Revolt of the Netherlands 1555-1609

by Pieter Geyl

Did you ever wonder why Europe's the way it is? This is one pivotal episode. The fall of Burgundy, the rise of Spain, and the Netherlands caught in between the Major Powers in the years leading up to the Thirty Years War.

Genres: History, European History

310 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Dutch historian and Historiographer. His main focus was Dutch history and the birth of the Dutch as a nation.

Geyl also was one of the first promoters of the "Greater-Netherlands" idea, which goal is a unification of the Netherlands and Flanders in one country.

During the second world war he was forbidden to publish and was interned for a couple of years.

Reviews

[Michael Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too whiggish for nowadays, although much better than Motley's. Not recommended.

[Hilde Henkel]

Interesting, detailed account of political and religious conflict. Difficult to follow without knowledge of the various states within Holland, but absorbing information. Geyl ends with his scathing opinion on how the Reformation was a 'fetter' on society, but then lists many, many artists and scholars of the time. The multiple names of individuals did get confusing!