What happened during the Franco-Dutch War (1672 – 1678)? - Part 2

As Louis made advances against the war, the shift in balance of power in favor of France threatening other European monarch that forced them to act.

What happened during the Franco-Dutch War (1672 – 1678)?

The War of Devolution revealed Louis XIV’s ambition to expand his kingdom’s domain. And with the betrayal of the Dutch during the previous conflict, the Sun King desired revenge.

The War of Devolution

Betrayal, bribery, and ambition plagued European politics in the 17th century. Alliance came and go and war remained constant to grab as much territory as much as possible for whatever the reason. The War of Devolution (1667 -1668) illustrated this.

Sea Beggars: The Foundation of the Dutch Navy

William "the Silent"

In the upheavals of the Protestant Reformation, the Spanish Netherlands of Philip II saw the rise of a new world power. The Dutch sought to make their own destiny. A destiny impossible under the Spanish hegemony. As a result, a war that would last over eighty years rocked the Low Countries. At the front of the conflict were group of seafarers that would later lay the ground work for the Dutch navy – the Sea Beggars.

Conrad Van Houten: Start of a Chocolate revolution

Conrad van Houten

Ever since, the time of that Hernan Cortez brought back cacao beans from the Americas, it became a luxury across Europe. From Spain it spread across to France and into the court of the extravagant court of Louis XIV. It then spread to other countries, to the Swiss, the Dutch, and later, the British. More and more ways of processing chocolate developed. Among the most pioneering was a Dutch chocolatier and engineer, Conrad van Houten.

Tulip Mania: The First Big Bust

Semper Augustus - a popular species
of tulip during the Mania

In 2008, a global recession hit the world hard. It is a fact in an economy that there are periods of highs and lows, booms and bust. Bursting bubbles were inevitable if an authority is not careful enough. Bubbles are characterize by rapid rise of prices of a commodity and its sudden deflation caused by different circumstances. In history, one of the weirdest but significant bubbles was started by a flower – a tulip.