Category: History

  • Maarten van Rossum and the Kasteel De Cannenburch

    Maarten van Rossum and the Kasteel De Cannenburch

    In the decades before the Eighty Years War (or Tachtigjarige Oorlog) that severed the Low Countries into a republican Dutch north and a Habsburg royalist south, another war raged. One largely forgotten about. The Habsburg dynasty was ascending. Charles V – not just king of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, but also local boy and…

  • A Short History of the Origins and Persecutions of the Dutch Anabaptists

    A Short History of the Origins and Persecutions of the Dutch Anabaptists

    ­­In the early years of the sixteenth century, after a certain German monk famously nailed an academic debate to a cathedral door, the two early Protestant identities began forming – the eponymous Lutherans and the “Reformed” church in the mold of Huldrych Zwingli, Heinrich Bullinger, and Jean Calvin (whose detractors would later rebrand the movement…

  • The Lucky Life and Breaks of Painter Bartholomeus Spranger

    The Lucky Life and Breaks of Painter Bartholomeus Spranger

    Bartholomeus Spranger (1546–1611) was born the third son to an Antwerp merchant family with business ties to both Rome and Tunis in northern Africa. With his older brothers continuing the family business, young Bartholomeus made the most of his chances with art. As a teenager, he studied in the workshops of various Flemish:  Jan Mandijn,…

  • The Aftermath of the 1573 Siege of Haarlem

    The Aftermath of the 1573 Siege of Haarlem

    File this under “things could always be worse.” The city of Haarlem, just west of Amsterdam, was decidedly not part of the early turmoil and revolt that began spreading across Holland, Flanders, and Brabant in the 1560s. There was no iconoclastic vandalism of Catholic churches, and the city administration did not initially support the “Geuzen”…

  • 1570 Letter to an Exiled Walloon Father and Husband

    1570 Letter to an Exiled Walloon Father and Husband

    An example of the human experience from history. These were people like you and I. The years following Philip II’s ascension to the throne of a united Spain and the Seventeen Provinces of the Low Countries saw a dramatic rise in tension across all layers of society. Confrontations with the Habsburg government grow more frequent…

  • Map of Northwest Europe, c. 1560

    Map of Northwest Europe, c. 1560

    The Europe of the mid sixteenth century, at the dawn of the Dutch Revolt, was one of contrasts: a transitory peace between major powers with roiling social and religious turmoil about to boil over into war and carnage that would continue into the following century. By this point in European history, you’ll note many familiar…

  • The Spanish Habsburgs & Their Governors

    The Spanish Habsburgs & Their Governors

    Holy Roman Emperor Charles V united the Low Countries under his personal rule and eventually abdicated in favor of his son Philip in 1555. From that point on, a revolving cast of Habsburg family members and close retainers would govern the Low Countries as the region descended into revolt and open war.

  • Ruckers Family Virginals and Harpsicords

    Ruckers Family Virginals and Harpsicords

    The Ruckers family of Antwerp were active from the mid-1500s through the 1600s and are considered the “Stradivarius” of harpsichord and virginal makers. Their output was as much works of art as it was exquisite musical instruments.

  • Map of the Seventeen Provinces and Neighboring Domains

    Map of the Seventeen Provinces and Neighboring Domains

    In 1548, much of the Low Countries (modern Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and parts of northern France) were brought together into a single political entity called the Seventeen Provinces – directly under the control of Charles V. Though united by proximity, there were sharp divisions of history, culture, and language cutting through the provinces – divisions…

  • Timeline: 1593-1619

    Timeline: 1593-1619

    Resurgent Dutch forces lead by Maurice of Nassau go on the offensive, setting the stage for a brokered Twelve Years Truce. At the same time, the Humanist community at Leiden and Calvinist congregations grow in influence, leading to a cataclysmic confrontation in the Synod of Dort.