ua-cam.com/video/Q6FxG3ll-lw/v-deo.html
In 1959 I was born in Delft, Holland. Since my family moved to 'Ford Country" in Dearborn Michigan when I was six years old, its obvious that I wouldn't be getting a proper formal education in Dutch history. Well, I showed them! Now I sit here in my THG tee shirt watching one of the very best history instructors on the web teaching one of his favorite subjects: maritime history.
Welcome to America. My parents were American teachers in the Netherlands, then Denmark. My older bro was born in Emmen, Netherlands. I was born in Denmark. Half my ancestors were Dutch {Delfzijl, & Nord Beveland}; they moved to MI, Kalamazoo area 1900-1905-ish. As a very young child, my family moved from Netherlands and Denmark (back in our parents case) to USA. We've had family friends visit here. And I visited Neth. and Denmark.
It is interesting that so many English words dealing with ships and shipping are directly taken from Dutch. Shoal, dock, frigate, yawl, deck, cruise, ketch, yacht, shore, knot, keel, boom, bulwark, commodore, freight, mast, rowing, sail, skipper, smuggler, tackle, sloop, etc.
a replica of the Batavia was built in the 80s, it is located in the city of Lelystad. and can be visited. if you want to see, in what kind of ships our ancestors sailed across the world seas. this is the place to go
I add that it is an EXACT replica. Made by using exactly the same techniques and materials in exactly the same ways as back then. It is, however, slowly decaying. That is inevitable for these reasons. There are places that are inaccessible and these ships were made back then for only 20 years lifetime.
Since The Netherlands doesn't particularly make me think of woods, I had to look up where did the Dutch get all this lumber to build all these ships. "The hull planks of the Batavia have been matched to slow-growing, straight-trunked oak forests in Poland, which were also the source of wooden panels used by the Dutch and Flemish old masters."
Well interesting as you mention woods as ,the actual meaning of the name Holland is woodland. The shipbuilding and windmills depleted the province of Holland of all its forrests. so much so they had to create a special forrest to grow new trees. The dutch had a lot of slow growing trees , oak , chestnut , beech trees etc. the benelux was filled with ancient. They where all turned in to windmills ships housing .
@@marcusfranconium3392 That is funny, I had no idea about the meaning of Holland. The Netherlands is obviously Low-countries. Ok Cool. Yeah, he mentioned those Baltic ports actually later in the video. Baltic ports obviously being the ports that would take wood out of those Polish Oak forests. That article did mention that eventually those forests in Poland also were denuded which would affect the cost and quality of the ships at later times.
@@stockrex Correct , the name Holland only came in to existance after a kind of war of succesion 1000 years ago as it was known as west frisia. A lot of history with the balticseas trade.
@@marcusfranconium3392 Well i was told they were hollanders before they won in west frisia. Not allot of written history was perserved or ever made. There was no effort to make turn the dialect into a language either. Still a proud west frisian haha.
@@Doubtfull1988 Well over time it had many names, frisia minor .germanica inferior. There is quite a bit of documentation ,the problem is source material is mostly written in different languages and types of writing, . Still the netherlands and frisians have a long and complex histories.
The 'Fluitschip' was made that way (small deck and bulging hull) to evade toll levied on ships crossing from the Baltic Sea and the North Sea by Denmark. The toll was determined by the size of the deck, so small deck meant less toll but the same amount of cargo. This originated from the lumber trade with Russia.
"The Dutch lost the 4 Anglo-Dutch wars" Yeah, but only after taking over the English crown. A lot of Amsterdam bankers joined William of Orange in London, so the success of London and the English Empire was due to the Dutch taking over management there.
Saying the Dutch lost the four wars is inaccurate (and also not what the History Guy said). One was a draw, and one the Dutch won. But the British did come out ahead in the end. And yup, the last country to successfully invade Britain is the Netherlands. And the reforms William and his English wife brought over, especially in the banking area, helped pave the way for the heights of the British Empire.
@@fukpoeslaw3613 The take over by William is one of the most unknown part of history! For Britain it is one of the important political periods. The relationship between the British Parliament and the kingdom was settled.
William & Mary took the English throne 4 years after the end of the 4th war. So no, it was not after taking the crown. Another piece left out was the influence and contribution of the Jewish merchants and bankers who were expelled from Spain after 1492. Many settled in the Netherlands bringing both capital and financial expertise.
As an Dutch shipbuilder I like to thank you for making this video. And I would like to add that Dutch shipbuilding ingenuity has not declined like the Republic did. The most technological advanced ships are still being build on Dutch soil, mostly in the form of the world's most prestigious superyacht's.
I wouldn't say "most technologically advanced" that belongs to shipyards like Bath Ironworks, Portsmouth and Newport News Naval Ship Yards. Some of the most expensive private yachts most definitely.
@@bepbep7418 your partly right most technological is a too generalised of a term. But then it also wouldn't apply to the very accomplished British shipyards. However the need for billionaires to have the best and show off is pushing the industry in general forwards look for an example to the new hydrogen yacht for Bill Gates being built in the Netherlands.
…and don’t forget about Boyan Slat with his (created) Inceptors, cleaning up the mess in the rivers and in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch! Look up The Ocean Cleanup, Rotterdam
To add to that. The Pilgrims lived in Leiden for 10 years before they moved to the new world. They left England because it was too restrictive, they left Holland because it was too liberal. The new world allowed them to live their specific lifestyles without distraction. There's quite a bit of Pilgrim history in Leiden still to be found.
Amazing storytelling. I live in The Netherlands for years now and I love to hear these stories. I find it disappointing to hear a lot of discussions about this particular century center around slavery nowadays. It's as if people disregard all those advancements in science, religion, philosophy, economics and so on. Therefore I love hearing people talk about the topics you covered and the way you did it too. Regards
"I find it disappointing to hear a lot of discussions about this particular century center around slavery nowadays." The thing is that the aspect of slavery has for a very long time been something that barely discussed when it came to the history that was taught in schools etc. After, having part of ones shining, golden age being partly founded on slavery is a bit of a black paragraph. In that regard it deserves more recognition to make for a balanced history. (That being said, those types calling for 'reparations' need to shut it.)
Top 10 GDP in the world except China and India are all build on lutering, plundering and enslaving complete countries.They distroyed complete cultures. They benefit even now from those years by using goods, treasures, and resources that have been stolen from others. Now they display as civilized countries. Of course you get civilised if for centuries there were others working, building and dyig for you. And all that was by force. I invite people to visit Louvre, British museum, the UK, the Russian and as well France and Germany treasurry - just curiouse how many artifacts and goods displayed they purcased, not stolen. Well they just tucked the goods, the natives were already slotered - see American natives, Formosa island, and many many East pacific islands. I was told several times the same story by Dutch persons ( used to leave there for some more than 12 years ) the Polish people used to stolen their bikes and wallets from their pockets and that Polish are theaves. Shame on you Dutch, British, etc. ... for complaining that someone stolen you 100$ and it is not fair.
