The Netherlands in the Seventeenth Century: History, Literature, and Art.
Marking of essay questions:
1. Clear structure of argumentation = 1 point.
- Briefly introduce answer.
- Provide three (and not more than three) clearly structured arguments in
support of your answer.
2. Maximum 3 points per argument:
- 1 for mentioning a relevant point
- Maximum 2 more points for good quality of the argumentation (relevant
details, concrete examples, explaining why these are relevant, sensitive to the
nuances of the question etc.)
Use the time and space available and demonstrate your insight and knowledge of the
subject matter!
Literature exam question will be about what your favorite act (why is it important/explain lines
or theme’s) is from ‘the Spanish Brabanter’. So study 2 or more so you’ll have information to
fall back on. → info on the handouts/book
Sample question
Interest in the Classical and Biblical past shaped ideas about current events in the Dutch
Republic. Explain why and how this happened. Provide three concrete examples from the
lectures and/or the reading to support your argument:
1. Mirroring themselves to the Roman republic. The ideal of Republicanism was
strongly inspired by the example of Ancient Rome and Athens. This reinforced a
distaste for foreign ‘despotic’ regimes, such as Habsburg Spain and the France of
Louis XIV;
2. The Dutch as New Israel, against the antichrist (Habsburg Empire). Protestant vs
Catholic. The home of a chosen people granted special grace by God spurred on
Calvinist activity during the Revolt and after;
3. The Arcadian ideal was projected on the Republic, which was envisaged as ‘the
garden of Holland’ and in which elites celebrated a pastoral ideal in their taste of art
and leisure. The protection of this ‘garden’ was an important way of framing the
conflict with Spain;
4. the ‘Batavian myth’ created a self-image that emphasized resilience and
independence, spurring the Dutch on in conflicts with outside powers
,Lecture 1 – Origins
Johan Huizinga was one of the most prominent person of the Golden Age
The Golden Age is also a time of slavery, colonialism, and poverty. Activists call the Dutch
one of the most prominent actors in these.
The Dutch seventeenth century is a century of many contradictions.
There are two kind of stories;
1. Everything was great, commerce etc.
2. Poverty, slavery etc.
The Dutch Republic in the 17th century was very successful on the international stage,
however internally there was great instability. The republic also grew rich while being at war
for most of the century – a contradiction. The republic also was considered a site of great
cultural importance, modernity, and progressive ideas, yet the state engaged in slavery and
genocide.
The Dutch republic was also considered a miracle state among Europe considering the war
it fought against the Spanish – it was also the only republic on the continent at the time and
was incredibly strong militarily and economically.
Brothers ‘de Witt’ got lynched in the Rampjaar (disaster year) in 1672 in 's-Gravenhage by
members of local militias.
II. The Low Countries in the 1550s
Some historians say that there was no real conception of the Netherlands prior to the 1550s
Before this time the Netherlands was heavily fragmented into individual provinces – many
languages were spoken and mixed together, there were no natural borders, there was no
political unity (more so just cities with a great deal of freedom), there were different
currencies, different measurements – Also history of warfare between provinces. Ruled by
the Habsburgs and Burgundians → these smaller cities/principalities/provinces often went to
war with each other, and the place didn’t even really have a name.
- Cities and literature emerged. There was also a lot of trade and a development of
own traditions and cultures (cultural identity).
This began changing in the 1550s when the Habsburgs inherited the Burgundian lands and
began to add provinces in the Netherlands to their empire, bringing the Low Countries under
the same political entity for the first time.
- The Habsburg Emperor declared that the Low Countries could not be divided up as
inheritable land, it went as one single unit--this further solidified the idea that this was
one coherent department.
At this time the Low Countries were also the most urbanized place in Europe, with about 20
cities having a population over 10,000 (the next closest was Italy at 13 cities, the rest were
not even close to 10). – The people of the Low Countries were generally more well
educated, wealthy, and had a strong manufacturing and trade base--leading to a tradition of
revolting against any overlords and valuing freedom.
III. The Dutch Revolt
This is also known as the ‘80 jarige oorlog’.
, There are a couple of reasons/tensions that fuelled the Dutch Revolt:
1. Question about who governs (local rights vs need for political unity). Centralization of
the Habsburgers, but the Dutch want particularism – basically the notion of who
actually carries out the effects of government (who was the local nobility that was
loyal to the Habsburgs). Nobles are protective over their own right over their
province.
- The Habsburgs wanted to create a higher educated, streamlined, effective,
and bureaucratic government to run the Low Countries for them, but the cities
and nobles of the area were very protective of their freedoms and ‘local
privileges’. Centralization of the Habsburgers, but the Dutch want
particularism.
