When they talk about the low countries in these days, they are talking about modern day Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg ; also known as the BeNeLux ! 🙂

@rmyikzelf5604

Жыл бұрын

Back then, the low countries included parts of modern-day Germany and Northern France.

It actually is related, Nassau in the Bahamas is named after William III, who was King of England, Ireland and Scotland and Stadholder of five of the seven Dutch provinces, and he was a member of the family Orange-Nassau, descendent of William the Silent/William of Orange.

Bit embarrassing, but every time I see Connor placed a vid about my home country I get the same feeling as when my team scores a goal in a derby.

5:28 not only you can find safe harbours but you also meet there the confluence between the Rhine and Maas rivers that go deep into the continent. Furthermore, the flat terrain allows to easily pierce canals connecting those rivers to others, creating an impressive and dense waterway network going from the North sea (or even London) to the Alps and from Paris to Berlin... the low countries (especially Holland with Amsterdam and Rotterdam; Brabant with Antwerp; and Flanders with Bruge) being the hub of it all. So yes, it made everyone wanting to control that key area. Though, it didn't change hands that much. The Habsburg inherited peacefully (or so) and remained there until 1792, just losing the North to the locals after a bloody 80 years independance war in the 16th-17th centuries (which began as an old school feudal rebellion that implied at first also the South (current Belgium) and degenerated into a full scale civil war when everyone radicalized over religion)

The Netherlands were one of the most prosperous regions of Europe between the 15th century and the 17th century. There were many rich merchant cities like Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and later Amsterdam, but also a large proto-industrial (if you may call it that) textile sector. Most of the valuable english wool was sold to Flanders, where it was made into textile products. Not with machines of course, but still on a larger scale.

@5thMilitia

Жыл бұрын

The Netherlands didn't stop to be the most prosperous region in Europe after the 17th century

@panther7748

Жыл бұрын

@@5thMilitia I meant it relatively. Their relative importance shrunk over time, especially after the industrial revolution.

@paulcollins5423

Жыл бұрын

@@5thMilitia Indeed. You guys were also at the forefront of the age of exploration and vied with the Portuguese for control of the spice trade - which of course, as I'm sure you know, is why Indonesia (formerly the Dutch East Indies) was once a Dutch possession.

@rmyikzelf5604

Жыл бұрын

The Baltic trade routes (mostly grain) and the Hanzen trade union made the region very prosperous (or more accurately profitable for those who controlled it and its trade, as the general public couldn't benefit until the 1600 when the VOC and stock market were created) from the 13th century onwards.

The low countries in the 14th and 15th century pretty much controlled trade to and from the north (Baltic sea) and many Dutch cities were part of the Hanzen trade treaty. This trade was mainly grain from the north-east (Poland, Russia). Since the area of the low countries is basically one big river delta of three major European rivers, it was key in distribution to the rest of north-west Europe. That made the Provinces very rich. After they gained independence of Spain, the Dutch provinces became unbelievably rich.

Conner, did you know that the current king is a trained and qualified airline captain, and I believe still does occasional shift in the cockpit for the Dutch national airline KLM to keep his hours etc up. So, if you ever fly KLM the pilot might be King Willam-Alexander.

@xyira777

Жыл бұрын

And KLM is the oldest airline in the world 103 years

@willemdubbeldam9285

Жыл бұрын

Yes he does, to keep his license he must fly a certain number of hours per year.

@danielleporter1829

2 ай бұрын

Willem-Alexander

Regarding Belgium: Have you seen the episode "Geography Now: Belgium"? It explains the complicated language/borders/governments of the country.

the Netherlands' power came partly through the trade wealth of the Hanseatic League. The wealth of Spain took off when the Conquistadors brought back galleons full of gold from South America.

The height of spanish power was under Charles' son, Philip II. he ruled over both Spain and Portugal and all their colonies, as well as over the Low Countries and large parts of Italy. After him, the spanish empire started to decline and after the 30 Year's War, it had effectively lost its hegemony. For the following 100 years (about 1650 to about 1750, at least), France was the leading european power.

Astute point on Belgium, Connor. It is, after all, a purely arbitrary construct that was originally just the old Spanish (then Austrian) Netherlands, IE; the predominantly catholic, southern provinces of the post-Naploleonic united Nethelands set up at Vienna as a single kingdom comprising all the "low countries". Something it was hoped would be big and stable enough to act as a check on possible renewed French expansionism. But alas, it sort of got detached from the rest after a sloppy, half-hearted bout of rioting and looting in 1830 ended up in a pissy wee continental style declaration of independence. An inconvenient irritation to the great powers (Britain particularly, for obvious reasons). So led to a conference in London and Belgium's establishment as a 'guaranteed' independent kingdom under 'appropriate' government (small German princely house with close links to British royalty). Thus all was well and Belgium's creation had the added bonus of giving one of the future Queen Victoria's uncles at least somewhere to be king of..... so good result. Until 1914, anyway, when the wheels came off in style.

@paulcollins5423

Жыл бұрын

You are right. I know that many of us feel at times that our respective countries are deeply divided but Belgium is unlike any other country I’ve been to in that regard. I remember a train journey from Brussels to Bruges: when we started all the announcements and destinations were exclusively in French and the ticket inspector spoke to us in French but at the point where we crossed from French-speaking Wallonia into Flemish-speaking Flanders everything changed abruptly, The announcements and all destinations were suddenly exclusively in Flemish and the same ticket inspector would suddenly only speak to us in Flemish or (since we don’t speak Flemish) English. It was as if he didn’t know French at all. I’ve travelled in multilingual countries before - Switzerland is probably the obvious example that springs to mind for travelling through areas with different first languages - but I have never seen such a stark and uncompromising linguistic divide before or since.

