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History of Holland
Comprehensive history. Considerable attention is paid to political geography; and each volume is furnished with such maps and plans as may be requisite for the illustration of the text. The author was an honorary member of the Dutch Historical Society, Utrecht and a foreign member of the Netherland Society of Literature, Leyden.
- GenresHistory
490 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1922
About the author
George Edmundson
20 books1 followerGeorge Edmundson was a clergyman of the Church of England and academic historian of the University of Oxford. He took up benefices in Northolt and Chelsea and in retirement lived in the south of France.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 26, 2026
History Of Holland by George Edmundson was published in 1922. Its title is somewhat misleading for a contemporary reader in that it suggests that the book might offer a history of just one province of the Netherlands. I was certainly not alone in the United Kingdom to have been brought up to understand the terms “Holland” and “the Netherlands” as interchangeable. It seems that George Edmundson was part of the same tradition because his book is definitively a history of the whole country now known as the Netherlands.
It starts during the Burgundian period in the 14th century and ends with the great war of 1914 to 1918, in which the Netherlands maintained am uneasy neutrality. In between we are presented with the political and, to a certain extent the economic history of the country described in great detail, if the word “detail” cam be applied to what is essentially a chronological list. What is lacking here is a description of Dutch society through the ages – religion, of course, is entirely political. Given that the book comprises nearly 500 pages, something, of course, had to be excluded. What remains is a walk through the essential facts – the wars, the battles, the invasions, the political rationales, the changes of government, the monarchical marriages and the politicians that played their roles in Dutch history.
I cannot remember when I last read a history of a country from that country’s perspective, 16th century Italy excluded, but that, at the same time, that was not a country. Neither was the Netherlands a “country”, as such, until really quite late on in the story. Anyone who reads European history will be used to the fact that the borders that now appear fixed were not only fluid in the past, but they frequently did not exist. So the main meat at the start of Edmundson’s text is the Burgundian part of the Holy Roman Empire which, at the end of fifteenth century, had to cope – and not for the last time – with succession problems in Spain. The Burgundian and the Spanish houses - meaning their royal families – had just been united by marriage and it was clear that the convenience of a disunited marriage in Spain – Ferdinand and Isabella – would dissolve into chaos. What emerged was a boy emperor in Charles V of Spain, a Hapsburg and heir to what had become the most powerful empire on the planet.
Edmundson firmly declares that Charles was a Dutchman. He may have made his name as King of Spain, and that country may have been the focus of his efforts over decades, but he was raised in the low countries and spoke the language. This was not true of his son, Philip II, who was a Spaniard through and through. This fact led to some trying times for the low countries as Spain repeatedly waged war to reassert Catholic supremacy in a land that embraced Protestantism.
Increasingly, as the book progresses through its intricate detail, the reader is struck by how loosely the states of the Netherlands hang together. It seems that bickering and difference, both political and religious, conspire to keep the society together, the process of arguing about priorities becoming self-perpetuating. The Dutch, of course, do have the language, which is which probably the glue that keeps the nation together, despite the continual disagreement.
I was due to spend a week in Utrecht to attend the Gaudeamus contemporary music festival, and the choice of reading material was informed by the visit. What I did not appreciate was quite how long the book was. Length is one consideration, but the author’s level of detail makes progress through its text slow going, although the writing style is transparent and easy. It is the sheer weight of information that seems heavy.
But the text does cover about 600 years of history. The procession of both inter- and intra-ruling class intrigue and opportunism is interesting, but the plethora of battles described must have resulted in many thousands of casualties. These battles are listed, but there is precious little discussion of any consequences for the people concerned. It is interesting for a modern reader how the lives of ordinary folk in this history of squabbles between rulers are taken for granted. “Cannon fodder” is a phrase that comes to mind. One wonders whether anything has really changed.
What came across repeatedly, however, are three aspects of Dutch life. These formed a thread which bound the history to common themes. And, looking at the contemporary Netherlands, one is forced to ask whether they might not still apply.
The first and foremost is the regular political disarray. The nation seems to muddle through the disagreements into yet another complicated constitutional arrangement, which, on the face of it, will never work. It does not ever work, but then the next political transformation is already under way.
