Around 1573, cartographer Christiaan sGroten created an atlas of the Netherlands and Germany for the King of Spain. At this time, the Netherlands were part of the Habsburg empire, headed by King Philip II of Spain. The Dutch Revolt had started several years earlier and the Spanish king needed maps for strategic purposes and commissioned the atlas. The atlas has been digitized and is available at the Royal Library of Belgium. The map we are looking at this week shows a part of the province of … [Read more...]
Quick tip – the meaning of Holland
If you see "Holland" in a published source, like a book or an online tree, chances are that the person means the country of the Netherlands. If you see "Holland" in a Dutch record prior to 1840, Holland refers to the province by that name, in the west of the Netherlands. In 1840, the province was split into Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland. As the most prosperous province and the center of international trade, the province overshadowed the other provinces; so much so that its name became … [Read more...]
Quick tip: Holland vs. Netherlands
The country of the Netherlands is often called "Holland." Did you know that Holland is actually just a part of the country and a former province? Calling the Netherlands "Holland" is like calling the United Kingdom "England" (or the United States "New York"). To make it even more confusing, the Kingdom of the Netherlands includes more than just the country of the Netherlands. Watch the video below to find out the specifics. … [Read more...]