Dutch people

The Dutch are a Germanic people living in the Netherlands primarily descending from Franks and Saxons from Lower Saxony, who lived in the Netherlands during the 5th century.

History

The Dutch people descend from two early medieval people: the Franks and the Saxons. Dutch people living in the southern and western parts of the Netherlands descend from the Franks, while Dutchmen living in the eastern part of the Netherlands (those living in the provinces of Gelderland, Overijssel, Drenthe and Groningen) descend from the Saxons.

Related Topics:
Gelderland - Overijssel - Drenthe - Groningen

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The Franks have had the most influence on the Dutch culture in the early Middle Ages which makes the Frankish heritage the most dominant in Dutch culture though Saxon cultural heritage persisted in the eastern parts of the Netherlands until the 1960s.

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Since the year 1000 the Dutch culture has been fairly independent from those of its neighbours, but the cultures of neighbouring lands have had their influence on Dutch culture, as the Netherlands were occupied by foreign powers several times in its history.

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The Dutch people are strongly affiliated to all West Germanic peoples, such as the English and German peoples, and less so to North Germanic peoples (Danes, Norwegians, Swedes and Icelanders).

Related Topics:
Danes - Norwegians - Swedes - Icelanders

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Ethnic affiliation is strongest between the Dutch people and the Flemish and Frisian peoples.

Related Topics:
Flemish - Frisian

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The Frisian people, who speak their own language and live in Friesland (a province of the Netherlands), have had some influence on Dutch culture, especially in the western Netherlands. Flemish culture has had some influence on Dutch culture in the southern Netherlands.

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The Flemish tongue, though different from Dutch, is intelligible for Dutch people. The Frisian language is much harder to understand for the average Dutchman. It´s actually closer related to the English language than to the Dutch language.

Related Topics:
English language - Dutch language

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Dutch people, especially those in the eastern Netherlands also have a strong correlation with people living in the German Bundesland of Lower Saxony.

Related Topics:
German - Bundesland - Lower Saxony

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Since the late 16th century, when the Netherlands became an independent nation, Dutch culture has become more independent from that of its neighbours.

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