@@kimwit1307 The entire 'well' of discussion about slavery has been poisoned by afrocentrists... Every single civilization has had some form of slavery, even now.
This video is a masterpiece. Every sentence is rich in information that not only beautifully describes the subject but also describes values that are as important today as they were then. This video should be shown in all schools and should be shown on the first day of Econ 101. As for the subject of another video, Robert Massie's book "Peter the Great: His Life and World" describes Peter's rather long visit to the Dutch Republic for the purpose of learning the craft of shipbuilding. The Tzar of Russia became a shipyard worker. He tried to remain incognito but his 6' 8" height made that rather difficult.
I shared this show with my Facebook page with my own introduction! Fantastic show. The Golden Age of the Dutch Republic was possibly the most dangerous thing to hit the world and Europe at the time. The reason being is the very discussion and thought that individuals may have power, thoughts of their own and should be able to express them...reasons enough for the Powers to do whatever it would take to squish them down.
Sidenote: we had a trade privilege with Japan at that time. Asian stuff was highly desired in Europe, but in Asia there was no demand for European products (one of the reasons the English had 2 opium wars in China).
I was amazed how this was never taught to me in school, but then it was mentioned how the dutch surpassed the rest of the world via reduction in taxes and bureaucratic red tape and I realized why this was never taught in school.
Oh Jzero.. you do have to pay more attention, video stated less duties and red tape concerning trade. It also mentioned factors like co operation and consensus. Now combine that with inventions like saw mills (high productivity) easy access to capitol and well I feel those are the main drivers to the Dutch golden age.
@@ervie60 It happened because the government didnt stop them. The saw mill design was not a first. It was only the first to be implemented on a an industrial scale because for the first time private individuals were given the freedom to do so. As it turns out a profitable private venture is much more likely to succeed than a state owned venture. Its called intensives. The dutch were successful because they figured this out. For example if i asked you to build a trade network across the ocean would you? of coarse not. the government restrictions and requirements would be way too much. If they were eliminated you and many others would be able to immediately open up any sort of business you want.
In the 17th Century taxes were nothing like what they are today. The Dutch didn't "reduce taxes" and although taxation did of course exist in many ways, it was levied very differently and on many things that we don't get taxed for today, and you can be sure that there was as much red tape back than as there is today. Nevertheless governments and countries were organised very differently, in the 17th Century governments didn't have to worry about social security or health care, and pensions were a very dubious concept that only the largest and wealthiest companies might look at. There was no government pension laid down in law or anything like that, but individuals might get one or even received just a one-off payment at the end of their service, if their employers felt so inclined. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) in fact did (pay pensions), but you can be sure that the vast majority of Dutchmen in the Dutch Golden Age did not ever see a pension. It's ludicrous to think that "reducing red tape" had anything to do with the success of the Republic of the Seven Provinces. In fact, when it comes down to it, there was no "Dutch Government" until 1815!
I salute you sir for the way you've compressed this amount of quality information into an eighteen minutes of video without leaving me with all sorts of unanswered questions. You swing.
Living in Belgium and being a history fanatic, I must congratulate you with your accurate presentation of what happened in the Low Countries back in those days. Keep up the good work!
Being Dutch and being from Amsterdam, this video gave me so much interesting information. And since there are still a lot of remains, silent witnesses of that period, I will look differently to my home town the next time I take my bike and explore the city. Thank you !!
Technically it could be said that the Dutch ship builders had the first assembly lines. They would build many ships side by side and move specialist workers focusing one one task ,from one to the other with the next specialist workers rotating to the next ship
Brilliant!! Absolutely brilliant!! I've read some Dutch history (including the first three volumes of John Lothrop Motley's "The Rise of the Dutch Republic" [a hard slog!]) and a short biography of William (the Silent) of Orange, but I've picked up a lot from my readings in European and English history (including a history of the British East India Company). I've long felt that the Anglo-Dutch Wars were one of the great tragedies of European history, and that in their attempt to defeat the Dutch commercially, the British destroyed a naval and commercial power that could have been of inestimable value to Great Britain in the decades and centuries to come. Luckily the accession of Mary II to the English throne with her Dutch husband William helped smooth things over somewhat, and the Dutch were valuable allies in the conflicts with the Bourbons - but the fact remained that their seapower had, by the end of the 17th Century, been drastically reduced. The 80-year-long struggle of the Dutch for independence (and toleration) against the bigoted and fanatical Spaniards is one of the great stories in European history. Thank you for posting such an informative and fascinating video.
Hi, half my ancestry is Dutch. I've read "The Rise of the Dutch Republic" too -- flipping thru some parts reading others/ liked it. I second: "The 80-year-long struggle of the Dutch for independence (and toleration) against the bigoted and fanatical Spaniards is one of the great stories in European history." And like Lance the History Guy shared, the Dutch Republic was a major influencer on the 18th C. development of the USA. The Dutch Republic's religious freedoms and social cooperation also influenced the Pilgrims too. Pilgrims moved first from England 1610-ish to Leyden, Netherlands.
true. every new generation of the maritime kingdoms made improvements from the generation before, but remember it was the Portuguese who innovated the ships in the age of sail that was to be used by all European seafaring powers for almost 400 years.
Being on the internet, you might find a selection of Indonesian people telling everyone on Dutch history related topics about how the Netherlands colonised Indonesia, and a smaller selection of those people still hold a grudge against the people of the Netherlands today, of which on both sides might never have experienced those times or are responsible for it. Though it might be in some ways be the same as why some people still hate the Germans or Italians.
I am born and raised Dutch, and I can say that the History Guy again (as usual) did a more than excellent job. Also I would like to mention the fact that in that same period the Dutch were nr1 in arms manufacturing, they were the first to standardize parts and use sub-contractors. Even families were making parts for the weapon-industrie. Later such manufacturing techniques would adapted all over the world, namely Japan were the first to adopt it in car-manufacturing.
The thing that I love about the History Guy is that he not only delves deeply into each subject he reports on, but he also has an amazing range of things he reports on. I'm guessing he has pretty darn good staff working for him. So a round of applause for the unseen minions working in his Factory of History.
This video is so well done. The Dutch went everywhere, and everywhere they went, they made money. I had relatives that founded the Albany colony in New York. They trapped fur and shipped it back to Amsterdam.
OK Lance, here's one for you. Do an episode on the Betsy Ross Air Corps. here is a runing start : Opal Kunz was an organizer of the Betsy Ross Air Corps, a paramilitary service formed to support the Army Air Corps (the precursor to the U.S. Air Force) in national defense and to serve as humanitarian "air minutemen" in times of emergency. It also had the goal of offering flight instruction to women in order to build a reserve group of women aviators. Kunz grew the corps to about 100 members, partially funding it herself. She served as the corps' first commander, and her husband designed its insignia. The short-lived corps (1931-1933) was never formally recognized by the U.S. military.
The Zaan region in what is now the province of North Holland was famous for its many shipyards and the sawmills that fed them. Shipwrights would start construction of new vessels without having a buyer lined up because they always sold before completion. And not just to Dutch buyers either, many were sold to foreign merchants or even navies. Tzar Peter the Great visited Zaandam to learn about shipbuilding in 1697 and the house he stayed in is now a museum.
