Re: THE CARE AND FEEDING OF EMPIRES. -- Early World History, Level I

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Date Posted: 09:11:40 05/09/02 Thu
Author: Marie Grunbeck
Subject: Re: THE CARE AND FEEDING OF EMPIRES.
In reply to: J CURBOY 's message, "THE CARE AND FEEDING OF EMPIRES." on 11:52:20 04/24/02 Wed

The Dutch Empire
By Marie Grunbeck

The Dutch Empire was established as independent provinces in 1581. The Netherlands, also called the Low Countries, is located in Western Europe, and is bordered by the North Sea, Belgium, and Germany. The Low Countries were made up of 17 provinces and were part of the Holy Roman empire beginning in 1482, which was ruled by Philip of Burgundy. When Philip died in 1506, the provinces were passed on to his son, Charles. When Charles became the king of Spain in 1516, the Netherlands became part of Spanish rule. Charles�s son, Philip II, wanted the people of the northern provinces to follow the Roman Catholic religion. However, they were Protestants, and refused to convert to Catechism.

Philip II tried to persuade the Protestants from the seven northern provinces to give up their religion by terrorism. However, the reluctant people were not ready to give up their Protestant faith. So from 1568 to 1581, William of Orange, a protestant, led a series of revolts against Philip II. Finally, in 1581, the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands declared independence from Spain. They became the Republic of the United Netherlands, and elected William of Orange as their ruler.

The Netherlands in 1543

The newly declared empire almost immediately went into a �Golden Age�, during which time they flourished and became wealthy. Amsterdam became the main city and was home to many affluent merchants and bankers. With the end of Spanish rule, Dutch art also began to thrive. Since the upper class was becoming wealthy, they now had the money to buy paintings from prominent artists such as Rembrandt and Jan Vermeer.

Although many aspects of Dutch life, such as seafaring, fishing, and finance, influenced the wealth of the empire, the most important addition to their wealth came from trade. Starting in 1599, the Dutch began to take control of the Moluccas, from the Portuguese. In 1602, the Dutch East India Company was set up to support more trade with the islands in the East Indies. The company increased trade so much that in 1621, the Dutch West India Company was also established to increase trade in the west, with places such as the islands in the Caribbean, South America�s mainland, and islands off the coast of Venezuela and Brazil. Some of the items that were traded by the two companies were slaves, tobacco, sugar, coffee, tea, cinnamon, cloves, and other spices.

Dutch Empire and Trade Routes

With the two companies set up, the Dutch empire was able to trade with nations all across the world, and this not only gained them wealth, but also gave them something that no other nation had � �the largest commercial enterprise in the world�. Although this brought a lot of affluence to the Dutch, it also contributed to their downfall. From 1651 to 1674 the Netherlands and England engaged in three wars over trade. This was because England was jealous of the wealth that the Dutch had. Then, in 1689, the Dutch King, William III of Orange and his wife, who was the daughter of the King of England, were offered the English throne. Soon after this, the Dutch Empire began to decline because England became more powerful.

One interesting fact about Dutch art and agriculture is the people�s attraction with tulips. In the beginning of the 1600s, tulips were scarce in the Netherlands. However, when they were introduced to the Netherlands in 1593 they almost instantly became part of their culture. The tulips �fascinated artists as a result of their beauty and as a symbol of luxury�. Many Dutch artists began to use tulips and other flowers in their paintings. Within each painting, the most important flower was the tulip.

Bouquet of Flowers
By Ambrosius Boschaert

Still Life With Flowers
By Hans Bollongier

The Dutch Empire was in power from 1581 and flourished until its slow decline to England, which started in 1689. The results of the Dutch Empire were the great trading enterprises � the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company. Without the existence of the Dutch Empire, the world would probably have never been introduced to such a large network of trade systems around the world as the Dutch gave them. Therefore, without the Dutch Empire, the world would not have been able to gain wealth, transport goods throughout the world, or have ties with other places around the world that were not close to them.

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[> Re: THE CARE AND FEEDING OF EMPIRES. -- nicole, 15:09:26 05/09/02 Thu

Nicole Sawyer
Sparta
Sparta was a Greek city-state located on the Eurotras River in southern Laconia on the Peloponnesian peninsula. It was the capital of Laconia and the chief city of the Pellopenesus. Sparta was originally founded during the Dorian invasions in the 9th century BC, and lost its independence in 192 BC when they were defeated and forced to join the Achaean League. It was forced to be made part of the Roman province of Achaea. Since Sparta was between two mountain ranges, it was cut off from the rest of the Greek city-states. The ranges acted as a natural barrier, which helped the development of the Spartan State. Sparta eventually turned into a military state, and become the strongest army in Greece.
The ruling class of the Spartans devoted themselves to war. At the age of seven, boys were sent to the community barracks to be trained in military and athletic aspects. The young boys were taught survival skills, discipline and to endure pain. After 13 years of training they served in the army. The men had to serve in their army until the age of sixty, all the while being supported by a plot of land given to them and farmed by helots. The soldiers were allowed to marry, but had to continue living in the barracks. When they were thirty, they were recognized as adults, and were able to take part in the Assembly. Spartans were raised with the belief that loyalty to the state was the only reason for living, therefore allowing Sparta to remain at the head of Greek culture.
The Spartan Society had a three-tier class system. The bottom class was slaves also called helots. The slaves provided labor for the Spartan agricultural system. They worked areas of land owned by a Spartan who would receive a percentage of the helot�s harvest. The next class was called the perioeci. Perioeci were foreigners who lived in Sparta. They carried out most of the trade and commerce within the state and city. They had many of the same privileges as the Spartiate, the native Spartans that formed the top tier in the social ladder. They received full legal and political rights. The Spartan law was also based unfairly on the three-tier system.
The Spartan government was run by a dual monarchy. Below the monarchy was a council, which was made up of 28 nobles who had retired from the military service. Below the council was the assembly of all the Spartiates, forming a fake democracy since the monarchy still had the final say.
The Spartans expanded their territory by winning wars. Since they had such a strong army, they won most of their battles and took the land of the people they defeated. After a series of battles they managed to gain a great deal of land, and expand their empire. In 725, however, needing land to feed a dramatically growing population, the Spartans marched over the Taygetus Mountains and blocked all the territory of their neighbor, Messenia. The Messenians occupied a fertile plain and the Spartans found themselves with more than enough land to support themselves and their newly conquered people. The Messenians did not appreciate the loss of their independence. With the help of the city-state of Argos, the Messenians revolted in 640 BC. Not only did the Messenians almost win, but they almost destroyed Sparta.
The Spartan Empire lasted until AD 396 when the Visigoths captured and destroyed the city. The Spartan army had a lot to do with why they lasted so long. Since they were so strong, no one could defeat them to take over their city. Although they didn�t have the best government, their army made up for it.

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