This bibliography is a list of resources I have found for history of
the Low Countries prior to 1650. This focus is consistent with
that of the Society for Creative Anachronism
(SCA), and notes on the usefulness
of the books are written with this purpose in mind; they should
not be taken further.
Note that the list presented is not necessarily representative of available
literature. Titles have been included on the basis of their availability
for me, and are therfore a combination of books suggested by
colleagues, items cited in bibliographies, and volumes I have found in
used book stores. If you know of additional titles
which should be included, please tell me about them, and I will add them to the list.
Though all of these books have been somewhat useful, those which I
have found to be particularly good are indicated by a red lion.
--Walraven van Nijmegen
This list was last updated 5 December 1996.
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Dawson, Arthur H.
Stories from Dutch History
Publication: ca. 1860?, Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York; 277 pp.
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Index, 16 plates.
Coverage: 50 BCE - 1713
Description: Narrative accounts of major events in the history
of the Dutch peoples. The 16th century material (pp. 85-218) was
drawn largely from Motley, and the earliest stories from Caesar and Tacitus.
Recommendations: Very readable and general account of major events and persons.
de Laet, S. J.
The Low Countries
Publication: 1958, Frederick A. Praeger, New York; 240 pp.; volume 5 of "Ancient People and Places"
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Index, 32 line figures, 63 photographs, a table and a map.
Coverage: prehistory to 57 BCE
Description: This book covers a period seldom treated (in English). The book is well-written and filled with illustrations and descriptions of archaeological finds, though this is necessarily a bit dated since there have been a number of exciting finds and revisions in theory over the past forty years.
Recommendations: Primarily for archaeologists.
Galbert of Bruges
The Murder of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders
translated by James Bruce Ross
Publication: 1960, Columbia Univ. Press, New York; 352 + xiv pp.
Language: English
Comments: Introduction to the text, Index, Footnotes, Bibliography, Maps, Genealogy of the Counts of Flanders and Erembald Clan.
Coverage: 1127-1128, Bruges
Description: Translation of a 12th century chronicle by a
notary of Bruges. The notary writes about events in the town
surrounding the murder of Charles at the hands of his own vassals
while he knelt in prayer. He gives a first-hand account of the
resulting shock and social crisis in Flanders.
Recommendations: Good reading and ably translated.
Geyl, Pieter
The Netherlands in the Seventeenth Century, 1609-1648
Publication: 1961 (2nd ed.), Cassell Publishers, London; 289 pp.
- originally published as The Netherlands Divided (1936)
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Index, Sources, 5 maps.
Coverage: 1609-1648
Description: Well-written account of the emergence of the
Dutch Republic and its colonial empire, including discussion of
religious and cultural life, and the war with Spain. Pieter Geyl is one
of the greatest Dutch historians; this is the second volume of his
"History of the Dutch-Speaking Peoples", which was never completed.
Recommendations: Good general reading, though limited to a fifty-year period.
Gilliat-Smith, Ernest
The Story of Bruges
Publication: 1926, J. M. Dent & Sons, London; Mediaeval Town Series; 418 pp.
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Index, Illustr. of buildings, Genealogies of important families.
Coverage: mostly 800-1500, Bruges
Description: This book is primary a history of the town of
Bruges, with special emphasis on the time from the rule of
Charlemagne to around 1500. There are also special chapters on the
artists and architects of 15th century Bruges, with many illustrations
of famous buildings and a pull-out map of the city. This series also
has a volume on Brussel, but I have not seen it.
Recommendations: Good general reading on public and private life in a mediaeval town.
Huizinga, Johan
The Autumn of the Middle Ages (Hersttij der Middeleeuwen)
translated by R. J. Payton & U. Mammitzsch
Publication: 1996, Univ. of Chicago Press; 467 + xxii pp.
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Index, Numerous citation, 45 black&white plates.
Coverage: 14th & 15th century
Description: THuizinga is one of the greatest Dutch historians,
and writes passionately about this period. This translation restores
much of the text, citations, and quotations omitted from the first
English edition ("The Waning of the Middle Ages", 1924, translated
from a modified French manuscript). This is not a narrative view of
history, but an investigation of the social, cultural, political, and
religious thought at the close of the Middle Ages. Unlike many of his
contemporaries, Huizinga did not view this period as the anticipation
of the Renaissance, but the fullness of the Mediaeval.
