In today's episode we look at the story of the Dutch in a time of peace and tranquility - or at least, peace - and ask what went wrong. The problem was that the United Provinces were not so united after all, and were in fact beset by divisions on numerous levels. A state which had been forged in war, and which found its identity in war, suddenly had to cope without war, and it was harder than expected. Between 1610-19, the Dutch Republic was struck by a new religious dispute which was soon folded into the political and societal tensions. The two camps became inflamed, and with the Spaniard always the subject of suspicion, it became clear that blood would have to be paid, for the crisis to pass... **DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!** 1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon! 2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group! 3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter! 4) For everything else, visit our website! 5) For merchandise including tees and mugs, all you have to do is click here! 6) Get our new Thirty Years War book, For God or the Devil!   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.