This book is a comprehensive study of the history of the political thought of the Dutch Revolt (1555-90). It explores the development of the political ideas which motivated and legitimized the Dutch resistance against the government of Philip II in the Low Countries, and which became the ideological foundations of the Dutch Republic as it emerged as one of the main powers of Europe. It shows how notions of liberty, constitutionalism, representation and popular sovereignty were of central importance to the political thought and revolutionary events of the Dutch Revolt, giving rise to a distinct political theory of resistance, to fundamental debates on the 'best state' of the new Dutch commonwealth and to passionate disputes on the relationship between church and state which prompted some of the most eloquent early modern pleas for religious toleration.

This is a study of the role of the German town of Emden in the European Reformation of the 16th century, examining the significant part it played for Dutch Protestants, as a training centre and a major source of propaganda. It also provides a reconstruction of the output of Emden's printing presses.

This book reveals the lasting impact of the Dutch Revolt on Britain's commercial, religious and political culture.

The Dutch revolt against Spanish rule in the sixteenth century was a formative event in European history. The Origins and Development of the Dutch Revolt brings together in one volume the latest scholarship from leading experts in the field, to illuminate why the Dutch revolted, the way events unfolded and how they gained independence. In exploring the desire of the Dutch to control their own affairs, it also questions whether Dutch identity came about by accident. The book makes the most recent research available in English for the first time, focusing on: * the role of the aristocracy * religion * the towns and provinces * the Spanish perspective * finance and ideology.

The Dutch Revolt (ca. 1572-1648) led to the displacement of tens of thousands of people. In Exile Memories and the Dutch Revolt, Johannes Müller shows how migrants and their descendants in the Dutch Republic, England and Germany cultivated their Netherlandish heritage for more than 200 years. Memories of war and persecution shaped new religious and political identities that combined images of suffering and heroism and served as foundational narratives of newcomers. Exposing the underlying narrative structures of early modern exile memories, this volume shows how stories about the Dutch Revolt allowed migrants to participate in their host societies rather than producing a closed and exclusive diaspora. While narratives of religious persecution attracted non-migrants as well, exile networks were able to connect newcomers and established residents.

This book explores the reception of foreign news during the Dutch Revolt and the French Wars of Religion, shedding new light on the connections between these conflicts and demonstrating the emergence of critical news audiences.

Kyle J. Dieleman focuses on the doctrinal and practical importance of Sunday observance in the early modern Reformed communities in the Low Countries. My project investigates the theological import of the Sabbath and its practical applications. The first step is to focus on how Dutch Reformed theologians conceived of the Sabbath. The theology of the Sabbath, I argue, moves over time from an emphasis on spiritual rest to participating in the ministries of the church to a strict rest from all work and recreation. The next step is to explore congregants' actual Sunday practices. By attending to church governance records at the national, regional, and local levels the importance of proper Sabbath observance quickly becomes clear. The provincial synod records, classes' records, and consistory records indicate that church authorities were adamant that church members faithfully attend sermon and catechism services, refrain from sinful practices, and abstain from recreational activities. Equally as telling as the observance demanded of church members is how church authorities responded. The church records portray these authorities as fretting over the disordered and unregulated nature of improper Sabbath observance. Having established the importance of the Sabbath in Dutch Reformed theology and lived piety, I argue the emphasis on Sunday observance is best understood as resulting from two main factors. First, the emphasis on proper Sunday observance is a result of the Reformed church authorities attempting to maintain the pious reputation of the Reformed faith and establish the identity of the Reformed Church amid multiple other confessional identities. Second, proper observance of the Sabbath was important because it ensured order within the church and society more broadly.