Tom Holland

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And just when the Anglo-Saxons thought it couldn't get any worse, they got conquered by King Canute.

And Canute imposed a tax rate that was effectively...

100%.

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Yeah, because it has actually been the great anthem of Dutch patriotism for four and a half centuries.

So long, long before it became enshrined as the Dutch national anthem.

And I will quote from the official website of the Royal House of the Netherlands, which has a very convenient English translation.

The melody of the Wilhelmus originated during the siege of the French city of Chartres in 1568.

So listeners may be wondering why Chartres, who composed it.

And we will be coming to this later in the episode.

And the website then goes on to say the first known reference to the lyrics dates from 1572.

And so there we have it, direct from the Dutch royal family.

The Wilhelmus originated sometime between 1568 and 1572.

So that is, you know, compared, say, to God Save the King.

That is very, very precise.

And those dates, not coincidentally, constitute a key fulcrum point