Dutch History Timeline

Events 1 - 200 of 1,791

• 1048-05-01 Bishop Bernold flees St Pieterskerk for Utrecht, Netherlands

• 1091-06-17 Floris II de Vette becomes Count of Holland
• 1121-03-02 Dirk VI becomes count of Holland
• 1163-09-14 Pastor Frederik forms convent at Mariengaarde Friesland
• 1163-12-21 Hurricane hits villages in Holland/Friesland, causing floods
• 1196-12-06 Northern Dutch coast flooded, "Saint-Nicolas Flood"
• 1219-01-16 Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm, thousands killed
• 1231-06-11 Harderwijk (Netherlands) becomes a city
• 1233-07-01 Earl Otto II van Gelre grants Arnhem state justice
• 1247-10-03 William II of Holland elected Roman Catholic anti-king of Germany
• 1248-08-25 The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III, the Archbishop of Utrecht.
• 1248-11-01 Earl William II of Holland crowned as King of Germany
• 1262-01-28 Flemish Dutch coast ravaged by north westerly storm
• 1287-12-14 During St. Lucia's Flood in Northwest Netherlands the Zuiderzee seawall collapses with loss of over 50,000 lives. Fifth largest recorded flood in history

• 1301-07-04 Battle at Breukelen: Holland vs Lichtenberg

• 1304-08-10 -11] Battle at Zierik Sea: Dutch & French fleet beat Flemish fleet
• 1304-08-11 Sea battle of Zierikzee, Franco-Holland forces defeat Flemish fleet
• 1304-09-11 William the Good becomes Earl of Holland
• 1334-11-23 St Clemens Flood: Storm surge overwhelms dikes along Flemish and Dutch North Sea coast, killing thousands; city of Ostend moves church inland to higher ground (an effort repeated twice more over the next two centuries)
• 1340-06-07 Rotterdam Netherlands founded
• 1346-01-15 Emperor Louis IV of Bavaria gives his wife Margaretha, Holland and Zealand
• 1346-11-22 Street fights in Utrecht, Hollandsgezinde Gunterlingen statements
• 1375-10-10 Westfriese sea wall breaks flooding northern Netherlands
• 1385-12-18 Peace of Tournai (Dutch - Doornik) signed between the Burgundian Duke Philip II and the rebellious city of Ghent
• 1417-05-31 Jacoba of Bavaria becomes countess of Holland/Zealand/Henegouwen
• 1420-08-05 Duke John VI of Bavaria visits Dutch mystic Lidwina (Christ's bride)
• 1421-11-18 Southern sea floods 72 villages, killing estimated 10,000 in the Netherlands
• 1424-11-18 Storm flood ravages Dutch coast

• 1428-07-03 Treaty of Delft signed between Jacqueline of Bavaria and Philip the Good of Burgundy, ending the Hook and Cod wars in the County of Holland
• 1441-08-23 Holland & Hanzesteden sign cease fire treaty
• 1451-09-21 Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa orders Jews of Holland to wear a badge
• 1464-01-09 1st meeting of States-General of Netherlands
• 1477-12-11 Duchess Maria of Burgundy ends the 'Great Privilege' in states of The Netherlands
• 1481-12-26 Battle at Westbroek: Dutch army beats Utrecht
• 1485-06-28 Gent/Brugge/Ieper recognize Maximilian of Austria as regent of Netherlands
• 1487-07-24 Citizens of Leeuwarden, Netherlands, rebel against ban on foreign beer
• 1492-05-15 Cheese & Bread rebellion: German mercenaries kill 232 residents of Alkmaar, Netherlands

• 1507-03-18 Emperor Maximilian I names his daughter Margaret of Austria the first woman Governor of the Netherlands and regent to her brother Charles V
• 1507-06-05 England and Netherlands sign trade agreement
• 1509-09-26 Storm surge causes the second Cosmas and Damian flood in East Friesland and the Netherlands destroying dykes and devastating coastal towns
• 1515-05-19 George van Saksen-Meissen sells Friesland for 100,000 gold guilders to arch duke Charles
• 1517-07-01 1st burning of Protestants at the stake in the Netherlands
• 1519-11-04 Flood ravages Dutch and Friese coast
• 1520-10-07 1st public burning of books in the Netherlands, in Louvain
• 1520-11-20 Friesland hit by heavy hail storm
• 1521-04-28 Treaty of Worms: Emperor Charles names his brother Ferdinand Archduke of Netherlands-Austria
• 1522-01-09 Adriaan F Boeyens elected only Dutch pope (Adrian VI)

