156247

What was the golden age of the Netherlands like?

After gaining independence from Spain, the Netherlands developed into a seafaring and trading power in the 17th century. The number of merchant ships in the Netherlands exceeds the total number of merchant ships in all European countries, and is known as the “coachman of the sea”. The Netherlands established colonies and trade strongholds around the world, a period known in the Netherlands as the “Golden Age”.

1. Commercial Finance

Since 1585, the Netherlands pursued a very tolerant religious policy while seeking national independence. Therefore, businessmen who suffered from religious oppression all over Western Europe fled here, including Calvinists in Antwerp, Jews in Spain, etc. It can be said that at that time The best business people in Europe have basically come to the Netherlands, and they have also brought large sums of money for investment. In this case, it is difficult for Dutch business and finance not to rise.

Due to the strong atmosphere of life and money, Dutch merchants were very keen on the dangerous ocean trade, and they soon started the spice trade with the East Indies, replacing the traditional advantages of Portugal and Spain here. In addition, their trade with India, Japan, Russia, the Levant, including the interior of Europe, developed rapidly. It can be said that in those decades, the Dutch were like a group of “little supermen at sea”, there was no place they couldn’t reach, and there was no business they couldn’t negotiate.

In 1602, the Dutch established the East India Company (VOC), which completely monopolized the trade between Europe and the East Indies. This was the world’s first multinational company. At the same time, they established a stock exchange so that the company’s shares could be offered on the open market, and every time a shipment of spices returned safely from the East Indies, everyone who held the company’s shares would make a fortune. Fromm’s work “East India Company Crew”, a seascape painter in the Dutch Golden Age, can see the unprecedented grand occasion of maritime trade.

2. The field of technological innovation

The Dutch in the 17th century had the most advanced technology in the world at the time, which allowed them to create extremely high food yields on limited arable land. They improved the technology of windmills and sluices, increased agricultural efficiency through dyke-building and drainage, and contributed to the development of the dairy industry.

The most famous inventor in the Netherlands at the time was Cornelisson, who invented the wind-driven sawmill, which greatly enhanced the development of the wood processing industry and the shipbuilding industry. He also invented the crankshaft, which can convert the circular motion of a windmill into reciprocating motion.

3. Navigation and shipbuilding

The Netherlands can become a new generation of maritime hegemons, and their super strength in the shipbuilding industry is inseparable. At that time the Netherlands was able to produce the largest merchant ships in the world for long-distance sea voyages and transportation. This kind of boat is called “Fluyt” (fluyt), it is about 24 meters long and weighs 200-300 tons. At that time, the merchant ships of various countries were refitted with warships, so the defense was relatively strong and the loading capacity was relatively small. But the Dutch were more daring, and the purely commercial boat they invented took the space to the extreme.

4. Fishery fishing

The fishing industry in the Netherlands developed very early and was small before the national uprising, and their main catch is herring fishery. Because the Flemish people invented the technique of “gibbing”, which allowed herring to be preserved for a long time after curing, the Dutch could sell it long distances to various parts of Europe, and by the way also promoted the salt industry. development of.

Later, as the market competition became more and more fierce, the Dutch developed the riskier “whaling industry”. Since “whale oil” is a very important industrial raw material, this business once brought a lot to the Dutch. profit. However, the industry has since declined as overfishing has become increasingly serious.

5. Textile processing field

The Dutch textile industry was originally a lifeless industry, but due to religious persecution in Spain, a large number of Flemish skilled workers fled, and the developed textile industry in the south of the Netherlands was almost completely moved to the Netherlands. As a result, unique textile towns soon emerged in the Netherlands, such as wool in Enschede, linen in Haarlem, and silk in Amsterdam.

6. Field of flower cultivation

Horticultural planting in the Netherlands is also very distinctive, the most famous of which is the tulip planting industry. By 1636, Dutch tulips were the fourth largest domestic export, after gin, herring and cheese. Due to people’s excessive love and pursuit of tulip flowers, many speculators began to hoard tulip bulbs and raise the market price, which finally led to a “Tulip mania” that shocked the world. The unit price of many precious varieties of tulip bulbs was It was 3,000 guilders, which is equivalent to a year’s income of a Dutch skilled worker.