I especially like the graphics used here. We not only get the historical, economic facts but have an opportunity to peruse another of the highlights of the Dutch Renaissance...the masterful artwork and paintings of the Flemish masters.
Very interesting chapter! Here's a related footnote to this time. Most English nautical words and terms were borrowed from Dutch during this era, including strange looking words like yacht, which took me 60 years to learn to spell. This jargon is alive today with space travel. Supply ships "dock" at the International Space Station, for example.
in regard to the narrow deck of the Flute ( fluit ) :There was an important economic reason for this shape: tolls were levied on the Sont( the psssage into the baltic). According to Nicolaes Witsen, the height of the Sonttoll depended on the width of the deck. Due to the narrow deck above the wide hold, a maximum load could be transported for a minimum toll.[note 1] This way of calculating tolls remained in use until 1669.
Wasn't there shallow canals and ports in Dutch territories. They are amazing ship engineers, brilliant expansionists and tolerant to ppl, culture and religions of concurred or host territories.
The Dutch are not focused on nor referenced enough in regards to North American or U.S. history. France and Britain get the lions share of attention. More videos on the the Dutch contributions would be interesting.
@@Tedinator01 NYC was named after the Duke of York at the time when the British took over NY. Stuyvesant surrendered NY. He knew he could not win with the resources he had.
With a few Dutch ancestors among the forest of my ancestors names from all of Europe north of the Pyrenees and west of the Rhine, I thank you from deep in the heart of Texas.
I have a Tuxedo cat too! We now I know why the Dutch ships were so formidable when fighting their enemies in the Caribbean. They knew how to build a boat! Enjoyed the video!
Really interesting. I love how you covered so many factors such as the invention of better wood processing something most wouldn’t think of but with 30 times faster processing it is incredible. When we think about powers we often think about battles but forget the economics, innovations and great people behind them. Lovely as always.
Wow! What an enlightenment for me. I have been to Amsterdam (and surrounding areas). My Dutch friends are industrious, hard working folk whose ancestors showed the way to success.
I always learn something worth knowing from your videos. The 30x efficiency boost of wind-powered sawmills - gosh. Designing ships for use instead of warships for some future need. Thank you, History Guy!
A nice introduction into this era. The design of the "Flute" because of a lack of central authority as contributor to the success of the Republic, makes sense. For those interested I can recommend "The dairy of Samuel Pepys", who was an ambassador for the crown. Highly entertaining and a fascinating view of English politics of that time leading up to the "Great Revolution", the last successful conquest of England they never talk about.
Although the tiny country only had 1 - 2 million inhabitants back then, you forgot to mention that they could read and write. That was a protestant treat as they were encouraged to read the bible themselves, including the women. It also had the benefit that the women could do business themselves (under the conditions that there was no husband around). And often the men were at sea or died. So, the economy could continue at home as well. Quite unique legislation worldwide back then and often overlooked.
I spent my time as an apprentice at the Bataviawerf, great shame she's not in as great a shape anymore as she was ten years ago! The funds reserved for her upkeep were retracted by rather silly government policy some years ago, a true shame.
What you don't mention is the reason for the design of the fluit: tolls. The Danes raised funds by forcing trade ships passing through their waters to pay a toll based on the width of their deck. This based on the simple assumption that a larger ship has of necessity a broader deck. By making a wide hulled ship with a very narrow deck the Dutch built a ship that would have to pay far lower tolls to the Danes than their competitors.
Never knew about that part, always learned about that the Dutch could not make bigger ships like the English did because of the shallow coastal waters the Dutch had to comply with, therefor shallow draft, wide hull. Reason why the flagship of England that got captured by the Dutch in the Raid on Medway got used as a tourist atraction for some time.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel The Danish kings had a long long beef with trying to collect tolls passing through the Danish islands. The biggest scofflaw was the Hanseatic League of which my 14th great grandfather was an official. The avoidance of paying tolls or enough tolls made King Valdemar IV mad enough to invade the Swedish island of Gotland in July 1361. His sole intention was to raid and LOOT the Hanseatic city of Visby. His army, after slaughtering close to 2,000 peasant militia, then entered Visby carrying off anything of value. Not sure if the loot equaled what Valdemar thought he was owed but it appears to have satisfied him. This attack alone is worthy of a THG episode. There is so many quirks, odd details and unanswered questions, like why did a Swedish peasant militia die to protect a German walled/fortified city occupied by people who hated the peasants. People who closed the gates to keep the militia out until they were all mostly killed, THEN they opened the gates for Valdemar's troops. The Visby battle is also by far the largest mass grave of a medieval battlefield where the dead were buried in their armor, which has been a gold mine for researchers. The skeletal remains show the brutal lethality of medieval weapons.
One other interesting influence the Dutch trading empire had on the United States: During the early stages of the American Revolution, prior to French support for the rebellion, the Dutch were the first people willing to sell arms to the Continentals, and were the first nation to offer a salute to a Continental naval vessel. Barbara Tuchman gets into this in "The First Salute", her history of the American Revolution that covers a lot of issues American high school textbooks tend to ignore.
Remember that the "Hollanders spent years under the yoke of Spain; thus their sympathy for the US "separation. Their ship sedigns were so far in advance of those from Spain and particularly Portugal, that rapidly became, via the VOC (Dutch East India Company) a colonial power in their own right; think "Indonesia". They had to be good with water-carft, because much of the country was extreme "ocean views" real estate. This despite the wonderful twist where The very Nederlander William and Mary of Orange got an invite to re-establish the British Crown in the late 1600's, on the condition that the "paperwork" contain a BILL OF RIGHTS. Gee, imagine having a Bill of Rights as a FOUNDATIONAL document for a country! Who 'da thunk it?
Check out a book called "Island In The Center of the World". It is about New York's Manhatten Island and it's success as a Dutch colony and it's influence in making the US a successful republic. It is a fancinating and well written book from the Dutch point of view intead of the English point of view.
@The History Guy I hope, you could make a video on a Dutch trading post; that has most influence on another culture. Of course, I'm talking about "Dejima" in Nagasaki, Japan. It is a interesting history on how the Dutch had a monopoly with the Japanese. That assisted them to advance their society and technology. Even that their policy was to closed off access to the world to prevent western colonization.
The Navigation Acts . . . a classic example of the Law of Unintended Consequences and why the Invisible Hand of the market consistently out performs the limits of the human mind to organize complex systems.
Currently rereading Neal Stephenson’s “Baroque Cycle” which takes place exactly during this time, on and around Dutch ships, and spends a lot of time in Amsterdam.
Very good and lively account of the rise of the Dutch Republic seen thru it's ship building prowess. But I think you missed 2 important developments that were essential to that success, the 2 mercantile expeditions to the Eastern Spice Isles that resulted in the creation of the Dutch East India Company and the world's first stock market ; and the truly terrible role the Netherlands played in the slave trade that was, in part, a building bloc of the Golden Age. ps - it's fun to learn the importance of shipbuilding to Peter the Great of Russia, who spent a brief time living in simple semi-secrecy in Zaandam as a shipwright in order to learn that art.
