In 1673 a book was published in England which explained the success of the Dutch Republic to foreigners. The author, Sir William Temple – who spent several years serving as the English ambassador to The Hague – had set himself the task of explaining the peculiarities of the Republic to his fellow countrymen. In addition to setting forth the proverbial Dutch character – frugal, reserved, hard-working, community-minded – Sir William thought it important to elucidate the international position of the Republic, which at that very moment was at war with England for the third time in twenty-five years. He discussed the Republic's position in a chapter with the revealing title ‘Of their Forces and Revenues’, for in the eyes of this English diplomat money and military might were closely connected.

That connection may seem logical now, but in the seventeenth century it was not at all self-evident. As Temple explained to his readers, it had previously been customary for sovereigns to raise armies by granting parts of their domain in fief, in exchange for which their vassals owed them allegiance. When called upon to serve their lord in times of war, those vassals brought along their own weapons and sometimes a few brothers-in-arms who were in turn their own tenants. Almost no one waged war professionally. Campaigns were mercifully short, so that everyone would be home in time for the harvest.