Chapter 16 McKay (pp. 555-

559)(4.18)

The Dutch World

Golden Age (1580-1670)

The AstronomerThe AstronomerJan Vermeer, 1668Jan Vermeer, 1668

Today’s Objectives

• Golden Age of the Dutch

• Homework

• Read Ch 16 (555-559)

Dutch Golden Age

1581 1588 1602 1609 1625 1648 1652 1678 1702 1715

Union of Utrecht

declares independence

Phillip III recognizes

United Provinces

Spanish Armada

New Amsterdam

Founded

Treaty of Westphalia

ends “Eighty Years War”

1st Anglo-Dutch War

Dutch East India

Company Founded

Treaty of Nijmegen

War of Spanish Succession

Dutch decline from Power

•The Netherlands -Big Ideas

•Defied trend of absolutism

•France’s Model

•Defied trend towards centralization of power

•England’s Model

•Experienced its Golden Age during the first half of the 1600s

The “Dutch” CenturyMain Characteristics

Decentralized Government Unlike other Western

NationsProtestant Work EthicReligiously tolerant*Extremely Urban & bourgeoisie Diverse and Thriving economy“Golden Age” of artists and thinkers 1600s The Leiden Baker & His WifeThe Leiden Baker & His Wife

Jan SteenJan Steen

Dutch Government• Loose Confederated Republic (Article of

Confederationish)– 7 United Provinces

• Each Province had:– A Stadtholder

• Executive responsible for defense, law & order in province

• Had influence but not authority• When the country was threatened the

status of the stadtholder went up• States General

– Federal Assembly of the 7 delegates (Stadholder) from Provinces

– Had little power economically/politically• Orange family (William) was stadholder for 6

of 7 provinces• Oligarchy of regents (usually merchants &

bankers) held real power over local Estates

Mary Stuart (dau. Of Charles I) & William II (the Silent)-their son became William II & married Mary Stuart (Dau. Of James II)

The Dutch FederationThe Dutch Federation

REGENTS- provincial level- held virtually all the power- strong advocates of local independence

STADHOLDER- States General representative from each province- responsible for defense and order

STATES GENERAL- federal assembly

- foreign affairs (war)- all issues had to be referred to the local Estates

Dutch Society (1600s)Generally higher salaries than in any other parts of W. Europe.

Even women had higher wages Largest middle class in Europe

Largest urban population per capita in EuropeBest fed/ highest standard of living

granaries with enough surplus for one yearOver 200 breweries

“Protestant work ethic” Thrift and frugality praised

Had numerous charitable institutions Beatings, floggings, of

vagrants did occur

Patrician Houses Along the Canal Patrician Houses Along the Canal in Leidenin Leiden

Dutch Golden Age• Period of economic, cultural, artistic,

intellectual achievement during 1600s• Causes

– Migration of skilled workers• Religious persecution of Calvinists by

Philip II led Durtch toward policy of religious toleration of other religions

• Attracted Huguenots, Jews – Inexpensive energy source

• Peat and windmills provided energy for industry

– Technological breakthroughs• Invention of Sawmill sparked massive

shipbuilding industry– Trade, Business, entrepreneurship,

and wealth praised• Calvinism encouraged posterity

Fishing for Souls, 1614, a satirical allegory of Protestant-Catholic struggles for souls during the Dutch Revolt

• Religiously tolerant– Calvinism is main religion

• Wealthy & status almost exclusively protestant

• Divided over issue of predestination– Catholics had rights

• Could worship in conventicle (a house doubling inconspicuously as a church)

• Tended to live in certain section of town

– Vermeer lived in “Papist Corner” – Jews welcomed

• Over 7 thousand in Amsterdam but tended to live in certain sections

– Religious refugees welcomed• 60 thousand Huguenots came after

Fontainebleau• Pilgrims

Dutch Society

Rembradt’s Master’s of the Cloth Guild

Vermeer’s, The little street

Interior of a Portuguese Interior of a Portuguese Synagogue in AmsterdamSynagogue in Amsterdam – –

Emmanuel De WitteEmmanuel De Witte

Portrait of Portrait of an Old an Old

Jewish ManJewish Man Rembrandt, Rembrandt,

16541654

Sampling Officials of the Sampling Officials of the Drapers GuildDrapers Guild – – Rembrandt - Rembrandt -