Yes the slave Trade was a gruesome page in this history, yet, it’s easy to overestimate the part the Dutch played because of their mercantile dominance. The big bucks were earned with the East India Trade and foremost the Trade with the Baltics and Europe.
What a great episode. I love the Netherlands, one of my favorite European country’s. I’ve always wondered about their rise and fall. Gives me a reason to dig deeper
This country will soon disappear in the dark crevices of mother earth when they continue to drill for gas. Amsterdam will be the new Atlantis and Heineken, Heintje and Rudi Carell the only modern day witnesses surviving in global memory 🙂
Being a Dutchman myself, I'd like to thank you for shining a light on the history of our country! The last time I heard these stories was almost twenty years ago in high school, so this refresher course was fun :)
I've always held the 17th century Dutch in high esteem. They were quite progressive in their appreciation of the value of capitalism, tolerance, and science and appeared to be more interested in trade than conquest. They set the standard for the western liberal republics to follow.
One of my Dad's best friends was Dutch, he was very warm and kind to me. He never talked about WWII and what they had to do, but some people who knew him back then told me he risked his life in the resistance as a 13 year old. When I was a kid, I thought "Dutch Uncle" meant the sweetest guy in the world.
You sound cool Dutchman! Be well
@@FourthRootDid 17th century Dutch participate in the African slave trade? Did slavery exist in New Amsterdam?
@@pauleohl A fair point, but the Dutch were far from unique in this regard. Slavery was virtually universal at the time, so I wonder what nation you are comparing them to with that criticism. Also, the Netherlands were among the first countries to abolish slavery, most likely as a result of education and industrialization. The former enlightened people to the inhumanity of the practice while the later made it obsolete.
The Dutch had the most amazing paintings. Like photographs they did detail like no other.
The one with the golden helmet is amazing.
Details, look at the painting of Rembrandts mother by Gerrit Dou.
There is an old saying, "A Dutchman can buy from a Jew and sell to a Scotsman and make a profit."
Didja hear about the invention of copper wiring? Two Dutchmen fighting over a penny!
@@aldosigmann419
Okay, that one is really funny
@@aldosigmann419 That was silver wiring,.. copper had been invented at an earlier date when people were poorer.
I resemble that remark!
Never haggle with a Dutchman
The Dutch had quite an influence on America. There’s a superb book called “The Island at the Center of the World “ about Dutch’s New Amsterdam ie New York that is definitely worth reading!
I have read that book. Yes they Dutch were here long before the British. (before it was nyc) New Amsterdam was a very cosmopolitan city led by a pegged legged Peter Stuyvesant. (Wall Street was given its name from the Dutch)
The Dutch not only founded what was to become the largest and most influential city in the US, it help finance the young United States at a crucial time. We paid them back by freeing them from German occupation. One good turn deserves another.
An excellent read
Teddy and FDR were descendents of the Dutch, both literally and in tradition.
@@jesseoglidden Martin Van Buren's first language was Dutch.
This channel is absolute gold.
right on!
Speaking about 17th century ships and shipbuilding, in Stockholm Sweden there is a museum housing the Vasa, an immense 17th century Swedish Warship that capsized on her maiden voyage in Stockholm harbor due to too high of a center of mass. She lay on the cold oxygen deprived seafloor for over 300 years before being salvaged and exhibited. Should you ever find yourself in Stockholm spend a few hours touring the Vasa museum. Well worth your time and the immensity of the ship is an incredible sight.
I have seen it. Amazing.
this is quite famous. i had a model ship of the Vasa years ago.. in the UK..
I think that THG did an episode on it
The Vasa
She was on her maiden voyage with the king and royalty in attendence. Since she was under review the Captain had all her sails deployed and all her gun ports were open. Since she had all her sails fully deployed she took a stiff breeze wich caused her to heel over putting her lower gun ports below water took from between 6 and 8 minutes to sink I believe, in any regards it was quick. Sank right there in front of the king, also Captain went down with the ship
I thought she sank because strong wind caused her to keel over and allow water to gush into the open gunports. That's what I recall reading. Could be old info.
That wind powered sawmill sounds like it is arguably the kickoff of the Industrial Revolution.
until a windless day.. the industrial revolution kicked off in Britain , partly due to combination of things. like plentiful supply of coal and iron. waterways etc .. windmills were pretty common everywhere in the period . Holland is associated with them because they preserved a number of them into the modern age after everywhere else had demolished their's. though you still see a few watermills turning on historic houses.
north of amsterdam is a region called zaandam it lies along a river the zaan.
according to the people there it is the first industrial area in the world.
there is an open air museum there Zaanse Schans with leftovers of this time
It's generally known as proto-industrialization but Britain didn't add much but steam power and steel. There was already proper industrial organization, with standardization and a high degree of specialization. There were other big industries like printing, lens manufacturing, cloth, weapons, fake china.
The Dutch also already designed the internal combustion engine, on gunpowder, but that was too far ahead of it's time to go beyond a concept.
It was the kick off of modern capitalism as we know it.
@@DenUitvreter "Britain didn't add much but steam power and steel" That seems kind of like saying, "America and Britain didn't add much to the information era but the computer and computer network."
@@vbscript2 Those two probably made it into a revolution because of it's impact on ordinary people's lives, but there's the industrial revolution and there's industrialization. The latter, as an approach to production, already existed, just like modern capitalism.
The steam power allowed for production to pick any location and for the power to be fully controlled, the steel allowed for smaller tolerances. That's a big change so it seems fair to me to make the distinction between the industrialization of the industrial revolution and the proto-industrialization from before, which many historians do. That was what I was saying.
I can’t believe that with his quality and passion, Lance does not yet have 1 million subscriptions…… I subscribed at less than 50 k, and his subject matter, writing, and production values have continued to improve and expand. Thanks Lance for a great channel…..
And he is able to all of that plus record with his cat. As a cat owner, I thoroughly understand the challenge.
Wijnkoop-very nice Dutch name.
@@TheOdieD3 yes indeed!
Robert Wynkoop Well, it's 990k, so 1m will be but an eyeblink away. Smoke yourself a spliff for getting in so early. No doubt your subscription is history that deserves to be... oh wait, no it's not.
@@K1lostream touché!
I even in my older years you keep me learning. Thank you, History Guy
I was told by my father when I was very young - You learn something NEW everyday.... and I found out much later ... it does not matter your age.
Don't forget to mention why the fluyt ships had such small decks: it was to undercut tarriffs paid in the strait of denmark, where they got their baltic grain, since denmark used deck size to quickly determine a vessel's toll
Ahah! I wondered why so small a deck.
Clever, as always!
As an expat South African now in London, its fascinating to know such things weave their way into my very existence. Probably my own 25% or so Dutch heritage would not exist were it not for these ships, the settlers in Cape Town and then the Great Trek.
