Charles Groenhuijsen discusses the archaeological Prehistoric past of the Low Countries and the early Classical Period in which Roman historians refer to its residents.
Charles Groenhuijsen discusses the Medieval society of the Low Countries, starting with the introduction of Christianity and the prosperity as a result of urbanization.
In the sixteenth century the Dutch Revolt broke out in the Netherlands. In this war between Catholics and Protestants, William of Orange must make a choice between his own interests and those of the Spanish king.
Charles Groenhuijzen explores the Dutch Golden Age, the seventeenth century in which everything seems to work. Arts and sciences are flourishing like never before.
The eighteenth century has a dull image, but is that justified? This is the age of the Enlightenment, rapidly advancing science and new educational ideals. But it is also the century in which the Republic trades in slaves on a large scale.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Netherlands was still a difficult country with dirt roads, carriages and barges. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815 the national borders were established. But unity is hard to find.
After the Second World War, the Netherlands tries to go back to the old situation before the war, also in the East Indies. That the Indonesian population thinks otherwise, according to the Dutch government is all the fault of the Japanese.
After the Second World War, the Netherlands was destroyed. The country has to be rebuild. There is hardly any discussion about our standards and values. Fifty years later, the clarity of the reconstruction years seems far-fetched.