Final answer:
The Dutch are known for embracing diversity and allowing intellectual and religious freedom after their independence from Spain. Their liberal policies attracted a wide array of individuals, and through the Dutch East India Company, they became formidable traders in the global market. option D.
Step-by-step explanation:
The country known for allowing diversity, regardless of nationality and religious affiliations, especially during the era when it sought to expand its overseas empire, was the Netherlands. The Dutch became noted for their liberal approach after their independence from Spain. They embraced both intellectual and religious freedom, making their nation a refuge for dissidents from across Europe.
The Dutch East India Company (DEIC) was their primary vehicle for trade, making the Dutch leading shippers of spices, slaves, and sugar during that period. Cultural diversity was particularly notable in their New World colony of New Netherlands, which became a melting pot of European and African influences and a place where even Jewish people found a degree of toleration uncommon in other parts of Europe.