Recommendations: Everyone should read this at least once.
Israel, Jonathan I.
The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall
Publication: 1995, Clarendon Press, Oxford; 1231 + xxx pp.
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Index, Bibliography, Maps, Plates in center of book.
Coverage: 1477-1806
Description: If you want a single book on Dutch history, this is the best available in English, though its coverage begins rather late. Israel has done a fine job of pulling together information on many historical points.
Recommendations: The best and broadest history of the Low Countries available in English.
Kausler, Eduard
Reimchronik von Flandern
Publication: 1840, Tübingen, Ludwig Friedrich Fues; 711 + lxi pp.
- First volume in Denkmäler Altniederländischer Sprache und Litteratur.
Language: German and Mediaeval Dutch
Comments: Introduction (60 pp), Textual notes (350 pp), Original spelling preserved.
Coverage: 792-1404, Flanders
Description: This is a history of the County of Flanders written in rhyme.
The original text was composed c.1400, and covers the history of the region from
the creation of the Count of Flanders by Charlemagne to the reign of Philip the Bold.
Kausler has added a lengthy introduction (full of propoganda) and numerous pages of notes,
making this a fine resource. The only limitation to its usefulness is the language --
the original text is 15th century Dutch, and Kausler's notes are in 19th century German.
Recommendations: For those very familiar with Germanic languages.
Lambert, Audrey M.
The Making of the Dutch Landscape
Publication: 1985 (2nd ed.); Academic Press, London (etc.); 372 pp.
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Index, Maps, Charts, Illustrations, and Photos, with references for each chapter.
Coverage: to present
Description: Chapters 3-7 (of 9) in this book cover events from
prehistoric times to the 17th century, with chapters on basic
geography, land settlement, and the rise of towns. The book is
extensively researched and carefully written. It is the best
introduction to the broad picture of the geographic history of the
Netherlands available, and has been used in Dutch universities as a
text. Unfortunately, the publisher tells me that it has recently gone out of print.
Recommendations: Excellent source.
Motley, John Lothrop
The Rise of the Dutch Republic
Publication: 1883 (orig. 1855); Harper & Brothers, New York;
3 vols. -- 579, 582, & 664 pp.
Language: English
Comments: Index, few plates.
Coverage: 50 BCE - 1580s
Description: The coverage of this book is priimarily the late
16th century, but there is a nice summary of earlier events in the
first volume. I have also seen this in a two volume edition which
included a table of contents.
Recommendations: A bit dated, and limited in scope, but still a classic.
Nicholas, David
The Metamorphosis of a Medieval City: Ghent in the Age of the Artveldes, 1302-1390
Publication: 1987; Univ. of Nebraska Press; 369 pp.
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Index, Bibliography, Notes, many charts and graphs, few maps.
Coverage: 1302-1390, Ghent
Description: This is a follow-up to the author's previous book "The Domestic Life of a Medieval City". The volume focusses on the economic and social aspects of the city of Ghent in the fourteenth century. The chapters on wages, guilds, and trade are particularly valuable.
Recommendations: For scholars primarily.
Van Gelderen, Martin (edit. & transl.)
The Dutch Revolt
Publication: 1993; Cambridge Univ. Press; 250 pp.
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Index, Chronology, Biographical & bibliographical notes, some marginal annotations.
Coverage: 1570-1590
Description: The majority of the volume comprises translations
of five central texts in the political thought of the Dutch Revolt
including "A defence and true declaration. . ." (1570). The focus of
the documents is the justification of political resistance on the part of
the Low Countries.
Recommendations: Primary source material, for scholars only.
Williams, Sir Roger
The Actions of the Low Countries
editted by D. W. Davies
Publication: 1964; Folger Shakespeare Library, Cornell Univ. Press, New York; 169 + xlix pp.
Language: English
Comments: Contents, 49 pages of introduction, list and short biography of principal persons.
Coverage: 1572-1587
Description: First-hand account of the Dutch revolt as written
by a Welshman who fought in many of the described battles. Sir
Roger Williams was a well-known and respected soldier of the
Elizabethan age, and was known to Henry IV of France and Queen
Elizabeth of England among others.
Recommendations: Excellent source for military history, and fun reading.
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