Buba
A total creep
A Dutch Empire greater than British? I suppose several PODs would do.
1 - The 1568 Revolt kicks out the Spanish in 1568, hence the 17 Provinces remain a single entity - and not a battleground. Habsburg invasions are met in Luksemburg and Rheinland, and not between Antverp and Brussels.
2 - the West Indies Company keeps Brazil (and Angola). And then finds gold in Minas Gerais, providing the Netherlands with 2 tons of gold a year for a hundred years. Result - fewer pretty churches in Portugal and a Dutch Empire which can into space in 1920.
3 - William - husband of Mary - lives a few years longer and Britain does not fuck over the United Provinces at the close of the War of Spanish Succession and thus the republic gets the Spanish Netherlands. Then he dies and Britain descends into civil war between supporters of Stuart and Hannoverians. All that the latter needs is a slightly less stupid Stuart ...
IMO Netherlands going Lutheran and not Calvinist could also help in empire building, this making it easier to integrate Germans (and Scandinavians) into the Empire and thus expanding the population base. There simply were many more German Lutherans than Presbyterians ... and the Netherlands need people for the colonies, armies, fleets, etc. In OTL a high percentange of soldiers/sailors/low level VOC officials were Germans and Scandinavians, with native Netherlanders not being very keen on such risky and unhealthy occupations, preferring to enjoy the high standard of living of the Seven Provinces.
Netherlands have coal deposits aplenty - there is lots of it in Artois (which need not be lost to France), Hainaut and Brabant. Adding Kleve and/or Julich - which is not so far fetched - would had made Netherlands a coal mining giant
1 - The 1568 Revolt kicks out the Spanish in 1568, hence the 17 Provinces remain a single entity - and not a battleground. Habsburg invasions are met in Luksemburg and Rheinland, and not between Antverp and Brussels.
2 - the West Indies Company keeps Brazil (and Angola). And then finds gold in Minas Gerais, providing the Netherlands with 2 tons of gold a year for a hundred years. Result - fewer pretty churches in Portugal and a Dutch Empire which can into space in 1920.
3 - William - husband of Mary - lives a few years longer and Britain does not fuck over the United Provinces at the close of the War of Spanish Succession and thus the republic gets the Spanish Netherlands. Then he dies and Britain descends into civil war between supporters of Stuart and Hannoverians. All that the latter needs is a slightly less stupid Stuart ...
IMO Netherlands going Lutheran and not Calvinist could also help in empire building, this making it easier to integrate Germans (and Scandinavians) into the Empire and thus expanding the population base. There simply were many more German Lutherans than Presbyterians ... and the Netherlands need people for the colonies, armies, fleets, etc. In OTL a high percentange of soldiers/sailors/low level VOC officials were Germans and Scandinavians, with native Netherlanders not being very keen on such risky and unhealthy occupations, preferring to enjoy the high standard of living of the Seven Provinces.
Netherlands have coal deposits aplenty - there is lots of it in Artois (which need not be lost to France), Hainaut and Brabant. Adding Kleve and/or Julich - which is not so far fetched - would had made Netherlands a coal mining giant
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