Other rivals close at hand are now less of a threat than they used to be. An expansionist France, on the other hand, does bear watching, and guarding against.
A distant Catholic emperor holds no appeal for them. Having beaten off brutal attempts to bring them to heel, the Dutch now have little love for Hapsburg-ruled Spain or Austria. The Dutch have learned to live with Hapsburg threats hanging over their heads. Spanish claims to the New World and its trade are cheerfully ignored, as are Spanish threats. They are everywhere, in fact, where there is a profit to be made. Dutchmen can be found trading in the Indies, where they give the locals a run for their money, and the Caribbean. A mere generation ago, the Dutch navy sailed into the Thames and burned the English fleet at anchor: this kind of bravado and expertise is not quickly forgotten.ĭutch merchantmen range across the world’s oceans, and the wealth of the world passes through Dutch ports.
Having tamed their land and held back the sea, the Dutch have also embraced the sea and become the foremost naval power in the world. The United Provinces are a Protestant stronghold in North-western Europe, a place where science, trade and freedom of thought have flourished since the Spanish were driven out in the last century.
