Early modern war narratives and the Revolt in the Low Countries

Download or read book Early modern war narratives and the Revolt in the Low Countries written by Raymond Fagel and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2020-04-02 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the end of the sixteenth century, stories about the Revolt in the Low Countries (c. 1567–1648) had begun to spread throughout Europe. These stories had very different authors with very different intentions. Over time the plethora of sources and interpretations faded away, leaving us with opposing canonical narratives. The Dutch and Spanish national myths were forged on the basis of two visions of the conflict: as a liberation war against cruel Spanish oppressors and as a glorious episode in the history of the Spanish Empire. This volume delves into the early, seemingly anecdotal stories of the war to map the great variety and interconnection of the narratives. It asks such questions as how did the Jesuits write about the Revolt, what can we find in Italian chronicles and how did the war look from the perspective of a local nobleman or a Spanish commander?