History of the Netherlands

By Republic of Amsterdam RadioSociety & Culture History

History of the Netherlands episodes

October 05 62 - We Do It Like The Italian Job
Margaret of Austria’s ability to fight the war with Guelders in 1508 was hampered by events involving her father Maximilian on the other side of the Alps in Italy. The balance of power in Italy had been disrupted in 1499 when French King Louis XII had led an invasion into Milan. Over the next few years the biggest players on the European chess-board, such as Louis XII, Aragonese King Ferdinand, Maximilian and a couple of Popes, would duke it out across Italy in a series of conflicts that would become known as the Second and Third Italian wars. The players would variously join forces, switch sides and do whatever it took to enhance their own positions, especially in the Kingdom of Naples, and in the end they would somehow all end up with one common enemy: Venice. Our intention in this episode is to give more detailed context to these wars so that, in the next episode, we can tie it all together with the diplomatic stylings of Margaret as she wove together an unlikely alliance to go lay the smack down on the most serene republic.

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1 hr 2 min
August 19 61 - "First Catch Us, Then Hang Us"
In this episode, we want to take a more granular look at the Guelders war by zooming in on the events as they affected one city in particular, Amsterdam, during a roughly one year period from the end of 1507 until December 1508. Mainly, we want to develop a perspective of how people who were not dukes, bishops or princesses, but rather the regular Jans and Geertjes; citizens of a small but powerful town, whose lives were greatly impacted by the actions and decisions of those above them on the social hierarchy ladder of life that existed at the time. We have been on imaginative journeys through Amsterdam before, once in the 1420s (Episode 22) and more recently (in Episode 53) as we explored the shipbuilding traditions that were, by then, well established. Well, we figured there is no harm in going back, some twenty years on from that most recent adventure, to see what has become of our caulker and how he may have experienced a tumultuous year in Amsterdam as the Guelders war suddenly erupted on the city’s doorsteps. Our account of this time is mostly based on the history of Amsterdam written by city historian Jan Wagenaar, published between 1760-67. Wagenaar was given unrestricted access to the city archives and this use of primary sources means that his account is full of the vivid details you are about to live through. So kick back, relax, and transport yourself back in time, to the early autumn of 1507…

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48 min
June 30 60 - The Working Mum
In March, 1507, Margaret of Austria was appointed by her father Maximilian as his procureur-général in the Low Countries, meaning she essentially took the reigns of power in those lands over from him. This marked the beginning of her first period of regency for her nephew, Charles, the 7 year old son of her recently deceased brother Philip the Handsome and Joanna of Castile. On top of this, she was also given the responsibility of looking after Philip and Joanna’s children, the aforementioned Charles, as well as his older sister Eleonor and his younger sisters Isabella and Mary. Upon returning to the Low Countries, Margaret would set up her court in the town of Mechelen, where she would be responsible for guiding these four through the remainder of their childhoods and education. Margaret of Austria faced challenges personally and politically on all fronts, but her first forays into international diplomacy would need to focus on the English King Henry VII. She would rely on all the diplomatic skills she had garnered over her tumultuous life so far to extricate herself from (yet another) a marriage proposal and her lands from the disastrous intercursus malus trade deal.

Thanks to our Patreon supporters Vincent Vecchione, Glenn Hoffman and AColdPotato.

SHOW NOTES: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-60-the-working-mum
PATREON: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
BLUESKY: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://historyofnl.bsky.social/

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58 min
May 31 59 - Successive Crises Amidst a Looming Succession Crisis
During the first decade of the 16th century, one of the primary concerns
for the towns, cities and ducal governments of the Low Countries was
the war the Habsburgs were waging with Charles of Egmont over the title
of Duke of Guelders. The war in Guelders complicated the already
convoluted political structure that had developed across the Low
Countries over the course of the previous half century. In this episode,
we’re going to focus on Guelders again, but this time to see how the
war was intimately entangled in a web of relationships between the
different layers of nobility, both domestic and foreign, and how the
interests of the Habsburg dynasty often clashed with the interests of
the people who lived within their domains. When Philip the Handsome
sailed away to Spain, Charles of Egmont seized the opportunity to
restart the war, meaning the defence of the Habsburg lands was left to
the man Philip had put in charge in his absence, his Stadhouder General,
Guillame de Croy, the Lord of Chievres. Philip’s premature death would
completely rearrange the pieces on the chess board as the Low Countries
were once again plunged into a succession crisis. There was one giant
mess left behind for the person who would ultimately become regent for
Philip’s infant son Charles to clean up... And that person would be
Philip’s sister, Margaret of Austria.

