In 1625 an Anglo-Dutch fleet attacked the Spanish port of Cádiz. It was the main campaign of the 1624-1630 war between England and Spain. The event was widely recorded in different genres of...Show moreIn 1625 an Anglo-Dutch fleet attacked the Spanish port of Cádiz. It was the main campaign of the 1624-1630 war between England and Spain. The event was widely recorded in different genres of Spanish and English news. How did this news contribute to shaping images of the enemy around specific concepts, such as nation and religion? By addressing the construction of the other, the news also contributed to the formation of images of self-identity. While the Spanish news mainly appealed to the Catholic religion, the English news appealed to a sense of Englishness. The battle of Cádiz and the news produced around it opened a public discussion about the responsibility for it. The news reflected the political tensions within both states and these debates contributed to the definition of a public sphere of discussion.Show less
In this thesis the focus is on the course and nature of 1641 Rebellion, which is roughly the first phase of conflicts in Ireland between 1641 and 1653, in the counties of Leitrim, Sligo and...Show moreIn this thesis the focus is on the course and nature of 1641 Rebellion, which is roughly the first phase of conflicts in Ireland between 1641 and 1653, in the counties of Leitrim, Sligo and Roscommon. The 1641 Rebellion wasn’t as clear-cut as it seems. There are discussions within the historical community about the nature of the rebellion, and the possibility of multiple rebellions occurring at the same time. Was the rebellion in 1641 one rebellion, instigated by the nobles in Ulster who wanted to put pressure on king Charles I to do something about their growing grievances and followed by popular uprisings throughout the country? Or are those popular uprisings a separate rebellion that on its own caused nobles to join the revolt to safe their livelihoods? This also raises the question if the revolt was top-down or bottom-up. The main focus is on the perpetrators of the rebellion. This also gives the opportunity the participate in a third discussion, namely if the 1641 Rebellion really was an Irish Catholic uprising against their English Protestant neighbours, or if this view should be nuanced.Show less
