Holland [antikvár]

A typical view of the Dutch country-side. A BRIEF HISTORICAL OUTLINE When the Romans reached the mouth of the Rhine River only the Frisians in the north managed to survive and in the year 50 B.C., they found themselves in a flat, oppose the Frankish onslaught. It was just as hard to sandy region, chilled by the cold north winds and prone Christianize the region as it had been to conquer it. In to frequent flooding by the North Sea. They also found the south the conversion of the heathen was carried on several tribes, perhaps of Germanic origin, who lived by by the Merovingian kings, in the north by two Anglo- hunting and fishing. The central region was occupied by Saxon missionaries, St. Willibrord and St. Boniface, the Batavians, as mentioned by Plinius, while the Franks, Yet, the Frisians, for example, stubbornly clung to their a Celtic race, had settled in the south, and the Frisians paganism for at least two hundred years. During the thrived in the north. The Saxons, the most Germanic of Carolingian domination the emphasis on evangelization all, lived mainly in the region northeast of the Rhine, continued. On one hand, Charlemagne used force to Nevertheless, despite their common origin, these pop- subdue the Frisians and Saxons, while on the other, he ulations differed greatly from one another. At first, it gave them the laws that would govern them for centuries, seemed that the Roman conquest was a boon to all, but At the same time, he divided the country into various soon revolts broke out; the first to rebel were the Frisians, provinces ruled by counts, who were actually vassals of followed by the Batavians. Both tribes joined together the emperor. But even at this time the Dutch not only had in 68-70 A.D. under the leadership of Claudius Julius to wage war against the elements, the most terrible of Civilis, who was the organizer of the whole revolt, which was the sea, but they also had to stand up to just Nevertheless, the Romans were able to keep their legions as dreadful human foes, the Vikings, whose savage in- in the territory for over three centuries — it was not cursions and forays meant the sacking, looting, and until 300 A.D. that the pressure of the Germanic tribes devastation of the Dutch towns. In 841 Charlemagne began to make headway against the Roman domination, died ancf his vast Carolingian empire began to fall apart. The Batavians were wiped out almost immediately and Several power struggles later, Holland, and with her, A