The Rise of Great Powers

1 4 Tiny Holland, Great Empire Tiny Holland recounts the rise of the Netherlands from its humble beginnings in the 16th century as a country the size of a state to the height of power in the 17th century. In 1492, Spain banished its entire Jewish population, many settling in the Netherlands. They exacted their revenge by engineering the Netherlands’ rise as the hegemon of European commerce, bringing Spain to its knees.