Page 35 - Poat_to_Poot_Engels

In the 1660's, British mercantile interests, with the support of some British
naval ships, captured, lost, then recaptured New Amsterdam in America.
Many years later, the British waged war on the Dutch and captured most of
the Dutch colonies around the world. Weakened by these defeats, the
Netherlands were conquered by France in 1795, but were freed when
Napoleon fell in 1815. The Netherlands was then expanded to include
Belgium and Luxembourg. The Orange family, under William I, then
assumed the monarchy of the Netherlands, a position they still occupy. In
the 1830's, the Catholics in Belgium revolted and gained their
independence. Luxembourg gained its full independence in 1890 on the
technicality that only a male monarch was permitted to rule them. This was
because Wilhelmina became Queen of the Netherlands after the death of
William III. In Belgium, the Flemish people in the north speak a dialect of
Dutch, while the Walloons in the south speak French. These countries have
strong historic and economic ties, and their common interests are often
conducted under the name BeNeLux, a contraction of Belgium-Netherlands-
Luxembourg.

- Historical Background - page 3 -