After Philip the Good, the throne of Burgundy (and therefore the Netherlands) passed to Philip's son, Charles the Bold, whose untimely death in battle led to his duchy's weakening. He was followed by his daughter Mary the Rich, who married into the Austrian House of Habsburg in order to maintain her duchy's survival. When she died in 1482, the throne passed to her son, Philip the Handsome, who briefly ruled as the King of Castile through an opportune marriage before promptly dying in 1506.
Habsburg Netherlands
Next, lordship over the Netherlands and Burgundy passed to Philip's son Charles. Later, Charles became the Archduke of Austria, the King of Spain, and even the Holy Roman Emperor as Charles V.
So, the Netherlands in the 1500s was part of a vast monarchical system that crossed over much of the continent of Europe. This promoted trade and economic development in the region, granting greater significance to the guilder; the currency of the Netherlands became one of several key currencies in Europe. However, this came with the cost of strict imperial governments that stamped out Dutch autonomy.
Another large change came in the 1500s. When Spain encountered the Americas in 1492, it also encountered its vast stores of gold and silver. Spanish gold mines pulled valuable metals from the earth, then Spanish treasure fleets brought them to Europe. While this enriched Spain, it also resulted in currency inflation. As a result, the Netherlands depreciated the gold content in the guilder and other coins.
Perhaps the most important change in Dutch history in the 1500s was the Protestant Reformation, in which religious reformists campaigned to challenge the power of the Catholic Church. This was especially influential in the foreign-ruled Netherlands, which began a prolonged crusade for independence from Spain in 1566, with the new Dutch Republic forged in 1579.
The Dutch Republic
Over the course of the late 1500s, the Netherlands struggled for independence, winning several wars; it took until 1648, after the Eighty Years' War, for Spain to finally recognize Dutch independence.
Over the course of this period, the Netherlands and other European countries continued to depreciate the gold content in their currencies. This accelerated when the Netherlands secured its independence, creating a fiscal crisis.
In 1609, the government created the Bank of Amsterdam. Its key purpose was to correctly evaluate the quality of the Dutch guilder so that merchants could continue their profitable endeavors. This venture was successful; the bank halted depreciation, stabilizing the currency. As the years passed, the Dutch guilder became the reserve currency of Europe as a result of its success.
This fiscal stability led to a boom in commerce and mercantile activities in the Netherlands. Private trade companies and government-tied colonization companies brought Dutch ships across the globe; Dutch colonies sprung up in lands as distant as Indonesia and South Africa. Further reforms and efforts continued the Netherlands' prosperity.
Over the course of later centuries, the guilder continued to be a stable and successful currency, despite occasional foreign invasions. However, the Netherlands' money was eventually swapped with an international currency: the euro.
