Focusing on the Dutch Revolt in English pamphlet culture before English opinion became rationalised through the Treaty of Nonsuch in 1585, the document that formalised England’s support for the...Show moreFocusing on the Dutch Revolt in English pamphlet culture before English opinion became rationalised through the Treaty of Nonsuch in 1585, the document that formalised England’s support for the United Provinces, this thesis explores the nature of popular interaction with the tracts and the range of discourses, explanations, and expressions of consumption politics. Uncovering the nature of this discussion by giving a fuller expression to the poetics of material dialogue, how the Revolt was explained, understood, and consumed, and gauging the character of the Discursive common, I argue that the pamphlets here studied, and the pamphletised politics surrounding public opinion on the Dutch Revolt, was the product of an intimate interaction with Popular opinion. Pressed into service as informal counsellors through consistent appeals to public authority as a nominative body, it is argued that Popular counsel was a major factor in the language of pamphlets and pamphleteering. By exploring the marketplace of print as a site of conscious political activism bordering on sedition, that understood the Revolt as a political revolt supported by an open public sphere, English readers are presented as judicious critical thinkers capable of understanding the Revolt as the result of more than just the short-term diachronicities that tended to characterise populist print. Keenly attuned to the specifics of events in the Low Countries, complex tripartite politics and cosmopolitan armies, as well as specific charters invoked through print, this literati could counsel legitimately. Openly countenancing rebellion, and attempting to legitimise it through public politics, English readers came to understand how the Populus could legitimately critique monarchy, and how William of Orange was able to sustain a credible argument for armed resistance. By exploring these ideas thematically, it is suggested that the infusion of popular participation was an element in the Treaty of Nonsuch, which reflected marketplace opinion and commercial strategies, and the growing need for accountable governance.Show less
In West-Europa leidde de introductie van kruitvuurwapens in de vijftiende eeuw tot een aantal grote veranderingen in de oorlogvoering. Deze veranderingen hadden nog steeds een uitwerking tijdens de...Show moreIn West-Europa leidde de introductie van kruitvuurwapens in de vijftiende eeuw tot een aantal grote veranderingen in de oorlogvoering. Deze veranderingen hadden nog steeds een uitwerking tijdens de Nederlandse Opstand. Dit leidde tot de nodige problemen voor de Nederlandse garnizoenssteden: niet alleen moesten de vestingwerken uitgebreid en gemoderniseerd worden, maar ook de garnizoenen werden steeds groter. Naast hogere kosten bracht dit ook veel praktische problemen met zich mee rondom de huisvesting en bevoorrading van garnizoenssoldaten, de medische zorg en de ordehandhaving. De Republiek en de Habsburgse overheden in de Zuidelijke Nederlanden zochten dan ook naar allerlei oplossingen voor deze nieuwe problemen. In mijn scriptie neem ik Breda in de periode 1581-1637 als casus voor deze ontwikkelingen. Breda was een middelgrote stad met een aanzienlijk garnizoen die vaak in de frontlinie lag. Daardoor zijn deze problemen en de eventuele oplossingen goed zichtbaar. Hierbij neem ik ook de verhoudingen tussen de verschillende bestuurslagen in beschouwing: het stadsbestuur, de militaire gouverneur en de landelijke overheid speelden ieder een eigen rol, met heel uiteenlopende belangen en mogelijkheden. Zo krijgen we meteen een mooi inkijkje in het besluitvormingsproces van de vroegmoderne staten.Show less
This paper attempts to portray the wartime experiences of Spanish merchants living in Antwerp during the Dutch Revolt. My main argument is that while the merchant's world of ideas, largely in line...Show moreThis paper attempts to portray the wartime experiences of Spanish merchants living in Antwerp during the Dutch Revolt. My main argument is that while the merchant's world of ideas, largely in line with the propagandistic literature that was circulating in Spain, was quickly put to the test under the pressure of the brute nature of war.Show less
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
The theory of the Military Revolution sees military innovation in Europe in the early modern period. Some historians such as Geoffry Parker have argued that due to these kind of innovations, Europe...Show moreThe theory of the Military Revolution sees military innovation in Europe in the early modern period. Some historians such as Geoffry Parker have argued that due to these kind of innovations, Europe could rule over other continents. A comparison is made in this thesis between the conquest of New Mexico and New Granada and military innovation of the sixteenth century. To further research the matter, a battleground in the northern parts of the Low Countries during the Dutch Revolt is also taken into consideration.Show less