The crank that was used to translate the circular motion of the mill into the reciprocating linear motion of the saw would later be patented by a patent troll and Watts's steam engine would employ a clever but more complex arrangement of planetary gears to circumvent the patent.
And, if you visit the Netherlands, you can go and see a working example of a wind powered sawmill. Or you can watch it in action here: ua-cam.com/video/Q6FxG3ll-lw/v-deo.html
Cool, IP Law ruling the world! 😄😄
In 1959 I was born in Delft, Holland. Since my family moved to 'Ford Country" in Dearborn Michigan when I was six years old, its obvious that I wouldn't be getting a proper formal education in Dutch history. Well, I showed them! Now I sit here in my THG tee shirt watching one of the very best history instructors on the web teaching one of his favorite subjects: maritime history.
Welcome to America. My parents were American teachers in the Netherlands, then Denmark. My older bro was born in Emmen, Netherlands. I was born in Denmark. Half my ancestors were Dutch {Delfzijl, & Nord Beveland}; they moved to MI, Kalamazoo area 1900-1905-ish. As a very young child, my family moved from Netherlands and Denmark (back in our parents case) to USA. We've had family friends visit here. And I visited Neth. and Denmark.
I was born in 92 in Delft. Hi from a fellow Delvenaar👋
Greetings from another Dutch Michigander! My family came from Ermelo, Gelderland and settled in Holland, Michigan.
Also, should have mentioned the 1st modern Stock Exchange founded by the Dutch East India Company in 1602.
It is interesting that so many English words dealing with ships and shipping are directly taken from Dutch. Shoal, dock, frigate, yawl, deck, cruise, ketch, yacht, shore, knot, keel, boom, bulwark, commodore, freight, mast, rowing, sail, skipper, smuggler, tackle, sloop, etc.
a replica of the Batavia was built in the 80s, it is located in the city of Lelystad. and can be visited.
if you want to see, in what kind of ships our ancestors sailed across the world seas. this is the place to go
I add that it is an EXACT replica. Made by using exactly the same techniques and materials in exactly the same ways as back then. It is, however, slowly decaying. That is inevitable for these reasons. There are places that are inaccessible and these ships were made back then for only 20 years lifetime.
I had a look around on the Batavia, that was great. Just I cursed being so tall. Let's just say those timbers are pretty solid...
Since The Netherlands doesn't particularly make me think of woods, I had to look up where did the Dutch get all this lumber to build all these ships. "The hull planks of the Batavia have been matched to slow-growing, straight-trunked oak forests in Poland, which were also the source of wooden panels used by the Dutch and Flemish old masters."
Well interesting as you mention woods as ,the actual meaning of the name Holland is woodland.
The shipbuilding and windmills depleted the province of Holland of all its forrests. so much so they had to create a special forrest to grow new trees.
The dutch had a lot of slow growing trees , oak , chestnut , beech trees etc. the benelux was filled with ancient. They where all turned in to windmills ships housing .
@@marcusfranconium3392 That is funny, I had no idea about the meaning of Holland. The Netherlands is obviously Low-countries. Ok Cool. Yeah, he mentioned those Baltic ports actually later in the video. Baltic ports obviously being the ports that would take wood out of those Polish Oak forests. That article did mention that eventually those forests in Poland also were denuded which would affect the cost and quality of the ships at later times.
@@stockrex Correct , the name Holland only came in to existance after a kind of war of succesion 1000 years ago as it was known as west frisia.
A lot of history with the balticseas trade.
@@marcusfranconium3392 Well i was told they were hollanders before they won in west frisia. Not allot of written history was perserved or ever made. There was no effort to make turn the dialect into a language either. Still a proud west frisian haha.
@@Doubtfull1988 Well over time it had many names, frisia minor .germanica inferior.
There is quite a bit of documentation ,the problem is source material is mostly written in different languages and types of writing, .
Still the netherlands and frisians have a long and complex histories.
The 'Fluitschip' was made that way (small deck and bulging hull) to evade toll levied on ships crossing from the Baltic Sea and the North Sea by Denmark. The toll was determined by the size of the deck, so small deck meant less toll but the same amount of cargo. This originated from the lumber trade with Russia.
You continue to amaze me with your storytelling prowess!
I'm glad you at least mentioned pirates once!
Or the slave trade
"The Dutch lost the 4 Anglo-Dutch wars"
Yeah, but only after taking over the English crown. A lot of Amsterdam bankers joined William of Orange in London, so the success of London and the English Empire was due to the Dutch taking over management there.
taking over management *and* becoming British you mean...
Saying the Dutch lost the four wars is inaccurate (and also not what the History Guy said). One was a draw, and one the Dutch won. But the British did come out ahead in the end. And yup, the last country to successfully invade Britain is the Netherlands. And the reforms William and his English wife brought over, especially in the banking area, helped pave the way for the heights of the British Empire.
Good point. I always understood it to be conflict & merger. Not unlike corporate today.
@@fukpoeslaw3613 The take over by William is one of the most unknown part of history! For Britain it is one of the important political periods. The relationship between the British Parliament and the kingdom was settled.
William & Mary took the English throne 4 years after the end of the 4th war. So no, it was not after taking the crown. Another piece left out was the influence and contribution of the Jewish merchants and bankers who were expelled from Spain after 1492. Many settled in the Netherlands bringing both capital and financial expertise.
There are a number of economic lessons in the video which would benefit many people today.
As an Dutch shipbuilder I like to thank you for making this video. And I would like to add that Dutch shipbuilding ingenuity has not declined like the Republic did. The most technological advanced ships are still being build on Dutch soil, mostly in the form of the world's most prestigious superyacht's.
cool tidbit.
I wouldn't say "most technologically advanced" that belongs to shipyards like Bath Ironworks, Portsmouth and Newport News Naval Ship Yards. Some of the most expensive private yachts most definitely.
@@bepbep7418 your partly right most technological is a too generalised of a term. But then it also wouldn't apply to the very accomplished British shipyards. However the need for billionaires to have the best and show off is pushing the industry in general forwards look for an example to the new hydrogen yacht for Bill Gates being built in the Netherlands.
And don't forget about the large dredging vessels the Netherlands keeps building. If it ain't Dutch, it ain't much ;)
…and don’t forget about Boyan Slat with his (created) Inceptors, cleaning up the mess in the rivers and in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch! Look up The Ocean Cleanup, Rotterdam
There's an even more direct connection between the Dutch ships of their Golden Age and America -- the Mayflower was a fluyt.
To add to that. The Pilgrims lived in Leiden for 10 years before they moved to the new world. They left England because it was too restrictive, they left Holland because it was too liberal. The new world allowed them to live their specific lifestyles without distraction. There's quite a bit of Pilgrim history in Leiden still to be found.
Bedankt Geschiedenis Kerel. -Thanks History Guy
Tough pronunciations. Man that was a great episode!
Where did you get your cat poster. My 1st time utube.