• 1526-02-08 Heavy storm strikes Dutch coast, killing large numbers
• 1530-11-05 St Felix Flood ravages Dutch coast and destroys the city of Reimerswaal in the Netherlands
• 1531-05-31 Dutch Catholic activist Engel Korsendochter leads a march of 300 women from the Guild of the Holy Sacrament protesting plans to replace a treasured chapel with a wool warehouse in Amsterdam; they are charged with rebellion, fined, and banished for 4 years - most were pardoned upon appeal to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
• 1534-03-26 Lübeck accepts free Dutch ships into East Sea
• 1535-03-28 Bloemkamp Abbey (Oldeklooster) attacked & destroyed in Friesland
• 1537-07-30 Resistant of Bomy: French Dutch cease fire
• 1538-01-27 Dutchy of Guelders accepts rule of William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg
• 1540-03-19 Court of Holland names Amsterdam sheriff John Hubrechtsz a "heretic"
• 1544-01-30 Adrian van Goes becomes land advocate of Holland
• 1550-04-28 Powers of Dutch inquisition extends
• 1551-12-19 Dutch west coast hit by hurricane
• 1552-01-12 Dutch west coast hit by heavy storm, hundreds killed
• 1552-02-15 Dutch coast hit by heavy storm
• 1552-06-12 Land guardians of Netherlands attack Verdun
• 1554-01-05 Great fire in Eindhoven, Netherlands
• 1555-10-25 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V publicly abdicates his roles as Lord of the Netherlands and Duke of Burgundy in favor of his son Philip II of Spain

• 1557-08-03 Dutch States-General meet at Valenciennes
• 1559-03-14 Storm floods ravage Gorinchem, Dordrecht & Woudrichem, Netherlands

• 1564-02-21 King Philip II advises Cardinal Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle to retire from the Netherlands to Franche-Comté in France
• 1565-12-24 Compromise of the Nobles in Habsburg Netherlands closes against inquisition
• 1566-08-25 Iconoclastic fury begins in Dutch province Utrecht
• 1567-04-11 Dutch Prince William I of Orange flees from Antwerp to Breda
• 1567-09-09 Dutch leaders Lomaraal, Count of Egmont and Philip van Hoorne arrested by Spanish Duke of Alba - their execution in 1568 leads to the Eighty Years' War
• 1567-10-06 Duke of Alva becomes land guardian of Netherlands
• 1568-01-24 In Netherlands, Duke of Alva declares William I of Orange an outlaw
• 1568-05-23 Battle of Heiligerlee, Groningen: Dutch rebels beat Spanish, thousands killed
• 1568-05-23 The Netherlands declares independence from Spain
• 1568-07-10 Battle on Eems: Dutch Water garrison beats Spanish
• 1568-07-21 Battle at Jemmingen: Alva's troops beat Dutch rebellion
• 1570-03-04 King Philip II bans foreign Dutch students as part of his attempted suppression of Protestantism
• 1570-11-01 All Saints Flood, tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland; killing more than 1,000 people.
• 1570-12-09 The Geuzen (a confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles) under Herman de Ruyter occupies Loevestein
• 1571-10-04 -13] Synod of Emden, Calvinist leaders establish the Dutch Reformed Church.
• 1572-04-01 Watergeuzen capture Brielle from the Spaniards, during the Eighty Years' War, gaining the first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic.
• 1572-06-19 Garrison under Dutch Resisteance leader Adrian van Swieten occupies Oudewater
• 1572-06-24 Five clergymen of Dutch city Enkhuizen are hanged during the Dutch Rebellion against Philip II of Spain
• 1572-07-18 Provincial States of Holland recognize William I of Orange as Stadtholder of Holland, Friesland and Utrecht at a gathering in Dordrecht
• 1572-11-16 Troops under Don Frederik (the Spanish General Fadrique Alvarez de Toledo) occupy and plunder Zutphen, Netherlands
• 1572-12-13 Spanish army beats Geuzen fleet (confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles) under admiral Lumey
• 1572-12-17 Spanish army begins fires in Haarlem Netherlands
• 1573-07-16 Alva demands submission of Zealand/Holland
• 1573-08-21 Spain begin siege of Alkmaar in the Netherlands
• 1573-10-11 Battle of South Seas - Dutch rebels beat Spanish navy
• 1573-11-29 Don Luis de Requesensy Zuniga succeeds duke of Alva as land guardian of Netherlands
• 1574-02-18 Zeeland falls to Dutch rebels
• 1574-02-19 Spanish troops plunder Krommenie, Wormerveer & Jisp, Netherlands
• 1574-02-21 Spanish garrison of Middelburg, Netherlands, surrenders

• 1575-02-08 University of Leiden established by William I of Orange, given the motto "Praesidium Libertatis" (oldest university in Netherlands)
• 1576-05-14 Dutch Council of State replaced by Council of Beroerten
• 1576-10-19 Dutch provinces begin consultation about Spanish existence
• 1576-11-08 Eighty Years' War: Pacification of Ghent - 17 Dutch provinces sign anti-Spanish covenant