16621662

• Painting• Considered part of the Baroque movement

– Often painted domestic scenes, still life– Safe haven & place of where life takes place– Subjects driven by wealthy bourgeosie merchant class

• Not Church• Jan Vermeer

– portrayed typical domestic scenes– Reflects wealth & global trade of Dutch

• Girl with the Pearl Earring – Rembrandt

• Portrayed Biblical scenes, portraits (over 80), self-portraits, Jewish population

• Paintings often show ‘the face behind the mask’ TPM• Masters of the Clothe Hall

– shows businessmen and judges – the men who are running the Republic (Calvinistic)– burghers – personal simplicity in the face of wealth

Cultural achievements

Vermeer, The Geographer

The Masters of Cloth Hall

Rembrandt - Beggars

Receiving Alms at the Door of a House

The Lace The Lace MakerMaker

Nicolaes Nicolaes MaesMaes

The Lace The Lace MakerMaker

Jan Jan VermeerVermeer, , 1669-16701669-1670

The Account The Account KeeperKeeperNicolaes Nicolaes

Maes, 1656Maes, 1656

A Woman A Woman Holding a Holding a BalanceBalance

Jan Jan VermeerVermeer, ,

16621662

View of DelftView of DelftJan VermeerJan Vermeer, 1660-1661, 1660-1661

A Young A Young Woman Woman with a with a

Water JugWater Jug - - Jan Jan

VermeerVermeer, , 16621662

Begin at 4:00Begin at 4:00

Girl with a Girl with a Pearl Pearl

EarringEarringJan Jan

VermeerVermeer, , 16651665

Click

University of University of Gröningen, 1614Gröningen, 1614

• Along with Leiden, Along with Leiden, they were the first they were the first international international universitiesuniversities

• Half of the students Half of the students were foreignerswere foreigners

Dutch SocietyDutch Society

• By 1645, it (Groningen) By 1645, it (Groningen) was the largest university was the largest university in the Protestant world.in the Protestant world.

• separation of the strong separation of the strong provinces hindered the provinces hindered the power of any church to power of any church to control intellectual life in control intellectual life in the Dutch Republic!the Dutch Republic!

René DescartesRené Descartes

The French philosopher lived in Leiden The French philosopher lived in Leiden from 1628 to 1649.from 1628 to 1649.

Dutch Optics: The Dutch Optics: The TelescopeTelescope

Most agree that the telescope was Most agree that the telescope was invented by Hans Lippershey in invented by Hans Lippershey in

1608.1608.

Christiaan HuygensChristiaan Huygens• Used telescope to

view Saturn’s rings

• Invented pendulum clock

• Theorized wave theory of light

• First theoretical physicist

• Member of French Royal Academy of Sciences until 1685

• Edict of Fontainebleau

Anton van Leeuwenhoek Anton van Leeuwenhoek • Father of microbiology

• First to observe single-celled organism (bacteria)

• Expert at glass melting/shaping

• Developed technique for producing high quality lenses

– Made more than 500

– Could magnify up to 500xs

• Shared results with Royal Society of London

• May be the subject of Vermeer’s The Geographer

• Dutch Art reflect Dutch zeitgeist

– Period of both technological, scientific, and economic growth

Anatomy Lecture of Dr. Anatomy Lecture of Dr. Nicolaes TulpNicolaes Tulp – – Rembrandt, Rembrandt,

16321632

(detail) Anatomy Lecture of (detail) Anatomy Lecture of Dr. Nicolaes TulpDr. Nicolaes Tulp – –

Rembrandt, 1632Rembrandt, 1632

The Dutch EconomyReclamation Program

Thousands of workers, horses “reclaimed” land from the seaOpened thousands of acres of fertile landCapital intensive farming produced butter, cheese, & tulips

Controlled most of Europe’s shipping10 thousand ships in 1600Carriers between France, Spain, England, and the BalticExported diamonds, linens, pottery500 miles of canalsBought in bulk (undercut rivals)Principal suppliers grain & fish

Dutch East India Dutch East India Ship, mid-17cShip, mid-17c

The Bank of Amsterdam (1609)• European money was chaotic

– kings, cities or private individuals minted own coins

• often debased with other alloys (uncertain values)

• Amsterdam – accepted mixed monies– accessed their value – exchanged European currency

for gold florins • known and unchanging weight

• Florins became the currency of trade

• Amsterdam is the financial center of Europe until 1790s

The Bourse (Stock Exchange)

Dutch Economy• Joint Stock Companies

– Early form of corporation– Bourse in Amsterdam – Investors could buy a “share” or

stock of ownership in varies companies

– As company became more valuable, so did profit of investor

• Chartered Companies– Companies granted monopolies in

certain markets– Had large fleets, soldiers,

negotiated treaties, coined $– Dutch East Indian Company

(1602)• 1st Joint Stock co.• Granted monopoly on trade in

Asia by States-General of Union of Utrecht

Shipyard of Dutch East India Co.