Thanks to our Patreon supporters Oliver Raskin, Jillian, Julie Hadley and Tiff.

SHOW NOTES: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-59-successive-crises-amidst-a-looming-succession-crisis
PATREON: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands⁠⁠⁠⁠
BLUESKY: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://historyofnl.bsky.social/

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48 min
April 28 58 - Kill Phil Volume 2
When Joanna of Castile wed Philip the Handsome aka Habsburg Phil in 1496, few people would have foreseen that this marriage would result in the Habsburg prince wearing the Castilian crown 10 years later. Yet due to a series of dynastic deaths in the Spanish ruling family, by 1501, Joanna was crown princess of Castile. Habsburg Phil’s priorities and attentions began to take on a grander scope as the prospect of ruling in Spain became tantalisingly real. Joanna and Phil would travel to Spain in 1502-3 to be confirmed as heirs to the Castilian crown. Habsburg Phil returned to the Low Countries a year later, but Isabella of Castile insisted Joanna stay behind since she was heavily pregnant. A bizarre incident took place at La Mota castle, after which Joanna rejoined her husband, but Isabella was left doubting her daughter’s capability to rule. Speculation about Joanna’s mental state came to the fore, leading to clashes between her father, Ferdinand of Aragon, and her husband over who would wield the power in Castile. When Isabella of Castile died in 1504, Philip and Joanna made preparations to return to Spain and claim the crown, leaving the Low Countries again in January 1506. This second trip was a disaster from the outset, beginning with an unplanned stay in England following a shipwreck. Then in September, just a few months into his reign as King of Castile, Habsburg Phil would also unexpectedly die, opening the door for his sister, Margaret of Austria, to return to the centre of the political stage and become Regent of the Low Countries.

Thanks to our Patreon supporters Prabhakar Chitrapu, Carl Deary, Ian van Alphen, Ursus Arctos and Antoinette.

SHOW NOTES: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-58-kill-phil-volume-2
PATREON: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands⁠⁠⁠
BLUESKY: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyofnl.bsky.social/

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1 hr 1 min
March 25 57 - Kill Phil Volume 1
In November 1501, Margaret of Austria was married by proxy to Philibert
the Handsome, the Duke of Savoy. Over the next three years, Margaret
thrived in this new position as Duchess of Savoy. Philibert was more
than willing to let her take charge of affairs in Savoy, since that
freed him up for more important stuff, like hunting and enjoying life.
Margaret of Austria was only twenty-one years old, but had spent much of
her life thus far learning the art of politics in the courts of France,
Spain and the Low Countries. She was more than prepared for the
challenges she would face in Savoy. For this remarkable woman, however,
tragedy never seemed too far away and in 1504, after just three years of
marriage, it once more cast its net over her life when Philibert died
suddenly after a hunting trip and Margaret of Austria became, once
again, a grieving widow.

And thanks for our Patreon supporters Christopher Embrey, Miles McGuire, David Leermakers and Ekin Guzelant.

