Originally posted by Xen
religious tolerance is hardley a new thing, as it dates back to ancient Persia, and was even in good use by Rome (although this was at the same time christians were persecuted, but other religions were protected by law from discrimination).
They were tolerantly persecuting the Christians then

. Really, the idea of tolerance had vanished from Western Europe during the Middle Ages , and the Netherlands was the first place to adopt it again. Remember the Pilgrim Fathers didn't set sail from England - they set sail from the Netherlands.
Originally posted by Xen
banking- see renaissance Italy...
Not banking, but the corporation (the United East Indies Company being the first example) and the stock exchange were pioneered in the Netherlands in the early 17th century. Trade as a basis for empire was pioneered by the Dutch, and they were involved
everywhere, from Baltic timber, North American furs, the African slave trade to spices from the Far East.
Originally posted by Xen
warfare- up to 1850 starting from when?- it seems more likelly to be there close neighbors, the germans in whatever various name they happend to be calling themselves at the time who were the real influencers...
Not true - Prince Maurits (reigning as Stadhouder from1585-1625) was the real influence in modernizing warfare. His manuals on standardized infantry training, artillery and (IIRC) logistics were used throughout Europe.
Originally posted by Xen
republics-
forgetting ancient Rome and medieval Venice arnt we?
The influences of Rome and the Netherlands on 17th-century and later Europe were vastly different - Rome was an ancient idea, whereas the United Provinces were a reality. Fact remains that the Dutch were the first real nation to reject the notion of an absolute monarch in Europe, and not as a ciity-state either. And this can in no way be compared with the Romans ditching Tarquinius Superbus 2000 years earlier

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Originally posted by Xen
my point is, that of the civs, it is the dutch, and the sumerians who are in my opinion the "weakest link"
1) bad starting positions
2) bad UU choices
3) not the greatest presidence for representation
4) tiny periods of actually being important on the world geo-political stage
1) I doubt the majority of people plays only on world maps
2) Well, not as bad as Byzantium

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3)
4) Arguably 2 centuries at least - similar to the Vikings. And what an influence !
Anyway, should you ever get bored with Byzantine history, may I recommend
The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477-1806 by Jonathan Israel ? It's always helpful to have more of an idea what you're talking about when you're slagging off something

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