Title: Netherlands - Geography, Government and History
Headings: Geography of the Netherlands
Geography of the Netherlands
Learn All about the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Fast Facts: Netherlands
History of the Netherlands
The Government of the Netherlands
Economics and Land Use in the Netherlands
Geography and Climate of the Netherlands
More Facts About the Netherlands

Content: Zuidplaspolder at –23 feet (–7 meters)
History of the Netherlands
In the first century BCE, Julius Caesar entered the Netherlands and found that it was inhabited by various Germanic tribes. The region was then divided into a western portion that was inhabited mainly by Batavians while the east was inhabited by the Frisians. The western part of the Netherlands became a part of the Roman Empire. Between the fourth and eighth centuries, the Franks conquered what is today the Netherlands and the area was later given to the House of Burgundy and the Austrian Habsburgs. In the 16th century, the Netherlands were controlled by Spain but in 1558, the Dutch people revolted and in 1579, the Union of Utrecht joined the seven northern Dutch provinces into the Republic of the United Netherlands. During the 17th century, the Netherlands grew in power with its colonies and navy. However, the Netherlands eventually lost some of its importance after several wars with Spain, France, and England in the 17th and 18th centuries. In addition, the Dutch also lost their technological superiority over these nations. In 1815, Napoleon was defeated and the Netherlands, along with Belgium, became a part of the Kingdom of the United Netherlands. In 1830, Belgium formed its own kingdom and 1848, King Willem II revised the Netherlands' constitution to make it more liberal.