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
Considering that early modern scholars often referred to the Middle Ages as an uncouth period of darkness and ignorance, it is surprising that humanist historians by no means neglected the era. The... Show moreConsidering that early modern scholars often referred to the Middle Ages as an uncouth period of darkness and ignorance, it is surprising that humanist historians by no means neglected the era. The central hypothesis of this book is that the ways in which historians such as Reynier Snoy, Adrianus Barlandus, Petrus Divaeus, and Janus Dousa Sr described the medieval past can be explained by the political context from which their writings originated and in which they were often directly involved. This context was marked by upheavals caused by factors such as the Habsburg centralization policy, the Reformation, and the Dutch Revolt. This book brings forward key characteristics of early modern medievalism, showing how concepts of the medieval were used as rhetorical tools, how medieval forms and ideals were appropriated, and how the classical heritage was involved in the representation of the medieval. This analysis is informed by an approach to historical writing that differs from what is common in the study of sixteenth-century historiography. Historiography is regarded not as a means to uncover the historical truth, but as narrative rhetoric. It deploys narrative techniques and intertextual allusions and plays with genre expectations in order to convey its message. Show less
