I’m interested in learning more about this: especially economic history. Does anyone have any references?
I imagine Doug French could offer some choice texts, considering his research on Tulipmania. Checking his citations may also yield some good resources.
The Dutch Republic: its Rise, Greatness and Fall 1477-1806 by Jonathan Israel is an excellent way to have a comprehensive view of Dutch history economics, culture and social structure from the period. It’s a monumental work (over 800 pages) but pretty much the best work about Early Modern Netherlands printed in English language.
Doug French wrote about the tulip buble and the Bank of Amsterdam: http://mises.org/daily/2564
I’ve always been fascinated by the Dutch East India Company, but I’ve never really researched it (I’ve read the Wiki).
Yeah, Doug French is the authority here - see also The Dutch Monetary Environment During Tulipmania.
If you can find a copy, you might try The Hague by Mark Greenberg. It’s more of a historical overview, not a lot of depth, but has some nice photographs of the architecture and art of the Dutch Republic.