The second enduring and repeating characteristic of the Dutch nation is debt at the national level. The politicians of whatever era seemed always to be chasing an increasing level of debt. Political instability never allowed agreement on the level of taxation that would address this debt, despite the fact that the Dutch perennially being amongst the highest taxed nations in Europe. Another war meant incurring more debt and the wars kept coming.
The third thing that sticks out is the level of industry and application that the people bring to their economic life. Bereft of natural resources, until the 20th century brought gas, the Dutch nation has always seemed to excel in trade and indeed, in the 16th century they were amongst the richest nations on earth because they provided the conduit by which international trade took place.
It would be wrong in a short review to mention specifics, but the general conflict of religion figures large. The Netherlands is now one of the most secular societies, but the remnants of religious divisions still influence politics. In the period covered by Edmunson’s text, the catholic versus protestant conflict is always somewhere in the frame, often at the forefront.
Overall, Edmundson’s book is both detailed and thoroughly interesting. For a non-Dutch person, it gives an overview of events which surely stimulates a reader to want to delve more deeply.
It starts during the Burgundian period in the 14th century and ends with the great war of 1914 to 1918, in which the Netherlands maintained am uneasy neutrality. In between we are presented with the political and, to a certain extent the economic history of the country described in great detail, if the word “detail” cam be applied to what is essentially a chronological list. What is lacking here is a description of Dutch society through the ages – religion, of course, is entirely political. Given that the book comprises nearly 500 pages, something, of course, had to be excluded. What remains is a walk through the essential facts – the wars, the battles, the invasions, the political rationales, the changes of government, the monarchical marriages and the politicians that played their roles in Dutch history.
I cannot remember when I last read a history of a country from that country’s perspective, 16th century Italy excluded, but that, at the same time, that was not a country. Neither was the Netherlands a “country”, as such, until really quite late on in the story. Anyone who reads European history will be used to the fact that the borders that now appear fixed were not only fluid in the past, but they frequently did not exist. So the main meat at the start of Edmundson’s text is the Burgundian part of the Holy Roman Empire which, at the end of fifteenth century, had to cope – and not for the last time – with succession problems in Spain. The Burgundian and the Spanish houses - meaning their royal families – had just been united by marriage and it was clear that the convenience of a disunited marriage in Spain – Ferdinand and Isabella – would dissolve into chaos. What emerged was a boy emperor in Charles V of Spain, a Hapsburg and heir to what had become the most powerful empire on the planet.
Edmundson firmly declares that Charles was a Dutchman. He may have made his name as King of Spain, and that country may have been the focus of his efforts over decades, but he was raised in the low countries and spoke the language. This was not true of his son, Philip II, who was a Spaniard through and through. This fact led to some trying times for the low countries as Spain repeatedly waged war to reassert Catholic supremacy in a land that embraced Protestantism.
Increasingly, as the book progresses through its intricate detail, the reader is struck by how loosely the states of the Netherlands hang together. It seems that bickering and difference, both political and religious, conspire to keep the society together, the process of arguing about priorities becoming self-perpetuating. The Dutch, of course, do have the language, which is which probably the glue that keeps the nation together, despite the continual disagreement.
I was due to spend a week in Utrecht to attend the Gaudeamus contemporary music festival, and the choice of reading material was informed by the visit. What I did not appreciate was quite how long the book was. Length is one consideration, but the author’s level of detail makes progress through its text slow going, although the writing style is transparent and easy. It is the sheer weight of information that seems heavy.
But the text does cover about 600 years of history. The procession of both inter- and intra-ruling class intrigue and opportunism is interesting, but the plethora of battles described must have resulted in many thousands of casualties. These battles are listed, but there is precious little discussion of any consequences for the people concerned. It is interesting for a modern reader how the lives of ordinary folk in this history of squabbles between rulers are taken for granted. “Cannon fodder” is a phrase that comes to mind. One wonders whether anything has really changed.
What came across repeatedly, however, are three aspects of Dutch life. These formed a thread which bound the history to common themes. And, looking at the contemporary Netherlands, one is forced to ask whether they might not still apply.
The first and foremost is the regular political disarray. The nation seems to muddle through the disagreements into yet another complicated constitutional arrangement, which, on the face of it, will never work. It does not ever work, but then the next political transformation is already under way.