2. The rise of protestantism: The majority were Protestant, but there were still Catholics.
Most of the people in the Low Countries remained Catholic, but a sizeable minority
became Protestant and came into conflict with the rest of the population. The
Catholic Habsburgs enacted the strictest legislation against Protestants in Europe to
counter this, further inflaming tensions.
3. Economic crisis: downturn of the economy, famine times, also time of the small ice
age. Which led to an increase of the prices of food which a lot of people couldn’t
afford – this further drove people to conflict and war.
- The Habsburgs also reformed the church bureaucracy in the Low Countries,
splitting up larger dioceses to create smaller ones where they could extort
more influence at the expense of the locals – infuriating the people. The
Habsburgs had put a Frenchman in charge of reforming the Low Countries,
but he was so hated that the people demonstrated against him, eventually
forcing the emperor to recall him.
- Later, the Catholics of the Low Countries petitioned for the retracting of the
harsh anti-heresy laws, fearing it would drive the Protestants to revolt, and the
Habsburgs obliged. This result in Protestants coming up from underground,
leading to exuberance but also some violence and iconoclasm. The Spanish
Habsburgs responded by sending an army under the Duke of Alva to crush
what they saw as a Protestant rebellion. When the Duke arrived, he set up
the ‘Court of Troubles’ which overrode the authority of all local courts – while
the locals were enraged by the smashing of Catholic artifacts, they were
much more concerned about a court being set up by a Spanish noble and not
run by locals. The Spanish also executed some loyal Catholic nobles who had
asked for the retraction of the anti-heresy laws, seeing them as liable and
complicit in the ‘rebellion’, even though they had not done anything really
wrong--this became international news and was a PR disaster for the
Habsburgs.
- Blanket taxation was also introduced to pay for the Spanish troops, which was
incredibly unpopular as it was suddenly imposed. Dutch nobles began to fear
what the Habsburgs would do and thus began making moves.
- One such Catholic noble was William of Orange, who was slated to be
executed by the Council of Troubles but had fled to a German principality
because he didn’t trust the Duke of Alva (and was right).
To summarize, the chaos (economic and religious) enflamed tensions and the Habsburgs
made it worse for themselves.
Marking of essay questions:
1. Clear structure of argumentation = 1 point.
- Briefly introduce answer.
- Provide three (and not more than three) clearly structured arguments in
support of your answer.
2. Maximum 3 points per argument:
- 1 for mentioning a relevant point
- Maximum 2 more points for good quality of the argumentation (relevant
details, concrete examples, explaining why these are relevant, sensitive to the
nuances of the question etc.)
Use the time and space available and demonstrate your insight and knowledge of the
subject matter!
Literature exam question will be about what your favorite act (why is it important/explain lines
or theme’s) is from ‘the Spanish Brabanter’. So study 2 or more so you’ll have information to
fall back on. → info on the handouts/book
Sample question
Interest in the Classical and Biblical past shaped ideas about current events in the Dutch
Republic. Explain why and how this happened. Provide three concrete examples from the
lectures and/or the reading to support your argument:
1. Mirroring themselves to the Roman republic. The ideal of Republicanism was
strongly inspired by the example of Ancient Rome and Athens. This reinforced a
distaste for foreign ‘despotic’ regimes, such as Habsburg Spain and the France of
Louis XIV;
2. The Dutch as New Israel, against the antichrist (Habsburg Empire). Protestant vs
Catholic. The home of a chosen people granted special grace by God spurred on
Calvinist activity during the Revolt and after;
3. The Arcadian ideal was projected on the Republic, which was envisaged as ‘the
garden of Holland’ and in which elites celebrated a pastoral ideal in their taste of art
and leisure. The protection of this ‘garden’ was an important way of framing the
conflict with Spain;
4. the ‘Batavian myth’ created a self-image that emphasized resilience and
independence, spurring the Dutch on in conflicts with outside powers
,Lecture 1 – Origins
Johan Huizinga was one of the most prominent person of the Golden Age
The Golden Age is also a time of slavery, colonialism, and poverty. Activists call the Dutch
one of the most prominent actors in these.
The Dutch seventeenth century is a century of many contradictions.
There are two kind of stories;
1. Everything was great, commerce etc.
2. Poverty, slavery etc.
The Dutch Republic in the 17th century was very successful on the international stage,
however internally there was great instability. The republic also grew rich while being at war
for most of the century – a contradiction. The republic also was considered a site of great
cultural importance, modernity, and progressive ideas, yet the state engaged in slavery and
genocide.
