The Dutch Republic emerged from the epic revolt of the Netherlands against Spanish rule in the late sixteenth century and almost immediately became a major political force in Europe. In this book, Leslie Price--an acknowledged expert in the field--shows how this extraordinary new state, a republic in a Europe of monarchies, was able to achieve such successes despite the burdens of the Eighty Years War with Spain, which only came to a definitive end in 1648. The engine behind these achievements was the phenomenal growth of the Dutch economy which, within a few decades, had become the most powerful in Europe. This book offers a concise but penetrating survey of the major features of Dutch history in this period, challenging previous interpretations and showing how the economic boom of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries produced a vigorous society that was able to combine religious pluralism with relative political stability and rapid social change with a remarkable vitality.