▁a ▁sense ▁of ▁opposition ▁to ▁the ▁r uler . ▁Through ▁this ▁resistance ▁to ▁outside ▁rule , ▁a ▁sense ▁of ▁belonging ▁to ▁a ▁common ▁nation ▁began ▁to ▁emer ge . ▁Cent uries ▁of ▁being ▁un ited ▁by ▁politics ▁and ▁econom ics ▁allowed ▁the ▁people ▁of ▁the ▁Low ▁Count ries ▁ ▁– ▁even ▁though ▁they ▁spoke ▁different ▁languages ▁– ▁to ▁feel ▁part ▁of ▁a ▁shared ▁culture : ▁the ▁Nether land ish ▁culture . ▁Nevertheless , ▁even ▁though ▁polit ically ▁brought ▁together ▁the ▁sevent een ▁states ▁did ▁not ▁develop ▁a ▁feeling ▁of ▁national ▁identity . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁and ▁ 1 7 th ▁centuries , ▁these ▁sent iments ▁were ▁not ▁strong ▁enough ▁to ▁mobil ize ▁the ▁leading ▁or ▁the ▁common ▁class ▁of ▁the ▁Low ▁Count ries . ▁Non eth eless , ▁opposition ▁to ▁central ization ▁im posed ▁by ▁Charles ▁V ▁and ▁Philip ▁II ▁helped ▁to ▁for ge ▁a ▁national ▁identity ▁later ▁on . ▁While ▁under ▁foreign ▁rule , ▁neither ▁citizens hip ▁nor ▁a ▁national ity ▁law ▁of ▁the ▁Low ▁Count ries ▁existed ▁on ▁the ▁national ▁level . ▁ ▁Cit iz ens hip ▁Prior ▁to ▁the ▁formation ▁of ▁the ▁Dutch ▁Republic , ▁the ▁sevent een ▁provinces ▁of ▁the ▁Netherlands ▁had ▁urban ▁and ▁not ▁national ▁citizens hip . ▁No ▁inclus ive ▁citizens hip ▁status ▁existed ▁for ▁the ▁population ▁of ▁the ▁Low ▁Count ries . ▁Cit iz ens hip ▁was ▁a ▁legal ▁status ▁available ▁to ▁all ▁inhabitants ▁of ▁a ▁particular ▁city . ▁There ▁were ▁certain ▁oblig ation ▁and ▁privileges ▁applied ▁to ▁all ▁those ▁that ▁were ▁burg