║In the second half of the 17th century, Protestant Northern Europe ruled the seas and dominated world trade. With only 1.5 million inhabitants, the Dutch United Provinces (now the Netherlands) resisted the might of King Louis XIV's French army. The Dutch were bitter rivals of the English, who finally gained the upper hand only in the 18th century. Meanwhile, under King Charles XII, Sweden launched an attack on the immense lands of Russia. ╡@The Netherlands' lion@
In the 17th century, the Netherlands - represented here as a lion - were split in two. To the south, ten Catholic provinces remained under Spanish rule and were known as the Spanish Netherlands. To the north were the seven Protestant "United Provinces" which had successfully rebelled against the Spanish. These United Provinces are known today as the Netherlands. The former Spanish Netherlands are now Belgium.