@paulcollins5423

Жыл бұрын

@wim Thanks very much for your replies, Wim. To my shame, although I knew there was a geographical and cultural linguistic divide in your country I didn’t appreciate the depth of it until I went first to Ghent and then on another break to Brussels and Brugge (again, I am afraid it is universally known as Bruges in the UK). I would like to write in defence of our ticket inspector though, who I may have inadvertently maligned. He spoke to us and everyone else in French at the beginning of our journey and I replied in French (my French is conversational but it will undoubtedly have had a clear English accent). When we switched, he spoke to everyone in Dutch but I asked him a question in French and he replied, clearly knowing from my dreadful accent that we were British, in English. I am sure that had we been native French speakers that he would have engaged with us in that language. My contrast was the difference from Switzerland where had we been going from, say, Lausanne to Lucerne the announcements would have been in both French and German and had we continued to ask a question in French rather than German we would have been answered in French and not English. By the way, I lost my heart to Ghent and its people on that first trip! Absolutely loved it and them.

"Belgium: A country invented so that Britain and Germany would have a place to sort out their differences." ~ Jeremy Clarckson

Greece's King Constantine's funeral was held today. You should react to some of it. A beautiful service with a lot of royalty present.

15:33 you have the beginning of the answer in the video: Belgium is its own country because of the low countries over which the Valois of Burgundy ruled. So, it was somehow united, then there was 80 years war... the North (current Netherlands) left, the South (current Belgium) remained its own political entity (but Liège, long story) under Habsburg rule until 1792. After Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna tried to stick back Southern and Northern Low countries together. But they were growing apart for too long (more than 200 years) and the whole thing failed miserably: the South came back to be its own political entity, but without Habsburg rule. If you think about it, Switzerland is not less odd: 4 languages, deep religious divisions, regional richness diversity, complicated institutional functionning...

There was a lot of nobility in the Middle Ages that came out of Holland and Belgium that provided Queens etc for France etc.

Very interesting video and comment by you, Conner. 👍👍

There is a large rather flat area from Poland over the north of Germany, through the Netherlands, Belgium, into the north of France without significant mountain ranges. It has been a battle field for more than two thousand years. Probably even much longer, according to recent DNA studies. It is a moderate climate zone, fertile, and every new invader wanted to occupy it, replacing the settled (male) population until they settled down and history would repeat itself. Trade existed in a diagonal line due to the rivers Rhine, Rhone and Danube. From the North Sea to the Mediterranean. Where the riches of the north were traded with the riches of the south. And products from around the route found their way as well, like salt and flint stone, to the north and south. With trade, prosperity flourished. The line North Sea Italy was the richest area of Europe for millennia and still is. That is why is was wanted by so many who were looking for wealth and power.

Fun to see this all worked out, just keeps feeling odd thought that each Willem is turned to William except the last. In English i'd call him William-Alexander....or change the earlier ones to Willem like they do with the current one. Right now feels like going John I, John II and then Johan III kind of thing.

@dutchman7623

Жыл бұрын

Yep, strange habit by English speakers, change the name of dead kings and queens into the English version. Only current monarchs keep their names until... But Dutch do the same, Louis Quatorze is called Lodewijk de Veertiende.

Belgian here... All Belgians are aware that the country doesn't have it's own identity, so no worry. There are two cultures and many Flemish Belgians want independence, since they have their own identity. Belgium itself is an artificial country that's been created by the English as a neutral bufferstate between the great powers in 1830. Maybe it's interesting to react to "why is belgium a country, history of Belgium in 11 minutes" kzread.info/dash/bejne/lax527WJg7jJiNY.html

Matt Baker (Useful Charts) actually made a video about different types of government. I highly recommend it. It's called "Should monarchies still exist in the 21st century?"

Had William and Mary chosen to merge the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of England (which they could have done) world history would have looked radically different. Instead, William decided to keep these two entities separate.

'German State Royals' had origins in Lutherism ... a "branch" of Protestantism, hence the preference by the UK royal family.

Thanks for this; very interesting. I hadn't appreciated that the Dutch Royal line of succession was limited in that way for a start. I could be wrong but I think that King Willem-Alexander is also the only current reigning European King or Queen who is not a descendant of Queen Victoria.

Pretty good, especially as you enjoy charts and maps. However, although you've looked at his offering before, anything historically to do with the Netherlands or Low Countries, look at 'History with Hilbert'. He knows his stuff!

pls do a Video about Belgium :D

Yeah, useful charts cool yeay

I think your sentiment about Belgium is shared by most Belgians. It's not for nothing they have 3 governments, legally all on equal footing....

A sacrifice the algorithm

To imply that Claus had Nazi symathies is way out of line. Bernard, yes. He chose the Nazi ideology and the NSDAP, but that said, also flew bomber missions for the British RAF above Germany in WW2. Bernard was a complicated man. Claus, however, was a humanist and a promising diplomat. He never had Nazi sympathies and never joined the NSDAP.

Recommended vid ,Guy nails every accent.

belgium only reminded me of waffles and hercules poirot lol

@shivas3003

Жыл бұрын

hercules poirot = Monsieur Moustache

@dutchman7623

Жыл бұрын

Hercules Poirot created by Agatha Christy. And even in waffles there are those from Liege and Brussels, like them both though! But above all, Belgium is united in one thing, not being part of one of its neighbors.

You 're thinking of Gingivitis Connor 🙂