The Dutch were the only people since the Middle Ages who could truly challenge and often outperform the English at sea on a large scale, how did this happen?
Honestly, I think the Dutch are somewhat underrated in history books. Of course everyone knows about them, but I honestly can’t think of another country that, with so little land and such a small population (only about 2 million people in the 17th century), managed to achieve so much.
What many people also don’t realize is that the Dutch regularly defeated the English at sea. How were they able to do this? What made their skills and strengths so unique?