Dutch III

1581-1648 CE

From 1581 to 1648 CE, the Dutch defied the mightiest empire on earth and won — a handful of rebel provinces declaring independence from Spain, their Sea Beggars sweeping Catholic governors from port after port, their merchants building a commercial empire while Spanish tercíos besieged their cities. Behind their dikes and windmills, they invented the stock exchange, the central bank, and religious tolerance — a republic of traders who proved that money and faith could defeat kings.