Amsterdam began as a small fishing settlement on the banks of the Amstel river, where a dam was built to hold back the water and gave the town its name, meaning dam on the Amstel. The earliest written record of the place comes from the late thirteenth century, when it received toll privileges from the Count of Holland, and it was granted city rights in the early fourteenth century. Its position on trade routes between the North Sea and the Baltic helped it grow, and in the seventeenth century Amsterdam became one of the richest commercial cities in the world. Today it is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands.
Before and after
- from 29 July 1299 to 17 November 1922Ottoman Empire
- from 22 December 1299 to 23 December 1299Battle of Wadi al-Khaznadar
- from 13th century to 20th centuryPasha
- 13th centuryConstruction of Wieliczka Salt Mine
- c. 1300Origins of Amsterdam
- 13th centuryDiscovery of arsenic
- from 1301 to 1500Late Middle Ages
- from 1303 to 1850Little Ice Age
- 1303Founding of Sapienza University of Rome
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The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 13th century.