Before the 1650s, the Dutch Republic was the richest and most powerful province of the Netherlands through Amsterdam, the main trading and banking force. Many European nations were jealous of their success and wanted it for themselves, which led to conflicts between the Dutch and many European powers. As a result, the Dutch Republic entered a period of decline until the Peace of Utrecht of 1713. Costly wars with England and France, declining trade, and distrust between the Dutch provinces led to challenges in terms of security, unity and prosperity of the Republic. Wars with England and France threatened the national security of the Dutch Republic. According to Document 1, many naval battles between the English and Dutch took place on Dutch trade and fishing routes. The constant attacks posed a threat to national security as Dutch traders and citizens were captured by foreign governments. The reason the English attacked the Dutch ships so much was to capture their ships. Document 3 shows that the English seized at least 1,500 more ships than the Dutch, who seized only 500. This means that the Dutch became weaker as they lost their ships and their enemies , the English, became stronger the more they gained. The English could use their newly acquired ships to carry out more naval attacks against the Dutch, further jeopardizing the security of the provinces. Some merchants were more afraid of sailing and advocated for free protection of warships, such as the anonymous merchant in Document 5. This document shows that merchants were beginning to lose confidence in the security of their government and feared attack during their commercial exchanges. Attacks on merchant ships were not the only source of threat to the Re...... middle of document ......t expressed in Document 10. Written by an anonymous wealthy citizen of Amsterdam, the author claims that because the government is quick to start wars, there is no source of funding to support them, meaning only wealthy citizens like him have to pay. This document is obviously biased because as a wealthy citizen he does not want to spend money on the government and might exaggerate the high taxes he has to pay. However, it also shows the challenge of war and how it affects the government's economy. There were also external factors that caused economic problems for the Dutch. Document 7 indicates that many countries, such as France and England, but not limited to, are trying to take over part of the Dutch economy. This is an external economic challenge, as foreign countries threaten the Dutch economy by trying to weaken it for their own benefit..