Amazing storytelling. I live in The Netherlands for years now and I love to hear these stories. I find it disappointing to hear a lot of discussions about this particular century center around slavery nowadays. It's as if people disregard all those advancements in science, religion, philosophy, economics and so on. Therefore I love hearing people talk about the topics you covered and the way you did it too. Regards
"I find it disappointing to hear a lot of discussions about this particular century center around slavery nowadays." The thing is that the aspect of slavery has for a very long time been something that barely discussed when it came to the history that was taught in schools etc. After, having part of ones shining, golden age being partly founded on slavery is a bit of a black paragraph. In that regard it deserves more recognition to make for a balanced history. (That being said, those types calling for 'reparations' need to shut it.)
Top 10 GDP in the world except China and India are all build on lutering, plundering and enslaving complete countries.They distroyed complete cultures. They benefit even now from those years by using goods, treasures, and resources that have been stolen from others. Now they display as civilized countries. Of course you get civilised if for centuries there were others working, building and dyig for you. And all that was by force.
I invite people to visit Louvre, British museum, the UK, the Russian and as well France and Germany treasurry - just curiouse how many artifacts and goods displayed they purcased, not stolen. Well they just tucked the goods, the natives were already slotered - see American natives, Formosa island, and many many East pacific islands.
I was told several times the same story by Dutch persons ( used to leave there for some more than 12 years ) the Polish people used to stolen their bikes and wallets from their pockets and that Polish are theaves. Shame on you Dutch, British, etc. ... for complaining that someone stolen you 100$ and it is not fair.
Those who lead such discussions are idiots brainwashed by an agenda. Listening to them means not respecting yourself and your sanity.
@@kimwit1307 The entire 'well' of discussion about slavery has been poisoned by afrocentrists...
Every single civilization has had some form of slavery, even now.
This video is a masterpiece. Every sentence is rich in information that not only beautifully describes the subject but also describes values that are as important today as they were then. This video should be shown in all schools and should be shown on the first day of Econ 101.
As for the subject of another video, Robert Massie's book "Peter the Great: His Life and World" describes Peter's rather long visit to the Dutch Republic for the purpose of learning the craft of shipbuilding. The Tzar of Russia became a shipyard worker. He tried to remain incognito but his 6' 8" height made that rather difficult.
I shared this show with my Facebook page with my own introduction! Fantastic show. The Golden Age of the Dutch Republic was possibly the most dangerous thing to hit the world and Europe at the time. The reason being is the very discussion and thought that individuals may have power, thoughts of their own and should be able to express them...reasons enough for the Powers to do whatever it would take to squish them down.
It's no different than the US today.
Sidenote: we had a trade privilege with Japan at that time. Asian stuff was highly desired in Europe, but in Asia there was no demand for European products (one of the reasons the English had 2 opium wars in China).
I was amazed how this was never taught to me in school, but then it was mentioned how the dutch surpassed the rest of the world via reduction in taxes and bureaucratic red tape and I realized why this was never taught in school.
Oh Jzero.. you do have to pay more attention, video stated less duties and red tape concerning trade.
It also mentioned factors like co operation and consensus. Now combine that with inventions like saw mills (high productivity) easy access to capitol and well I feel those are the main drivers to the Dutch golden age.
@@ervie60 It happened because the government didnt stop them. The saw mill design was not a first. It was only the first to be implemented on a an industrial scale because for the first time private individuals were given the freedom to do so.
As it turns out a profitable private venture is much more likely to succeed than a state owned venture. Its called intensives. The dutch were successful because they figured this out.
For example if i asked you to build a trade network across the ocean would you? of coarse not. the government restrictions and requirements would be way too much. If they were eliminated you and many others would be able to immediately open up any sort of business you want.
In the 17th Century taxes were nothing like what they are today. The Dutch didn't "reduce taxes" and although taxation did of course exist in many ways, it was levied very differently and on many things that we don't get taxed for today, and you can be sure that there was as much red tape back than as there is today. Nevertheless governments and countries were organised very differently, in the 17th Century governments didn't have to worry about social security or health care, and pensions were a very dubious concept that only the largest and wealthiest companies might look at. There was no government pension laid down in law or anything like that, but individuals might get one or even received just a one-off payment at the end of their service, if their employers felt so inclined. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) in fact did (pay pensions), but you can be sure that the vast majority of Dutchmen in the Dutch Golden Age did not ever see a pension. It's ludicrous to think that "reducing red tape" had anything to do with the success of the Republic of the Seven Provinces. In fact, when it comes down to it, there was no "Dutch Government" until 1815!
I salute you sir for the way you've compressed this amount of quality information into an eighteen minutes of video without leaving me with all sorts of unanswered questions.
You swing.
Living in Belgium and being a history fanatic, I must congratulate you with your accurate presentation of what happened in the Low Countries back in those days. Keep up the good work!
It was aboard one of these ships , that my ancestors left Amsterdam , bound for the new world in 1650.
Being Dutch and being from Amsterdam, this video gave me so much interesting information. And since there are still a lot of remains, silent witnesses of that period, I will look differently to my home town the next time I take my bike and explore the city. Thank you !!
Technically it could be said that the Dutch ship builders had the first assembly lines. They would build many ships side by side and move specialist workers focusing one one task ,from one to the other with the next specialist workers rotating to the next ship
Brent, great info! Could you reveal some of your sources?
Brilliant!! Absolutely brilliant!! I've read some Dutch history (including the first three volumes of John Lothrop Motley's "The Rise of the Dutch Republic" [a hard slog!]) and a short biography of William (the Silent) of Orange, but I've picked up a lot from my readings in European and English history (including a history of the British East India Company).
I've long felt that the Anglo-Dutch Wars were one of the great tragedies of European history, and that in their attempt to defeat the Dutch commercially, the British destroyed a naval and commercial power that could have been of inestimable value to Great Britain in the decades and centuries to come. Luckily the accession of Mary II to the English throne with her Dutch husband William helped smooth things over somewhat, and the Dutch were valuable allies in the conflicts with the Bourbons - but the fact remained that their seapower had, by the end of the 17th Century, been drastically reduced. The 80-year-long struggle of the Dutch for independence (and toleration) against the bigoted and fanatical Spaniards is one of the great stories in European history. Thank you for posting such an informative and fascinating video.
Hi, half my ancestry is Dutch. I've read "The Rise of the Dutch Republic" too -- flipping thru some parts reading others/ liked it. I second: "The 80-year-long struggle of the Dutch for independence (and toleration) against the bigoted and fanatical Spaniards is one of the great stories in European history." And like Lance the History Guy shared, the Dutch Republic was a major influencer on the 18th C. development of the USA. The Dutch Republic's religious freedoms and social cooperation also influenced the Pilgrims too. Pilgrims moved first from England 1610-ish to Leyden, Netherlands.
@Richard That is what you get when a ruler of a country sees himself as a god.
The Dutch ships were also much easier to handle as they were equipped with innovative rigging, allowing a few men to do the work of many.
Interessant Bob! Wat waren die innovates?
true. every new generation of the maritime kingdoms made improvements from the generation before, but remember it was the Portuguese who innovated the ships in the age of sail that was to be used by all European seafaring powers for almost 400 years.