The second enduring and repeating characteristic of the Dutch nation is debt at the national level. The politicians of whatever era seemed always to be chasing an increasing level of debt. Political instability never allowed agreement on the level of taxation that would address this debt, despite the fact that the Dutch perennially being amongst the highest taxed nations in Europe. Another war meant incurring more debt and the wars kept coming.
The third thing that sticks out is the level of industry and application that the people bring to their economic life. Bereft of natural resources, until the 20th century brought gas, the Dutch nation has always seemed to excel in trade and indeed, in the 16th century they were amongst the richest nations on earth because they provided the conduit by which international trade took place.
It would be wrong in a short review to mention specifics, but the general conflict of religion figures large. The Netherlands is now one of the most secular societies, but the remnants of religious divisions still influence politics. In the period covered by Edmunson’s text, the catholic versus protestant conflict is always somewhere in the frame, often at the forefront.
Overall, Edmundson’s book is both detailed and thoroughly interesting. For a non-Dutch person, it gives an overview of events which surely stimulates a reader to want to delve more deeply.
March 15, 2012
History of Holland by George Edmundson is a complete and comprehensive history of the Low Lands. It is remarkable how such a relative small area and population could have had such a great impact on the world as a whole. I suppose some could argue that a country that constantly does battle just to keep their feet dry could do anything. I think it has more to do with the attitudes and beliefs of her people. As an American expatriate that has lived in Holland for the last forty years, I have first-hand knowledge of those attitudes and beliefs. Visitors to Holland seem to feel right at home as most languages are spoken here. Their relative small size makes this necessary if they are to prosper outside of her borders.
History of Holland starts in the Middle Ages and goes into great details about the many changes of powers until the relative calm of Spanish rule. For many of the same reasons the American colonies broke away from England, the Dutch broke away from Spain. This struggle lasted much longer (80 years) but the result was the same. Once free of Spanish rule the Dutch were free to conquer the world. With profit in mind, Holland sent ships to all parts of the world and came home with treasures of every kind. Whereas the Spanish were primarily interested in gold and silver from the New World, Holland was interested in anything that would turn a profit. This obsession for profit has falsely colored world opinion for years and the belief that the Dutch are overly thrifty isn’t based on fact.
The book explains the unique position that the House of Orange held in the government and the democratic form of rule they had enjoyed even before the American Revolution. I was impressed with the amount of power such a small country had in the 17th and 18th Centuries. With the dawning of the 19th Century, Holland’s influence and power worldwide decreased and had to give up their earlier power of sea over to Great Britain. Only after Napoleon was defeated after returning from his Russian Campaign was William I crowned king of Holland. Less than twenty years after being crowned, Belgium revolted and broke off from Holland.
I learned much from this book. Although sometimes dry, it was nevertheless very informative. All in all it gave me a better look at my adopted country. I would recommend it to all.
History of Holland starts in the Middle Ages and goes into great details about the many changes of powers until the relative calm of Spanish rule. For many of the same reasons the American colonies broke away from England, the Dutch broke away from Spain. This struggle lasted much longer (80 years) but the result was the same. Once free of Spanish rule the Dutch were free to conquer the world. With profit in mind, Holland sent ships to all parts of the world and came home with treasures of every kind. Whereas the Spanish were primarily interested in gold and silver from the New World, Holland was interested in anything that would turn a profit. This obsession for profit has falsely colored world opinion for years and the belief that the Dutch are overly thrifty isn’t based on fact.
The book explains the unique position that the House of Orange held in the government and the democratic form of rule they had enjoyed even before the American Revolution. I was impressed with the amount of power such a small country had in the 17th and 18th Centuries. With the dawning of the 19th Century, Holland’s influence and power worldwide decreased and had to give up their earlier power of sea over to Great Britain. Only after Napoleon was defeated after returning from his Russian Campaign was William I crowned king of Holland. Less than twenty years after being crowned, Belgium revolted and broke off from Holland.
I learned much from this book. Although sometimes dry, it was nevertheless very informative. All in all it gave me a better look at my adopted country. I would recommend it to all.
September 23, 2017
The prose is a little difficult to follow.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews