AD 50: Iron Age Frisian and Batavi tribes settle in present day
Netherlands; they build settlements above the tide line on
artificial mounds called terpen.
751:Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor, rules the Low
Countries, the lands alongside the North Sea.
12th century: Herring fishermen settle at the mouth of the Amstel river,
later site of Amsterdam.
1519: Charles V of Spain is crowned Holy Roman Emperor; the
Low Countries come under Spanish rule.
1566-67: Repression by Spain leads to lengthy struggle against
Spanish control.
1579: Formation of Republic of die United Provinces of The
Netherlands.
1602: Formation of Dutch East India Company; "Golden Age" of
Amsterdam as a world trading center lasts for most of the
17th century.
1814: Northern and southern Netherlands become a united kingdom
after fall of Napoleon.
