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Name: Benn born on 12 Nov1949 in Aalten, Netherlands.I  have 2 children named Danyel and Maike. They already live away from my home.   My other hobbies are fishing, during the summerdays and I have something about The Flying Dutchman.


H I S T O R Y

View of Zaandam

The country now known as the Netherlands was, during the Middle Ages, a collection of autonomous duchies (Gelre and Brabant) and counties (Holland and Zeeland) together with the bishopric of Utrecht. These territories, together with present day Belgium and Luxembourgh, formed under Karel V the Low Countries, which were part of the great Burgundian-Hapsburg Empire.

In 1568 when a number of the provinces rebelled against Philip II of Spain it marked the beginning of the 80 Years' War of Independence. The revolt was led by Prince Willem van Oranje, who has gone into history as 'the father of the Netherlands'. The peace of Westphalia (1648) recognized the Republic of the Seven United Provinced as an independent state.

In the 17-th century, Dutch merchants established trading posts all over the world. This period was characterised by an expansion of trade and shipping, earning it the name 'the Golden Age'. First there were many trading companies, which later, due to heavy mutual competition, merged together in a few big trading companies. The leading companies were the Dutch East India Company (VOC: Verenigd Oost-Indische Compagnie), which traded with the Far East, and the West India Company (WIC: West Indie Compagnie) responsible for administration of New Amsterdam or New York as it later became. The need to protect trade interests led to several wars, notably against England.

In 1789 the French Revolution broke out, with the result that French troops occupied the Republic in 1795. In 1810 Napoleon incorporated the Northern Netherlands into the French Empire as a vassal state. With the fall of Napoleon the Netherlands regained its freedom and in 1815 Willem I, prince of Oranje-Nassau, assumed the title King of the Netherlands. He was also Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The Netherlands assumed its present form when Belgium became independent in 1839.

During the First World War, the Netherlands remained neutral. It continued to pursue a policy of strict neutrality right up until the Second World War, but was nevertheless attacked and invaded by Germany in 1940 and occupied for 5 years.

T H E   S T O R Y Holland view fade

Several hundred years ago, in the year 1729 to be exactly, there lived a Dutch sea captain of fearsome temperament. With his ship he sailed through the stormiest seas, and fared the hardest routes. One day however, despite all his efforts, a storm prevented him from rounding the steep cliffs of a headland. He swore to the Devil that he would never give in to Nature, and that he would sail on until he rounded the headland, even if it took him till Judgment Day.The Devil took the Captain at his word and dammed him, that he must stay as captain of his ship, now a ghostship, sailing the seas, until Judgment Day should come.The Devil left him just one small hope. Only through the love of a woman could he be released.

So, the Flying Dutchman became the curse of the seas. Any ship that met him became a ship of ill fortune. No sailor would sail on her, any trader would refuse to deal in it's wares.In order to protect themselves against an encounter with the ghost ship, ships took to nailing horseshoes to their masts, which was said to bring luck, and prevent an unhappy meeting.

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