The Dutch Republic in 1650, being a formidable commercial, financial and naval power at the time, faced many imperialistic challenges which led to the end of its golden age by the year 1713. The Security of the Dutch Republic was constantly challenged by wars due to the merchants' weak military capabilities, and this was seen by the Dutch as a sign of an impending series of military conflicts and by foreign nations as a way to take over the republic. The richest of the provinces, which was Holland at the time, led to unequal rivalries and jealousies between the provinces who saw Holland as a threat and also fought to outdo each other. The prosperity of the Dutch Republic was starting to crumble due to the damage to trade which led to the destruction of the empire, and the Dutch saw this as a reason why there was great competition between the Republic and the English. Because of all the wars that the Dutch Republic was involved in, they were unable to deal with the wars because Holland was the only province with some money and could not win against larger nations like England who it could become a threat. In battle and naval warfare, the Dutch were significantly outgunned. The estimated losses of Dutch ships seized by the English from merchant shipping in the three Anglo-Dutch wars were approximately 2000-2700. The Dutch, however, seized only around 500 ships (document 3). This especially shows that the Dutch were unable to defend themselves against foreign nations, especially the English. It also shows that the English posed a huge threat to the Dutch Republic because they could easily overwhelm the Dutch in battle. Likewise, the Dutch were in no position to engage their East India Company in any way. This view of the administrator is correct because he is a member of the office that presides over commerce. Due to the drastic challenges the Dutch Republic faced, its golden age soon ended. Their profits soon turned to losses as the provinces' prosperity was soon competed by larger nations that had conquered and dominated trade in Europe. As many nations wished to take control of the Republic, the Dutch were soon weakened by wars which were seen as harmful by people within the nation and surrounding countries. The jealousy of the provinces also caused conflicts that weakened the unification of the entire Dutch Republic. Overwhelmed by the challenges they were facing at the time, the Dutch soon spiraled into an end to their golden age within the year 1713.