A LOOK AT THE PAST
Germanic and Celtic tribes once lived in this region. Julius Caesar conquered the area in the 1st; century B.C. As the Roman power weakened, the Saxons and Franks moved in. In the 4th century, the Franks took control and converted the people to Christianity. In the 10th century, the area became part of the Holy Roman Empire. Over the next few centuries, the Dutch became a nation of merchants and traders, who built strong towns.

 In the 16th century, the Low Countries, which included present-day Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, came under Spanish control. Spain was then the most powerful nation in Europe and its rule was harsh. The Low Countries rebelled, led by Prince William of Orange. After a long war, the Dutch Republic was born in 1648. 
In the 17th century the Netherlands became the world's leading industrial, financial and seafaring power. This period is known as the Golden Century in the Netherlands. Dutch art and culture flourished, and the country's universities were renowned throughout Europe. Dutch explorers and traders established colonies and trading posts around the globe from New Amsterdam (present-day New York) to Batavia (present-day Jakarta), as well as in the West Indies, South America and Africa.
Did you know? 

Some Dutch people hid Jewish citizens from Nazis during World War II. Among these "onderduikers," people who "dove" into hiding, was a teenager named Anne Frank whose diary was later published worldwide. 
Costly wars with England and France ended the Golden Century. In 1795 the French army under Napoleon invaded. Netherlands became part of the French Empire. Meanwhile, the British seized many Dutch colonies. When the French occupation ended, the Low Countries came together briefly under Dutch rule, then separated. In 1813 the Netherlands became a constitutional monarchy under William I, a descendant of Prince William of Orange.
The Netherlands remained neutral during the First World War. During the Second World War, German forces invaded and occupied the country. Dutch people formed a resistance movement but suffered terribly. Dutch Jews were sent to death camps. Bombs destroyed most of Rotterdam. Some people were sent to do forced labour in Germany. Thousands starved. Canadian troops helped liberate the country in spring 1945, and brought relief supplies.

 Quickly, the country began rebuilding. Reconstructed Rotterdam became the world's busiest port. Immigrants from Turkey, Morocco and Italy, as well as the former colonies of Surinam and Indonesia made the country more multicultural. Through the 1960s and 1970s the country began generous social spending to make people's lives easier. More recent governments have cut back some of these services.