Revolt in the Netherlands
The Eighty Years War, 1568-1648
Published on 28. February 2019
272 pages
978-1-78914-088-0 (ISBN)
Description
In 1568 the Seventeen Provinces in the Netherlands rebelled against the colonial rule of the king of Spain. A confederation of duchies, counties and lordships, they demanded the right of self-determination, the freedom of conscience and religion, and the right to be represented in government. Their long struggle for liberty and the subsequent rise of the Dutch Republic was a decisive episode in world history and an important step on the path to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In his compelling retelling of the conflict, Anton van der Lem explores the main issues at stake on both sides of the struggle and why it took eighty years to achieve peace. He recounts in vivid detail the roles of the key protagonists, the decisive battles and the war's major turning points, from the Spanish governor's Council Of Blood to the Twelve Years Truce, while all the time unraveling the shifting political, religious and military alliances that would entangle the foreign powers of France, Italy and England. Featuring striking illustrations that have rarely been seen before, this is a timely and balanced account of one of the most historically important conflicts of the early modern period.
In his compelling retelling of the conflict, Anton van der Lem explores the main issues at stake on both sides of the struggle and why it took eighty years to achieve peace. He recounts in vivid detail the roles of the key protagonists, the decisive battles and the war's major turning points, from the Spanish governor's Council Of Blood to the Twelve Years Truce, while all the time unraveling the shifting political, religious and military alliances that would entangle the foreign powers of France, Italy and England. Featuring striking illustrations that have rarely been seen before, this is a timely and balanced account of one of the most historically important conflicts of the early modern period.
Reviews / Votes
This fresh, original and beautifully written book offers as fine an introduction as one could wish to the revolt in the Netherlands - why it occurred, and why the Low Countries would eventually be divided against all expectation into a free north and a Spanish south. Elegant and fair-minded, and crammed with previously unseen visual material, this book will be recognised as a definitive study of a critical episode in the development of modern European society. * Andrew Pettegree, University of St Andrews and author of Brand Luther: 1517, Printing, and the Making of the Reformation (2015) * Praise for the Dutch edition:'This is a classic narrative summary of the troubles, from the first stirrings of aristocratic dissent in the mid sixteenth century to the peace of 1648. It's a broad brush overview that also canvasses historiography and contains a very helpful, updated bibliography, maps, and a chronological list of events as appendices . . . Particularly welcomed in this new version of Van der Lem's book are the beautiful, important images he has set alongside his chronological narrative of the Revolt. They are some of the best set of illustrations I have seen of the Revolt, and serve as tantalizing invitations to readers to the rich world of visual material the conflict produced.' * Peter Arnade, Professor of History, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Low Countries Historical Review *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
File size
35,95 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-78914-088-0 (9781789140880)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
11/2018
Reaktion Books
€37.50
Article not available at the moment
Persons
Anton van der Lem is Scaliger Fellow at Leiden University Library, where he was formerly Curator of Rare Books.
Content
- Cover
- Title Page
- Imprint Page
- Contents
- Foreword to the English-language Edition
- Introduction
- 1: The 'Lands Over Here'
- 2: The Troubles
- 3: Loyalty Tested
- 4: The Netherlands, or Belgium Nostrum
- 5: The Netherlands Divided
- 6: An Offensive War
- 7: The Twelve Years Truce
- 8: The Long Road from Truce to Peace
- Epilogue: By Way of Conclusion
- Chronology of Main Events
- Maps
- References
- Bibliography
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgements
- Index
