the Netherlands in seventeenth century 1609 1648.

The Netherlands in the Seventeenth Century, 1609-1648 is the second volume in Pieter Geyls magnificent History of the Dutch-Speaking Peoples. In this masterly account of how the Netherlander finally won their freedom, he describes the uneasy truce with Spain, the arrest and execution of Oldenbarnevelt, the resumption of war in 1621, the uncertain alliance with France, and the eventual establishment of Dutch independence in 1648.Geyl also provides an unforgettable portrait of Dutch life during the first half of the seventeenth century - an era of unprecedented domestic prosperity, of extensive colonial expansion in the East Indies and North America, and of outstanding cultural achievement, most brilliantly exemplified in the works of the young Rembrandt.Pieter Geyl (1887-1966) was the greatest Dutch historian of his time and a scholar of European renown. His Revolt of the Netherlands, 1555-1609 is also published in Cassell History.