• 1578-08-02 Battle of Rijmenam: Spanish Habsburg forces defeated by Dutch troops (Eighty Years' War)
• 1578-08-13 Duke Frans of Anjou recognized as protector of Netherlands
• 1579-01-06 Northern Hasburg Netherlands counties of Artois and Hainault and city Dowaai sign pro-Spanish and pro-Roman Catholic Union of Arras (Unie van Atrecht)
• 1579-01-23 Union of Utrecht signed by Northern Habsburg counties of Holland and Zeeland, and provinces of Utrecht and Groningen, marking the beginning of protestant Dutch Republic
• 1579-03-23 Friesland joins Union of Utrecht
• 1579-05-07 Congress of Cologne forms in Netherlands
• 1580-09-29 Treaty of Plessis-lez-Tours signed between Duke of Anjou and Dutch Staten-Generaal
• 1581-07-26 Dutch Act of Abjuration declared - seven Dutch provinces declare their independence from Spanish King Philip II
• 1582-02-19 Francis of Valois, Duke of Anjou gains the title Duke of Brabant, the hereditary sovereign of the Dutch United Provinces

• 1582-12-15 Spanish Netherlands, Denmark and Norway adopt the Gregorian calendar
• 1583-01-01 1st day of the Gregorian calendar in Holland & Flanders
• 1583-01-12 Holland begins use of Gregorian calendar (yesterday was 1/1/1583)
• 1583-02-21 Groningen, Netherlands, begins using Gregorian calendar
• 1583-03-18 Dutch States General and Anjou sign treaty
• 1583-11-05 Dutch Count William IV van den Bergh, Stadtholder of Guelders and Zutphen and his family taken prisoner on suspicion of treason by forces of William I of Orange
• 1584-11-10 William Louis of Nassau appointed Stadtholder of Friesland
• 1585-07-29 University of Franeker/ University of Friesland opens in the Netherlands
• 1585-08-10 English Queen Elizabeth I signs Treaty of Nonsuch: Aid for Netherlands
• 1585-08-14 Queen Elizabeth I of England refuses sovereignty of Netherlands
• 1586-02-04 Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, becomes governor-general of the States General of the United Provinces (Netherlands)
• 1586-03-08 Johan van Oldenbarnevelt becomes Dutch chief legal advisor
• 1586-09-22 Battle at Zutphen: Dutch army, assisted by the English, against the Spanish
• 1587-11-27 Dutch county of Groningen flooded by failure of dyke
• 1587-12-17 The Earl of Leicester's army leaves Netherlands
• 1588-08-12 Radboud Castle on Medemblik harbor in North Holland surrenders to the Spanish army
• 1590-03-06 Dutch and English army led by Maurice of Nassau captures heavily protected city of Breda using a small assault force hidden in a peat barge
• 1591-05-30 Spanish troops in Zutphen surrender to Dutch and English forces under Maurice of Nassau
• 1591-06-20 Forces of Maurice and William Louis of Nassau occupy Dutch city of Deventer
• 1593-03-25 Recantation of Loos, Dutch scholar Coinelius Loos recants his earlier written protest against witchcraft persecution in Trier, Germany before officials in Brussels
• 1593-12-15 State of Holland grants patent on windmill with a crankshaft
• 1594-05-22 Siege of Spanish held city of Groningen begins led by Dutch and English army led by Maurice of Orange
• 1594-07-23 Dutch city Groningen held by Spain surrenders to Dutch and England army led by Maurice of Orange

• 1595-05-02 King Philip II names Albert Archduke of Austria and his nephew Governor of the Hapsburg Netherlands
• 1596-05-18 Dutch explorer Willem Barents sets off from Amsterdam on his third expedition to try to find a Northwest passage through the Arctic
• 1596-05-26 England, France & Netherlands sign Drievoudig Covenant against Spain
• 1596-06-22 Cornelis de Houtman's Dutch fleet reaches Bantam (Banten), Java
• 1596-06-30 English and Dutch fleet begin attack of the Spain fleet moored at Cádiz during the Anglo-Spanish war. Leads also to the looting and burning of the city of Cádiz.
• 1596-07-17 At 10:30AM Dutch explorer Willem Barents arrives at Novaya Zemlya (Artic Ocean)
• 1596-09-05 Dutch fleet commander Cornelis de Houtman taken hostage in Java, is later ransomed
• 1596-09-07 Dutch fleet bombards Banten, Java
• 1596-10-31 English, French & Dutch delegates sign anti-Spanish "Triple Covenant"
• 1597-02-26 Cornelis de Houtman's Dutch fleet departs Bali and sets sail for the Netherlands
• 1597-06-14 At 4:30 AM Dutch explorer Willem Barents leaves Novaya Zemlya on his third Arctic expedition to return to the Netherlands (dies on the return voyage)
• 1597-08-14 Cornelis de Houtman's Dutch fleet arrives back in Holland, the 1st Dutch visit to Java
• 1597-08-20 1st Dutch East India Company ships return from the Far East
• 1597-10-09 Eighty Years War: Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange with English support captures Breevoort, Netherlands from the Spanish
• 1598-05-06 Albert VII Archduke of Austria and Isabella, daughter of Philip II of Spain granted rule of the Habsburg Netherlands (after they marry)
• 1598-08-21 -22] Deed of Transfers proclaims Netherlands independence
• 1598-09-17 Dutch sailors claim island of Mauritius for Netherlands - name it after Maurice, Prince of Orange and Count of Nassau
• 1598-11-25 Jacob Cornelius van Neck's merchant fleet reaches Bantam, West-Java on second Dutch expedition to Indonesia
• 1600-07-01 Prince Maurits' army occupies Newport Flanders Netherlands
• 1601-08-27 Olivier van Noort completes first Dutch circumnavigation of the globe, returning home after two years but with little success at trading or taking Spanish possessions
• 1602-03-20 United Dutch East Indian Company (VOC) forms granted a monopoly in all Dutch sea-borne trade with Asia
• 1603-12-18 First fleet of the Dutch East India Company under Admiral Steven van der Haghen departs for the East-Indies
• 1604-12-31 Dutch East India Company Admiral Steven van der Haghen's fleet reaches Bantam, Indonesia
• 1606-02-26 First known European landing in Australia by Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon at the Pennefather River, Cape York, northern Australia
• 1607-04-25 Battle at Gibraltar: Dutch fleet beats Spanish Portuguese fleet
• 1608-10-02 Hans Lippershey applies for patent for first known early telescope in the Netherlands

• 1609-04-09 Spain & Netherlands sign 12 Year Resistant Pact
• 1609-06-17 Netherlands, England and France sign 12 year Covenant
• 1609-09-01 Pieter Both sworn in as 1st governor general of Dutch East Indies
• 1610-06-10 1st Dutch settlers arrive (from NJ), to colonize Manhattan Island
• 1613-02-20 Gerard Reynst appointed Governor-General of Dutch East Indies
• 1615-06-14 Dutch mariner Jacques Le Maire sets sails from Texel, North Holland, to find a new route to the Pacific and the Spice Islands and the southern continent (Terra Australis)
• 1616-01-24 Dutch mariners Jacob Le Maire and Willem Schouten are the first Europeans to discover Le Maire Strait, Tierra del Fuego - go on to round Cape Horn
• 1616-01-31 Rounding of Cape Horn for the first time by Dutch expedition of Jacques Le Maire and Willem Corneliszoon Schouten (they name Cape Hoorn after Schouten’s hometown) [1]
• 1616-04-23 Netherlands buys De Briel/Vlissingen/Fort Rammekens from England

• 1617-07-01 Dutch expedition of Jacques Le Maire and Willem Corneliszoon Schouten returns to Zeeland after two years - discovered Cape Horn route around South America (Le Maire died on return voyage) [1]
• 1617-10-31 Laurens Reael resigns as governor-general of Dutch East Indies
• 1619-03-12 Dutch settlement on Java changes name to Batavia

• 1619-06-02 England and the Netherlands sign treaty about trading in the Indies
• 1619-07-20 Gerardus Vossius resigns as Dutch regent States college leader
• 1620-07-31 Pilgrim Fathers depart Leiden, Netherlands for England on their way to America
• 1621-03-22 Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius escapes in a book chest from Loevestein Castle in the Netherlands
• 1621-04-09 Spain & Netherlands 12 Year Resistant Pact ends
• 1621-06-03 Dutch West India Company receives charter for The West Indies (The Americas, Caribbean and West Africa)
• 1621-07-06 Dutch governor general John Pieterszoon Coen takes Banda islands, 15,000 die
• 1623-04-29 11 Dutch ships depart for the conquest of Peru

• 1624-05-13 Dutch Admiral Hermites' Nassau fleet blockades Lima, Peru
• 1624-06-10 Netherlands & France sign anti-Spanish Treaty of Compiègne
• 1624-08-14 Dutch Nassau fleet abandons its blockade of the Spanish-held port of Callao, near Lima in Peru after three months [1]

• 1625-05-01 Portuguese and Spanish expedition recaptures Salvador (Bahia) from the forces of the Dutch West India Company
• 1625-06-02 Prince Frederick Henry sworn in as viceroy of Holland/Zealand
• 1625-09-24 Dutch attack San Juan, Puerto Rico
• 1625-12-09 Netherlands & England sign military treaty

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