Bourse Stock Exchange, Amsterdam

Return of the Dutch East Return of the Dutch East IndiaIndia

Fleet, 1599Fleet, 1599

Amsterdam Stock Market (Bourse)Amsterdam Stock Market (Bourse)Emmanuel De Witte, 1653Emmanuel De Witte, 1653

Jewish refugees helped found it in Jewish refugees helped found it in 1602.1602.

DutchDutchDelftwareDelftware

English English DelftwareDelftware

RembrandtRembrandt

African African HeadsHeads

The The GeographeGeographe

rrJan Jan

Vermeer, Vermeer, 1668-16691668-1669

Girl Reading Girl Reading a Letter with a Letter with the Window the Window Open - Open - Jan Jan

VermeerVermeer, 1657, 1657

Abraham and Isaac-

Rembrandt van Rijn

1634

Self Portrait

Rembrandt 1661

Click for Clip

The Night WatchThe Night Watch – – Rembrandt, 1642Rembrandt, 1642

Rembrandt , Harmensz van Rijn , Beggar

Woman Leaning on a Stick, 1646

Anglo Dutch Wars (1652-1674)• Series of three naval wars• Tensions between Dutch and

England rising over trade, fishing rights, perceived slights

• Navigation Acts (1651)– Seemed to be a mercantile act– Really a pretext for English

pirates to take any Dutch ship they saw

• England demanded Dutch “Strike their colors (flags )” – Symbolizing submission or

surrender• Rump Parliament declared war after

Dutch refused• Dutch lost New Amsterdam • But Dutch continued its golden age

until 1713 (War of Spanish Succession New Amsterdam, 1660

Click for summary clip

William of Orange/King William III• B. 1650• Son of William, Prince of

Orange, and Mary Stuart (daughter of Charles I)

• Multilingual– spoke English, French,

Dutch, German, Latin and Spanish fluently

• Disliked pomp and circumstance, flattery– Hated Louis XIV

• Preferred to focus on the affairs of state

• 1677 married Mary Stuart – daughter of James II

War of Spanish Succession• United Provinces under

constant threat by Louis XIV• 1667 Louis XIV invaded the

Spanish Netherlands– Important buffer zone for

Dutch

• William III creates Triple Alliance with England, Spain against France

• Treaty of Nimwegaen (1678)– unstable peace is made

with France– Dutch provinces are

preserved– 1689 William III becomes

king of England

War of Spanish Succession• King Charles II of Spain died in

1700 Left kingdom to Philip, duc d'Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV– “The Pyrenees exist no

longer”– Would greatly upset balance

of power– Louis recognized James II’s

son, Catholic James Stuart (the "Old Pretender"), as the rightful monarch of England and the Dutch

• “Grand Alliance” of 1701• GB, HRE, and UP unite to oppose

Louis

The Peace of Utrecht (1713-1714)• Treaty that ends War of Spanish Succession• Partitioned the world of Spain

– Britain gets Gibraltar and Minorca (Balearic Is.)– Savoy gets Sardinia– Austrian Habsburgs get Milan, Naples, Sicily, and

Spanish (now Austrian) Netherlands– France agreed to stop supporting “Pretenders”– Grandson of Louis XIV was crowned Philip V of Spain

• Spain now Bourbon Spain• keeps new world territories• BUT Crowns of France and Spain can never be

united• Absolutism comes to Spain (lasted until 1931)• New World markets are available to French goods

– Domination by France is prevented

• Dutch flood reclaimed land to stop French invasion– “Dutch Barrier” is erected

• a string of forts and garrisons in Belgium are granted

• Cost of war, rise of English navy, decline in innovation, division of the 7 provinces, rise of mercantilism lead to Dutch decline after 1715

• Never play a prominent role in European political affairs after 1715

Treaty of Utrecht