SHOW NOTES: ⁠⁠https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-56-trying-to-geld-guelders⁠
PATREON: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands⁠⁠
BLUESKY: ⁠⁠https://historyofnl.bsky.social/

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43 min
January 14 56 - Trying to Geld Guelders
Around the same time that Friesland succumbed to the rule of a foreign prince in 1498, the Duchy of Guelders was also engulfed by a struggle against Habsburg domination. Charles of Egmont and Emperor Maximilian both continued to lay claim to the title of Duke of Guelders and over the next half a century, the conflicts in both Friesland and Guelders would become inextricably linked in a series of on-again, off-again wars. To begin this episode, we will take an unexpected but delightful detour to a part of Europe that doesn’t naturally come to mind when you think of Guelders… Italy! There we will see Maximilian fail to impose his authority on a conflict between Pisa and Florence. Bentornati al podcast sulla storia dei Paesi Bassi. After that we will see Maximilian enlist the help of two German princes, the Dukes of Julich and Cleves, to try and bring Guelder to heel and carve it up between them. In this, Maximilian will also fail to impose his will, this time facing resistance not only from Charles of Egmont, but also his own son, Philip the Handsome. Finally, we will see how Charles of Egmont benefited from a bit of French mediation in the war between Guelders, Julich and Cleves, before he almost met an untimely end at the siege of Huissen in 1502. There’s a lot to get through! So let’s get cracking.

Many thanks to ⁠friesekerken.nl⁠ for supporting this episode. Check out the website and sign up to become a donor to their foundation which helps preserve monumental churches in Friesland.

And thanks for our Patreon supporters Curtis Nieboer, Laura Lindquist, Bryce Williams, Stèf Murison and Connor Bailey.

SHOW NOTES: ⁠https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-56-trying-to-geld-guelders
PATREON: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands⁠
BLUESKY: ⁠https://historyofnl.bsky.social/

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53 min
December 17, 2025 In de Bonus!: Stumbling over Reminders of the Holocaust in Amsterdam
In the summer of 2025, we were lucky enough to meet Rene Rosechild, who lives in Denver, Colorado, today, but whose family roots trace back via Canada to the Netherlands. Rene’s mother, Rosalie Nathans, was a Jewish Amsterdammer who was liberated from Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. When she returned to Amsterdam, she discovered that she was the only member of her family who had survived the war. Rosalie’s mother, her father, her brother, her sister, her sister-in-law, her brother-in-law and her two young nephews had all been murdered or succumbed to disease or deprivation in the Nazi concentration camps. Having had her entire life taken away from her, Rosalie made the decision at the age of 20, to marry a Canadian soldier and emigrate to Canada.
Eighty years later, a large contingent of Rosalie Nathans’ descendants, from places all over the world, came together in Amsterdam to install memorial stones in front of their family’s former home on the Nieuwe Hoogstraat. These memorial stones are called Stolpersteine in German, struikelstenen in Dutch, or stumbling stones in English. They are brass plaques, placed on the street in front of buildings, which pay testament to the fact that at that address lived a victim of Nazi persecution. Three of those who attended the ceremony were Rosalie Nathans’ daughter Rene, who we mentioned at the beginning and two of Rene’s nieces, Rosalie Wood and Gabrielle Richter. We spoke with Rene in our studio in Amsterdam and later with Rosalie and Gabrielle via zoom. Throughout this episode we will hear from them as we discuss Rosalie Nathans’ story and the family’s experience of getting the Stolpersteine installed outside the old family home in Amsterdam.

SHOW NOTES: ⁠https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/in-de-bonus-stumbling-over-reminders-of-the-holocaust-in-amsterdam
PATREON: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands⁠
BLUESKY: ⁠https://historyofnl.bsky.social/

Music clips provided by Storyblocks:
"Minimal Documentary Background Music" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/minimal-documentary-background-music-skxjrbbvvketzhdzl.html
"Escaping Forever" by Michael Vignola https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/escaping-forever-hog3rptosk2xlgdd7.html
"Different Universe" by Neil Cross https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/different-universe-hx1qabcnuvsk0wy3bbi.html
"Documentary Corporate Marimba Background Music" by Media-Music Group https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/documentary-corporate-marimba-background-music-rivttg71dkk2oc0dt.html
"Jazz Bass And Drums Solo" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/jazz-bass-and-drums-solo-bjj7ev19vkhjpmbps.html
"Lofi Jazz Beat (Paris Caf Version)" by The Turquoise Moon https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/lofi-jazz-beat-sdve38movkgogrl4f.html

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48 min
November 24, 2025 55 - Full on Frisian Foray: Freedom and Foreign Frenemies in the 15th Century
Over the fifty-four episodes of this podcast so far, we have often found ourselves fixated on familiar phases of sphagnum, or ferocious fights in far flung foreign fields, but frequently we’ve failed to focus on the fortunes of the fierce and frisky - fabled to be free - Frisians. Folly! Fear not Frieslanders, for now it is your time to shine. In this episode, we are going to delve into Frisian Law and Frisian Freedom in the 15th century: We will look at how they developed up until the end of the 15th century; examples of how Frisian Law impacted peoples’ lives; how local governing structures specific to Frisia changed in the 15th century and how in 1498 these new conditions allowed Frisian Freedom to finally be stamped out by the very Emperor who was supposed to uphold it.

With thanks to Nicole Kaimorin, Dave Reimink, Dyanne Gavin, Robert de Rooy and Brendon Nelson-Weiss.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-55-full-on-frisian-foray
PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands
BLUESKY: https://historyofnl.bsky.social/

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1 hr 11 min
October 30, 2025 BONUS: Kwasi Boachi, a 19th century Ashanti Prince in the Netherlands with Andrea-Vicky Amankwaa-Birago
Earlier this year we interviewed Andrea-Vicky Amankwaa-Birago, a German historian of Ghanaian descent.
Hang on, I hear you say, isn’t this podcast about Dutch history? Well, yes, of course it is, so here is a tidy little link.
Besides giving us a great insight into her life, having been born and raised in Europe as a member of the Ghanaian diaspora, Vicky’s current focus of study is the life of Kwasi Boachi, a prince of the Ashanti Empire who was born in 1827. The Ashanti empire covered most of what is today Ghana, as well as parts of Togo and the Ivory Coast. When Kwasi Boachi was 10 years old he, alongside his cousin Kwame Poku, was sent all the way from his home in West Africa to the Netherlands to be educated. This was a part of an arrangement made between Kwasi’s father, the Ashanti king Otumfuo Kwaku Dua I, and another king, William I, the King of the Netherlands.
The Dutch had a need of soldiers in the colonies, primarily in what is now Indonesia where many had been lost in a recent war of independence waged by natives against the Dutch governance of the East Indies. West African fighters appealed to the Dutch king and a deal was struck on his behalf that would allow the Dutch voluntary recruitment of local Akan fighters, in exchange for guns. To firm the ties even more, the two young princes joined the Dutch embassy back to Europe. After their studies were complete, they were both supposed to return to their homelands, bringing the knowledge and experience they had gained. Kwame Poku returned. Kwasi Boachi, however, did not.
Instead, Boachi completed his exams in civil engineering at Delft Royal Academy in 1847 and was assigned to become a mining engineer. However he went to Freiburg in Germany to study and live until he was sent to the Dutch East Indies in 1850. Whilst working in the East Indies, Boachi was heavily discriminated against by his superiors to such an extent that he actually received compensation and a monthly allowance for what he suffered. He remained in Indonesia until his death in 1904 when he was aged 77.
We spoke with Vicky when she was at an airport en route to Ghana. You’ll hear a few background airport noises and the sound quality was somewhat affected by dodgy internet, but Vicky’s enthusiasm and passion for her work more than make up for that. In our interview, she talks about Kwasi’s experience, especially as a black-noble living in 19th century Europe. We also discuss the African Diaspora and identity in Europe, how different nations utilise history and the idea of coming to terms with the past, and what she, personally, is out to achieve working as a historian in today’s world.

Vicky's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/anton_wilhelm_amo_erbschaft/?hl=en
Vicky's research (English): Building (b)ridges beyond the Portrait – Mapping Memories of Kwasi Boachi – Exit Frame!
Vicky's research (German): https://voices.skd.museum/building-bridges-beyond-the-portrait/ You can find all the paintings referenced in this link.

SHOW NOTES:
PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands
BLUESKY: https://historyofnl.bsky.social/

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52 min

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The incredible journey of the world’s most influential swamp and those who call it home. Beginning at the end of the last ice age and trekking all the way through to the modern era, together we step…