Baroque Nationalism: Dutch Seascapes, Landscapes and Maps

History
• The Baroque era was a period of great change. During this time, the
European regions went through religious dispersion. The Christian
religion separated into two different groups, the Catholics and the
Protestants. The conflicts extended to the battlefield and the arts.
The Catholics and Protestants tried to convert people using art as a
media tool.
• The seventeenth century is referred to as the Golden Age of the
Dutch, because it is a time of religious tolerance and economic
success. The Dutch people of the seventeenth century belonged to a
republic governed by its citizens at a time when its neighbors;
Germany, France, and England were still ruled by monarchs.
Although the long battle for freedom from Spain was won in 1609, it
was not officially recognized by Spain until 1648. The Dutch Republic
had to be continually defended and the maritime fleet grew to be the
leading sea power of the seventeenth century.