The interdisciplinary research project Chronicling Novelty. New Knowledge in the Netherlands,1500-1850 examines how new knowledge was disseminated among a wider audience of non-expertsin the early... Show moreThe interdisciplinary research project Chronicling Novelty. New Knowledge in the Netherlands,1500-1850 examines how new knowledge was disseminated among a wider audience of non-expertsin the early modern Netherlands based on a source corpus of over 200 Dutch-language localchronicles. Most of this corpus, a total of over 35,000 scans of manuscripts collected from Dutchand Belgian archives, have been transcribed and annotated with the help of volunteers. To takefull advantage of the potential time, knowledge and skills of volunteers, a considerable investmentis needed on the part of researchers. A survey conducted among our volunteers showed that mostof them considered information, instruction, feedback, and appreciation much more importantthan a material reward. Furthermore, we found that differentiation between volunteers is important.Some people like to perform relatively simple tasks, while others want to be more activelyinvolved and contribute their expertise and ideas. Closer contact with researchers can reveal thisenthusiasm as well as the knowledge and experience people have, which can be used. More communication, involvement and ownership of certain tasks is then desirable. Own initiatives andprojects could emerge from this. The biggest bottleneck for citizen science is the available timeand resources of researchers. Current funding instruments for researchers do not meet this need. Show less
The correspondence of the Frisian aristocrat Carolina van Hogendorp, née Van Haren (1741-1812), and that of her daughter Annette (1766-1802) abound with information on the education of the Dutch... Show moreThe correspondence of the Frisian aristocrat Carolina van Hogendorp, née Van Haren (1741-1812), and that of her daughter Annette (1766-1802) abound with information on the education of the Dutch upper classes, particularly its female members. The letters are mainly written in French and illustrate the prominent use of that language in Holland, which by the end of the eighteenth century was being encroached by German and English. They equally provide interesting material as to the quality of their command of written French. Show less
This article considers the Dutch translation of the section on the emperors of Martin of Opava's Chronicon in the so-called 'Berghse kroniekenhandschrift' within the Latin tradition of this text... Show moreThis article considers the Dutch translation of the section on the emperors of Martin of Opava's Chronicon in the so-called 'Berghse kroniekenhandschrift' within the Latin tradition of this text and the various ways in which it appeared in manuscripts produced in the Low Countries. Particular attention is awarded to the 'glocal' tendencies in these manuscripts: in the continuations the universal history of popes and emperors is complemented with local and regional events. Additionally, the structure of the Bergh manuscript is compared with similar multi-text manuscripts with Latin texts and Latin compilations. Show less
Dans le contexte multilingue des Provinces-Unies, le français devient progressivement seconde langue des élites néerlandaises. Au cours du 18e siècle, la critique des valeurs culturelles françaises... Show moreDans le contexte multilingue des Provinces-Unies, le français devient progressivement seconde langue des élites néerlandaises. Au cours du 18e siècle, la critique des valeurs culturelles françaises va de pair avec l’intérêt croissant pour l’allemand et l’anglais, et la revalorisation du néerlandais. Nous étudions l’influence de ce multilinguisme sur la construction identitaire de Gijsbert Karel van Hogendorp (1762-1834) : identité sociale et culturelle façonnée par sa mère Carolina van Haren, puis par un mentor qui consolide ses connaissances des langues classiques et l’initie à l’allemand et à l’anglais. Alors que se diffuse l’idée qu’une nation est une communauté liée à une langue, on constate chez Van Hogendorp, une prise de conscience de son identité nationale liée à une maîtrise de plus en plus affinée du néerlandais. Show less
This chapter focuses on translation in the Low Countries from c. 500 CE to 1550 CE. While the focus is on literary translation from Latin and French into Dutch, there is also attention for... Show moreThis chapter focuses on translation in the Low Countries from c. 500 CE to 1550 CE. While the focus is on literary translation from Latin and French into Dutch, there is also attention for translation into French and Latin, devotional and religious texts, practical 'Artes' literature, and the translation of official documents. Show less
Margaret of Burgundy (1374-1441) is known mainly for two reasons. Firstly, her marriage in 1385 to William of Bavaria, eldest son of the Count of Hainault, Holland and Zeeland, laid the foundation... Show moreMargaret of Burgundy (1374-1441) is known mainly for two reasons. Firstly, her marriage in 1385 to William of Bavaria, eldest son of the Count of Hainault, Holland and Zeeland, laid the foundation for the transfer of power in these principalities to the Burgundian dynasty some 50 years later. Secondly, she supported her only child Jacqueline of Bavaria, who fought many battles in order to prevent this. The combination of these two roles points to a conflict of interest. By supporting her daughter as the rightful Bavarian heir, Margaret inevitably came into conflict with members of her own dynasty of origin, the Valois Burgundians. The overarching question in the research presented in this thesis is what tilted the scales for Margaret as a political player in different phases of her life: was it her loyalty to the Burgundian or to the Bavarian dynasty, her connection with the Hook party in Holland, or was she driven mainly by self-interest, as is sometimes suggested? Related to this is the question whether her means were substantial enough to allow her to play her own game. In this biographical study, a chronological and a thematic approach have been combined. The loyalty question serves as guideline for the first part, in which the story of Margaret’s life is told chronologically within the broader context of political developments. The thematic second part is dedicated to her financial position as a widow, her court, and her religious and literary patronage. Show less
This dissertation focuses on the Middle Dutch text the ‘Dialogue between Eckhart and the Layman’, an enigmatic spiritual piece of writing from the mid-fourteenth century. A layman and a master... Show moreThis dissertation focuses on the Middle Dutch text the ‘Dialogue between Eckhart and the Layman’, an enigmatic spiritual piece of writing from the mid-fourteenth century. A layman and a master converse about a broad range of religious and social subjects. The student remains anonymous, as the title suggests, and the master is named after Meister Eckhart, the famous German theologian and mystic. In this book I argue that the Dialogue can be considered as a text which sits neatly atop the fault line between the world and its monasteries and convents, between a worldly and a religious experience of faith. The text may well be our most important witness to the beginnings of a process of socioreligious changes, in which ordinary laymen, too, wanted to expand the spirituality they had previously internalized. I provide a reconstruction of the original text, an analysis of the dialectical interplay between the two protagonists and between the different levels of high and low, contemplative and practical theology and a contextualization of this dialogue within the broader intellectual culture of the Low Countries. In particular, I show how the text can be connected to the ideas of Jan van Ruusbroec and Jan van Leeuwen. Show less
