After battles with Spanish Catholic monarchy, split into two parts: protestant in the North (Netherlands) & Catholic in the South (Belgium)

"God created earth, the Dutch created Holland"

Golden Age -

Dutch obsession with cleanliness. Many windows by the street do not have curtains, meaning noting to hide. Old book from Golden age on which day of the week to clean which part of the house

Vermeer

that sense that the Dutch always had throughout their greatest hour, throughout the 17th century, that whatever they gain, whatever they made, whatever they profited, it was always profoundly at risk, it was always vulnerable"

reminds me of Casper's reaction to Ajax's last minute loss to Spurs, he said it was a "very Dutch" loss, just like the world cup, etc...
BBC - The Invention of ... the Netherlands

Dutch characters: hardworking, discipline, Calvinism