One seventeenth-century visitor called The Hague "the mightiest village in Europe"—an epithet that could still be used today to describe this seat of Dutch government and home to its royal family. That same visitor also called it one of the most beautiful villages in Europe—no less correct—for the same circumstances that rendered The Hague mighty despite its size also rendered it wealthy.

As with all of the Netherlands, The Hague owed its vast riches to the sea, and it used that wealth not only to attain power but also to attract artistic talent. As the country came to be a leader on the world stage, the so-called Golden Age of the Netherlands encouraged the production of art and architecture of remarkable allure that is still on display in this "beautiful village" today.

Here, from historian Derek B. Lange, is the dramatic story of the Hague and the role it played in the shaping of the Netherlands. The history and people of this tiny country are explored through its rise to international prominence and then its development into one of the most tolerant and progressive countries in the world.