Het Verhaal van Nederland

- Season 1

(2022)

After the Ice Age, the Netherlands slowly takes on its current shape. Climate changes and the Neolithic Revolution mean that the first hunter-gatherers have to adapt to their new living conditions.

The arrival of the Romans is not without a struggle. The Germanic tribes that inhabit the land are subjugated, expelled or murdered. The Romans bring the country a new culture and also new inhabitants.

In the early Middle Ages, the Frisians inhabited the coastal area of the Netherlands. With the arrival of Christian missionaries, their way of life is tested. Convert to their new faith or stick to own traditions? A diabolical dilemma.

In the thirteenth century, the Netherlands consists of several counties and duchies. The young count Floris V never knew his father, but has to succeed him. Will he be able to unite the Dutch nobility and avenge the death of his father?

In the fourteenth century, Europe has to face a terrible plague. The Church states it's a punishment from God. Meanwhile, the printing press contributes to the development of critical citizens that take on the Church, like the Anabaptists.

In the sixteenth century the Eighty Years' War broke out in the Netherlands. In this war between Catholics and Protestants, William of Orange must make a choice between his own interests and those of the Spanish king.

The Dutch Republic becomes a world power in the seventeenth century. Not only thanks to the typical commercial spirit, but also through robbery and war. A small elite gets rich by exploiting others in the black pages of this Golden Age.

At the end of the 18th century, the Dutch Republic was torn apart by civil war. The last steward, Prince William V, flees and citizens seize their chance to introduce democracy. Will the country become a monarchy or a democratic republic?

In the 19th century, the Netherlands experienced the Industrial Revolution. It is a time of new inventions and progress. But also of great poverty and misery. Is there hope for a better future after the harsh reality of social inequality?

During World War II, crimes are committed before our eyes. Not only by Germans, but also by ourselves. We see how ordinary citizens try to live and survive in times of war and occupation. We ask ourselves: who was right and who was wrong?