Who doesn't love the Dutch? However, with a History Guy episode of such a nature - I was a little disappointed by the lack of pirates.
there was mention... enough to make it a good story.
Being on the internet, you might find a selection of Indonesian people telling everyone on Dutch history related topics about how the Netherlands colonised Indonesia, and a smaller selection of those people still hold a grudge against the people of the Netherlands today, of which on both sides might never have experienced those times or are responsible for it.
Though it might be in some ways be the same as why some people still hate the Germans or Italians.
If you want piracy, take a look at the early history of the Dutch East India Company.
The Batavia mutineers intended to become pirates, following a successful take over of the ship.
It didn't end well!
@@CHIL2903 indeed, though they never had a succesful take-over on the ship.
That was a quite interesting Lesson. Something we don't learn in school. Thank you so much for providing these Snippets.
I am born and raised Dutch, and I can say that the History Guy again (as usual) did a more than excellent job.
Also I would like to mention the fact that in that same period the Dutch were nr1 in arms manufacturing, they were the first to standardize parts and use sub-contractors. Even families were making parts for the weapon-industrie.
Later such manufacturing techniques would adapted all over the world, namely Japan were the first to adopt it in car-manufacturing.
Really really enjoyed the paintings incorporated in this episode.
I'll second that .
Ah another member of the lightning fast chicken pluckers
@@steveg9744 Correct sir 67-71, and you?
@@tonyk1584 73-77
@@steveg9744 Me 98C2L27 Radio Traffic Analyst and French Linguist, Nam 68-69. You?
Absolutely a topnotch quality documentary. Compact yet detailed. A pleasure to watch, that´s for sure...
The thing that I love about the History Guy is that he not only delves deeply into each subject he reports on, but he also has an amazing range of things he reports on. I'm guessing he has pretty darn good staff working for him. So a round of applause for the unseen minions working in his Factory of History.
Excellent episode Professor! I really enjoyed it, Thank you!
This video is so well done. The Dutch went everywhere, and everywhere they went, they made money. I had relatives that founded the Albany colony in New York. They trapped fur and shipped it back to Amsterdam.
This is without a doubt the best channel on UA-cam. I recommend it to everyone I know. Thank you for the work you do to enlighten the world
OK Lance, here's one for you. Do an episode on the Betsy Ross Air Corps. here is a runing start : Opal Kunz was an organizer of the Betsy Ross Air Corps, a paramilitary service formed to support the Army Air Corps (the precursor to the U.S. Air Force) in national defense and to serve as humanitarian "air minutemen" in times of emergency. It also had the goal of offering flight instruction to women in order to build a reserve group of women aviators. Kunz grew the corps to about 100 members, partially funding it herself. She served as the corps' first commander, and her husband designed its insignia. The short-lived corps (1931-1933) was never formally recognized by the U.S. military.
The Zaan region in what is now the province of North Holland was famous for its many shipyards and the sawmills that fed them. Shipwrights would start construction of new vessels without having a buyer lined up because they always sold before completion. And not just to Dutch buyers either, many were sold to foreign merchants or even navies. Tzar Peter the Great visited Zaandam to learn about shipbuilding in 1697 and the house he stayed in is now a museum.
Great episode! You unearthed lots of great information for us. It also did not hurt that you had so many paintings of so many Dutch masters. :-)
This is an OUTSTANDING story. Thank you!
I especially like the graphics used here. We not only get the historical, economic facts but have an opportunity to peruse another of the highlights of the Dutch Renaissance...the masterful artwork and paintings of the Flemish masters.
Once again a Superb Episode. Thank You for the work to produce this Gem.
Thank you for your zeal of such rich ,educational, and interesting history. You present it very well.
fascinating account! Love the collection of all the accompanying pics/art too
Very insightful - thank you!
Fascinating content as always. Thank you!
I love your stories, History Guy. You cover things I just never learned in depth. Added bonus of the History Cat popping up.
Very interesting chapter! Here's a related footnote to this time. Most English nautical words and terms were borrowed from Dutch during this era, including strange looking words like yacht, which took me 60 years to learn to spell. This jargon is alive today with space travel. Supply ships "dock" at the International Space Station, for example.
Outstanding content! And excellent expository writing…a rare skill. Thank you!
in regard to the narrow deck of the Flute ( fluit ) :There was an important economic reason for this shape: tolls were levied on the Sont( the psssage into the baltic). According to Nicolaes Witsen, the height of the Sonttoll depended on the width of the deck. Due to the narrow deck above the wide hold, a maximum load could be transported for a minimum toll.[note 1] This way of calculating tolls remained in use until 1669.
Wasn't there shallow canals and ports in Dutch territories. They are amazing ship engineers, brilliant expansionists and tolerant to ppl, culture and religions of concurred or host territories.
Love your reports, great voice, and action!
The Dutch are not focused on nor referenced enough in regards to North American or U.S. history. France and Britain get the lions share of attention. More videos on the the Dutch contributions would be interesting.
The declaration of independence is the interesting part, also the republic concept.
NYC was at one time named New Amsterdam led by Peter Stuyvesant. Read the book Island At The Center of the World. VERY interesting.
Maybe, but I've always known of their influence. Anyone who studies history knows this.
@@graceamerican3558
Even Old New York was once New Amsterdam.
Why they changed it I can’t say.
People just liked it better that way.
@@Tedinator01 NYC was named after the Duke of York at the time when the British took over NY. Stuyvesant surrendered NY. He knew he could not win with the resources he had.
You're always a good story teller, but for some reason, this one had that something extra.
Excellent video! Thanks for all of them.
With a few Dutch ancestors among the forest of my ancestors names from all of Europe north of the Pyrenees and west of the Rhine, I thank you from deep in the heart of Texas.
Well done - very interesting. Lots of lessons to be learned here.
I have a Tuxedo cat too! We now I know why the Dutch ships were so formidable when fighting their enemies in the Caribbean. They knew how to build a boat! Enjoyed the video!
A great lesson for our day and time. Thanks sir!
Outstanding review. Cheers 🍻
Really interesting. I love how you covered so many factors such as the invention of better wood processing something most wouldn’t think of but with 30 times faster processing it is incredible. When we think about powers we often think about battles but forget the economics, innovations and great people behind them. Lovely as always.
The funny thing is they were only adopted once the patent expired.
Wow! What an enlightenment for me. I have been to Amsterdam (and surrounding areas). My Dutch friends are industrious, hard working folk whose ancestors showed the way to success.
Missed this last night. Another that touched on many subjects that deserve an episode. Very enjoyable.
I always learn something worth knowing from your videos. The 30x efficiency boost of wind-powered sawmills - gosh. Designing ships for use instead of warships for some future need. Thank you, History Guy!
A nice introduction into this era. The design of the "Flute" because of a lack of central authority as contributor to the success of the Republic, makes sense. For those interested I can recommend "The dairy of Samuel Pepys", who was an ambassador for the crown. Highly entertaining and a fascinating view of English politics of that time leading up to the "Great Revolution", the last successful conquest of England they never talk about.
