Dutch Saltpeter: How Gunpowder Made the Golden Age episode artwork

EPISODE · May 26, 2026 · 6 MIN

Dutch Saltpeter: How Gunpowder Made the Golden Age

from The Story of the Netherlands: Trade, Empire, and Innovation — Fexingo History · host Fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Dutch obsession with saltpeter — the key ingredient of gunpowder — and how the Republic became Europe's powder keg. They trace the supply chain from Bengal to Amsterdam, the deadly 1651 kruitramp in Delft that leveled a neighborhood, and the secretive trade of Elias Trip that kept the cannons firing. Along the way, they discuss VOC contracts, sulfur from Iceland, and the high-stakes diplomacy of the saltpeter trade. A story of profit, peril, and the explosive foundation of Dutch power. #Saltpeter #Gunpowder #DutchRepublic #EliasTrip #VOC #WIC #Kruitramp #DelftExplosion #Bengal #IcelandSulfur #Amsterdam #GoldenAge #17thCentury #MilitaryHistory #TradeHistory #Netherlands #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Dutch obsession with saltpeter — the key ingredient of gunpowder — and how the Republic became Europe's powder keg. They trace the supply chain from Bengal to Amsterdam, the deadly 1651 kruitramp in Delft that leveled a neighborhood, and the secretive trade of Elias Trip that kept the cannons firing. Along the way, they discuss VOC contracts, sulfur from Iceland, and the high-stakes diplomacy of the saltpeter trade. A story of profit, peril, and the explosive foundation of Dutch power. #Saltpeter #Gunpowder #DutchRepublic #EliasTrip #VOC #WIC #Kruitramp #DelftExplosion #Bengal #IcelandSulfur #Amsterdam #GoldenAge #17thCentury #MilitaryHistory #TradeHistory #Netherlands #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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Dutch Saltpeter: How Gunpowder Made the Golden Age

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This episode was published on May 26, 2026.

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In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Dutch obsession with saltpeter — the key ingredient of gunpowder — and how the Republic became Europe's powder keg. They trace the supply chain from Bengal to Amsterdam, the deadly 1651 kruitramp in Delft...

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