The Dutch republic was also considered a miracle state among Europe considering the war
it fought against the Spanish – it was also the only republic on the continent at the time and
was incredibly strong militarily and economically.
Brothers ‘de Witt’ got lynched in the Rampjaar (disaster year) in 1672 in 's-Gravenhage by
members of local militias.
II. The Low Countries in the 1550s
Some historians say that there was no real conception of the Netherlands prior to the 1550s
Before this time the Netherlands was heavily fragmented into individual provinces – many
languages were spoken and mixed together, there were no natural borders, there was no
political unity (more so just cities with a great deal of freedom), there were different
currencies, different measurements – Also history of warfare between provinces. Ruled by
the Habsburgs and Burgundians → these smaller cities/principalities/provinces often went to
war with each other, and the place didn’t even really have a name.
- Cities and literature emerged. There was also a lot of trade and a development of
own traditions and cultures (cultural identity).
This began changing in the 1550s when the Habsburgs inherited the Burgundian lands and
began to add provinces in the Netherlands to their empire, bringing the Low Countries under
the same political entity for the first time.
- The Habsburg Emperor declared that the Low Countries could not be divided up as
inheritable land, it went as one single unit--this further solidified the idea that this was
one coherent department.
At this time the Low Countries were also the most urbanized place in Europe, with about 20
cities having a population over 10,000 (the next closest was Italy at 13 cities, the rest were
not even close to 10). – The people of the Low Countries were generally more well
educated, wealthy, and had a strong manufacturing and trade base--leading to a tradition of
revolting against any overlords and valuing freedom.
III. The Dutch Revolt
This is also known as the ‘80 jarige oorlog’.
, There are a couple of reasons/tensions that fuelled the Dutch Revolt:
1. Question about who governs (local rights vs need for political unity). Centralization of
the Habsburgers, but the Dutch want particularism – basically the notion of who
actually carries out the effects of government (who was the local nobility that was
loyal to the Habsburgs). Nobles are protective over their own right over their
province.
- The Habsburgs wanted to create a higher educated, streamlined, effective,
and bureaucratic government to run the Low Countries for them, but the cities
and nobles of the area were very protective of their freedoms and ‘local
privileges’. Centralization of the Habsburgers, but the Dutch want
particularism.
2. The rise of protestantism: The majority were Protestant, but there were still Catholics.
Most of the people in the Low Countries remained Catholic, but a sizeable minority
became Protestant and came into conflict with the rest of the population. The
Catholic Habsburgs enacted the strictest legislation against Protestants in Europe to
counter this, further inflaming tensions.
3. Economic crisis: downturn of the economy, famine times, also time of the small ice
age. Which led to an increase of the prices of food which a lot of people couldn’t
afford – this further drove people to conflict and war.
- The Habsburgs also reformed the church bureaucracy in the Low Countries,
splitting up larger dioceses to create smaller ones where they could extort
more influence at the expense of the locals – infuriating the people. The
Habsburgs had put a Frenchman in charge of reforming the Low Countries,
but he was so hated that the people demonstrated against him, eventually
forcing the emperor to recall him.
- Later, the Catholics of the Low Countries petitioned for the retracting of the
harsh anti-heresy laws, fearing it would drive the Protestants to revolt, and the
Habsburgs obliged. This result in Protestants coming up from underground,
leading to exuberance but also some violence and iconoclasm. The Spanish
Habsburgs responded by sending an army under the Duke of Alva to crush
what they saw as a Protestant rebellion. When the Duke arrived, he set up
the ‘Court of Troubles’ which overrode the authority of all local courts – while
the locals were enraged by the smashing of Catholic artifacts, they were
much more concerned about a court being set up by a Spanish noble and not
run by locals. The Spanish also executed some loyal Catholic nobles who had
asked for the retraction of the anti-heresy laws, seeing them as liable and
complicit in the ‘rebellion’, even though they had not done anything really
wrong--this became international news and was a PR disaster for the
Habsburgs.
- Blanket taxation was also introduced to pay for the Spanish troops, which was
incredibly unpopular as it was suddenly imposed. Dutch nobles began to fear
what the Habsburgs would do and thus began making moves.
- One such Catholic noble was William of Orange, who was slated to be
executed by the Council of Troubles but had fled to a German principality
because he didn’t trust the Duke of Alva (and was right).
To summarize, the chaos (economic and religious) enflamed tensions and the Habsburgs
made it worse for themselves.