Although the tiny country only had 1 - 2 million inhabitants back then, you forgot to mention that they could read and write. That was a protestant treat as they were encouraged to read the bible themselves, including the women. It also had the benefit that the women could do business themselves (under the conditions that there was no husband around). And often the men were at sea or died. So, the economy could continue at home as well. Quite unique legislation worldwide back then and often overlooked.
Another great episode, History Guy! Thanks again!
Delighted with your research and information dense short history of the golden Dutch age!
I spent my time as an apprentice at the Bataviawerf, great shame she's not in as great a shape anymore as she was ten years ago! The funds reserved for her upkeep were retracted by rather silly government policy some years ago, a true shame.
What you don't mention is the reason for the design of the fluit: tolls.
The Danes raised funds by forcing trade ships passing through their waters to pay a toll based on the width of their deck. This based on the simple assumption that a larger ship has of necessity a broader deck.
By making a wide hulled ship with a very narrow deck the Dutch built a ship that would have to pay far lower tolls to the Danes than their competitors.
Sorry- but that story is now largely discounted based on the revenue records of the time.
Never knew about that part, always learned about that the Dutch could not make bigger ships like the English did because of the shallow coastal waters the Dutch had to comply with, therefor shallow draft, wide hull.
Reason why the flagship of England that got captured by the Dutch in the Raid on Medway got used as a tourist atraction for some time.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel oh? Was all over the history books when I was in school. Which admittedly was 35 years ago.
@@jwenting www.soundtoll.nl/images/files/2018/The_Flute_and_the_Sound_toll.pdf
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel The Danish kings had a long long beef with trying to collect tolls passing through the Danish islands. The biggest scofflaw was the Hanseatic League of which my 14th great grandfather was an official.
The avoidance of paying tolls or enough tolls made King Valdemar IV mad enough to invade the Swedish island of Gotland in July 1361. His sole intention was to raid and LOOT the Hanseatic city of Visby. His army, after slaughtering close to 2,000 peasant militia, then entered Visby carrying off anything of value. Not sure if the loot equaled what Valdemar thought he was owed but it appears to have satisfied him.
This attack alone is worthy of a THG episode. There is so many quirks, odd details and unanswered questions, like why did a Swedish peasant militia die to protect a German walled/fortified city occupied by people who hated the peasants. People who closed the gates to keep the militia out until they were all mostly killed, THEN they opened the gates for Valdemar's troops.
The Visby battle is also by far the largest mass grave of a medieval battlefield where the dead were buried in their armor, which has been a gold mine for researchers. The skeletal remains show the brutal lethality of medieval weapons.
Amazing... Thank you for sharing
Very enlightening - lots of new history here for me! Thank you.
One other interesting influence the Dutch trading empire had on the United States: During the early stages of the American Revolution, prior to French support for the rebellion, the Dutch were the first people willing to sell arms to the Continentals, and were the first nation to offer a salute to a Continental naval vessel. Barbara Tuchman gets into this in "The First Salute", her history of the American Revolution that covers a lot of issues American high school textbooks tend to ignore.
Remember that the "Hollanders spent years under the yoke of Spain; thus their sympathy for the US "separation. Their ship sedigns were so far in advance of those from Spain and particularly Portugal, that rapidly became, via the VOC (Dutch East India Company) a colonial power in their own right; think "Indonesia". They had to be good with water-carft, because much of the country was extreme "ocean views" real estate.
This despite the wonderful twist where The very Nederlander William and Mary of Orange got an invite to re-establish the British Crown in the late 1600's, on the condition that the "paperwork" contain a BILL OF RIGHTS.
Gee, imagine having a Bill of Rights as a FOUNDATIONAL document for a country! Who 'da thunk it?
Check out a book called "Island In The Center of the World". It is about New York's Manhatten Island and it's success as a Dutch colony and it's influence in making the US a successful republic. It is a fancinating and well written book from the Dutch point of view intead of the English point of view.
Very informative, as usual!!
I had always wanted to read about this very topic , Thank You MR. History. Guy !
Thank you for this video about the history of my home country, and bonus points for a mention of my home province, Frysia.
@The History Guy
I hope, you could make a video on a Dutch trading post; that has most influence on another culture. Of course, I'm talking about "Dejima" in Nagasaki, Japan. It is a interesting history on how the Dutch had a monopoly with the Japanese. That assisted them to advance their society and technology. Even that their policy was to closed off access to the world to prevent western colonization.
Ahhh, true that is a very interesting story!
So interesting! I can't wait for the next video!
Thanks for the new video History Guy!
The Navigation Acts . . . a classic example of the Law of Unintended Consequences and why the Invisible Hand of the market consistently out performs the limits of the human mind to organize complex systems.
It is called the invisible hand because it is an illusion.
Closing in on a million subs History Guy!
Glad to say I knew you when...
Another great video! I learn so much from your content
Currently rereading Neal Stephenson’s “Baroque Cycle” which takes place exactly during this time, on and around Dutch ships, and spends a lot of time in Amsterdam.
Whenever you do a story about the Dutch, It always reminds me of your story about the Dutch Masters!
The Dutch illustrated early on that everyone can prosper better through free trade rather than military conquest.
Military conquest played a large role founding the power and influence of the Dutch V.O.C. in the East.
My favourite episode to date. Thank you very much Mr History Guy.
I actually grew up in the village Uitgeest that Cornelis Corneliszn. came from (the saw mill inventor he mentions). Makes me proud.
Very good and lively account of the rise of the Dutch Republic seen thru it's ship building prowess. But I think you missed 2 important developments that were essential to that success, the 2 mercantile expeditions to the Eastern Spice Isles that resulted in the creation of the Dutch East India Company and the world's first stock market ; and the truly terrible role the Netherlands played in the slave trade that was, in part, a building bloc of the Golden Age. ps - it's fun to learn the importance of shipbuilding to Peter the Great of Russia, who spent a brief time living in simple semi-secrecy in Zaandam as a shipwright in order to learn that art.
Yes the slave Trade was a gruesome page in this history, yet, it’s easy to overestimate the part the Dutch played because of their mercantile dominance. The big bucks were earned with the East India Trade and foremost the Trade with the Baltics and Europe.
What a great episode. I love the Netherlands, one of my favorite European country’s. I’ve always wondered about their rise and fall. Gives me a reason to dig deeper
What fall? We have never fallen!
The Golden Age simply morped into a Silver Age.. still making a lot of money
Its not really a fall though. Still one of the richest countries in the world with arguably the best standards of living.
This country will soon disappear in the dark crevices of mother earth when they continue to drill for gas. Amsterdam will be the new Atlantis and Heineken, Heintje and Rudi Carell the only modern day witnesses surviving in global memory 🙂
@@BrianJ.not the best,Iceland,new Zeland,Norway,Switzerland and possibly Denmark or Luxembourg has better standard of living
Always love your episodes. Thanks
Always a fine, fine job.. thank you