A short History Of Amsterdam
Amsterdam is a city like no other. Founded as a little fishing village around the 13th century, its progress has been driven by trade ever since. In 1323 Amsterdam obtained exclusive trading rights to beer imports from Hamburg, and by the 17th century beer, as well as many other products such as wheat, guns, tobacco and diamonds, had turned Amsterdam into the richest city on earth.
During this time, the Dutch had begun their war of independence against Spanish imperial rule. This war lasted for 80 years and was led by their most noble citizen – William of Orange. They officially won their freedom in 1648, as a protestant nation, and became the only republic in Western Europe at the time.progress has been driven by trade ever since. In 1323 Amsterdam obtained exclusive trading rights to beer imports from Hamburg, and by the 17th century beer, as well as many other products such as wheat, guns, tobacco and diamonds, had turned Amsterdam into the richest city on earth.
The 17th century is known as the Dutch Golden Age, which revolved around flourishing Amsterdam. At this time artists such as Rembrandt led a cultural renaissance in the city whilst Dutch ships sailed all over the world, bringing back exotic and highly valued products such as spices and silk.
Amsterdam has always been a magnet for immigrants, often fleeing from persecution in their homelands. Beguine nuns and Huguenots, as well as Protestants from all over Europe fled to Amsterdam throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Sephardic Jews who fled the Spanish inquisition at the end of the 16th century brought much of their trade knowledge and contacts to the city. Amsterdam’s success has always been based on tolerance and cooperation in trade. The Jews found less discrimination in this city than any other in Europe.
The end to the Golden Age was signaled in 1672 when the Netherlands was attacked by pretty much all of its neighbours. France, England and two German states combined to bring punishment to the little republic which had grown richer than all of them combined.
France invaded again in 1795, led by Napoleon. They stayed here for nearly 20 years, bringing the Dutch language and culture a significant hit of French influence. The French left in 1813 and the Dutch decided that they’d had enough of playing “republic” and decided to crown their own most noble of families – the Oranges. So began the Dutch constitutional monarchy, which it remains today.
In 1940 the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, rather unexpectedly. The Dutch had successfully remained neutral during WWI and had hoped to repeat this in WWII. Hitler had other ideas and occupied the country for 5 years. The impact that this had on the Dutch Jewish population was immense – per capita, the Netherlands lost more Jewish citizens than any other Nazi occupied nation. Amsterdam lost 10% of its population.
The 60 years following the war saw Amsterdam change immensely. It moved from being a trade city to a service-based city, and became a lot more liberally minded following the fascism of WWII. There was a clean-up of the police force, and several liberalization movements from the 1960s through to the 1980s had a big impact. Amsterdam also became renowned for its tolerance to soft drug use. This remains the case today, although the Dutch combine it with their traditional business acumen and sense, and have managed to turn it into a thriving industry.
There is no city like Amsterdam, as its history shows. Come and check it out for yourself!
