This dissertation explores how three productions of Shakespeare’s "Richard II" recreate the Middle Ages, elucidating the complexities of negotiating several layers of past in art.Edmund Kean staged... Show moreThis dissertation explores how three productions of Shakespeare’s "Richard II" recreate the Middle Ages, elucidating the complexities of negotiating several layers of past in art.Edmund Kean staged the deposition of Richard II at Drury Lane in 1815 in the aftermath of Napoléon Bonaparte's deposition and exile from Elba. Napoléon’s deposition is thus mirrored on the Drury Lane stage, and the embodiment of Napoléon by Kean evokes simultaneously a disappointment at the failure of radicalism and a celebration of monarchy over revolution.In 1850 William Charles Macready staged the play at the Haymarket. Contrary to the Romantic appreciation of the character’s pathos, Victorians reassessed Richard II as a morally flawed character. His punishment is thus justified by his disloyalty both to God, who anointed him king, and to his subjects. Macready used Shakespeare to legitimize his project to elevate the status of the theatrical business, using history as a background to represent Shakespeare.Finally, in 1857 at the Princess’s Theatre, Charles Kean combined Victorian antiquarianism and popular extravagant culture to offer instruction and entertainment to the public. Kean uses stage craft and imagination grounded on extensive historical research to offer the spectator an experience of seeing and living the past. Show less
In late medieval and early modern times, books, as well as the people who produced and read (or listened to) them, moved between regions, social circles, and languages with relative ease. Yet, in... Show moreIn late medieval and early modern times, books, as well as the people who produced and read (or listened to) them, moved between regions, social circles, and languages with relative ease. Yet, in the multilingual Low Countries, francophone literature was both internationally mobile and firmly rooted in local soil. The five contributions collected in this volume demonstrate that while in general issues of ‘otherness’ were resolved without difficulty, at other times (linguistic) differences were perceived as a heartfelt reality. 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
This new English translation of Huizinga’s Autumntide of the Middle Ages (Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen) celebrates the centenary of a book that still ranks as one of the most perceptive and... Show moreThis new English translation of Huizinga’s Autumntide of the Middle Ages (Herfsttij der Middeleeuwen) celebrates the centenary of a book that still ranks as one of the most perceptive and influential analyses of the late medieval period. Its wide-ranging discussion of fourteenth and fifteenth century France and the Low Countries makes it a classic study of life, culture, and thought in medieval society. The new and now unabridged translation of the original text captures the impact of Huizinga’s deep scholarship and powerful language. The translation is based on the Dutch edition of 1941 – the last edition Huizinga worked on. It features English renderings of the Middle French poems and other contemporary sources, and its colour illustrations include over three hundred paintings and prints, illuminated manuscripts, and miniatures pertinent to Huizinga’s discourse. A complete bibliography of Huizinga’s sources will facilitate further research, while an epilogue addresses the meaning and enduring importance of this classic work. Show less
Medieval peat reclamation near St. Ursula Southeast of the town of Workum in the province of Friesland, human remains and a fragment of a sandstone sarcophagus were found at or near the site,... Show moreMedieval peat reclamation near St. Ursula Southeast of the town of Workum in the province of Friesland, human remains and a fragment of a sandstone sarcophagus were found at or near the site, according to a local myth, of a lost medieval convent. This convent was said to have been dedicated to St. Ursula, the virgin saint after whom a neighbouring canal and a small lake were named. In this study it is argued that St. Ursula was indeed a local patron saint, be it not of a convent but of a parish church, which was founded in the 11th century. The founding of this church is linked to the start of extensive agrarian peat reclamations. It served the colonists of the whole region south of the small river Larts until the late 12th century, when the peasants at the front of the reclamations, who had moved far away from the base at Saint Ursula’s, built a church of their own called Osledewald or Ursulawoude, also known as Oudega. St. Ursula’s church itself did not survive for long, probably because of the poverty of its remaining parishioners. Increasing drainage problems caused by peat reclamation in the wider area resulted in deteriorating environmental conditions. The parish of St. Ursula’s was merged with that of St. Gertrud of Workum after 1200. This search for St. Ursula’s sheds new light on the landscape and occupation history of a fairly large part of southwestern Friesland. Show less
A rare find these days, a girdle book, was once a powerful symbol of piety, status, and even fashion. The girdle book was one of the clever medieval book technologies that allowed it to be used... Show moreA rare find these days, a girdle book, was once a powerful symbol of piety, status, and even fashion. The girdle book was one of the clever medieval book technologies that allowed it to be used anytime, anywhere. For monks and religious people, it was very convenient to have their breviary at work and on the road to have their ‘hands free’. The travelling pious people also favoured keeping girdle books within reach and taking notes on the go. Apart from being practical, the girdle book also symbolised religious devotion, knowledge and social status. For noble women it was a treasure to get a small book of hours or prayer book that they would wear on a golden chain or on their belt. It would demonstrate their literacy but also symbolise their status, fashion, and taste. Show less
Malaria was an important disease in the history of The Netherlands, especially in the coastal, marshy regions. However, malaria is only rarely included in archaeological discussions about past... Show moreMalaria was an important disease in the history of The Netherlands, especially in the coastal, marshy regions. However, malaria is only rarely included in archaeological discussions about past Dutch disease, most likely because it does not result in any pathognomonic skeletal lesions. Since anaemia is one of the main symptoms of malaria, cribra orbitalia could be formed in response to the disease. Currently, these orbital lesions are often used in osteoarchaeological research as a non-specific stress marker. However, if malaria can be responsible as well, as suggested by Gowland and Western (2012) for England, interpretations of cribra orbitalia in Dutch research are incomplete and need to be reconsidered. Therefore, this paper will analyse the relationship between cribra orbitalia and marshy areas in the medieval Netherlands to investigate if malaria is likely to have been a causative agent. To do this, cribra orbitalia prevalence is studied in three skeletal collections and supplemented by data published in osteological reports (total: n=1838), which are then linked to geological characteristics. Results indicate a significant correlation (p=<0.001) between the orbital pathology and areas that are deemed malarial, suggesting that malaria was an important illness in these regions of The Netherlands. The results of this poster illustrate the potential limitations of using cribra orbitalia as a non-specific stress marker and demonstrate that combining archaeological context with osteological data can be a way forward in research into the true causative agents of markers of non-specific stress. Show less
Lines of thought describes the role of visual representations of invisible structures (definition, elements, cognition processes) in medieval texts in the Artes Faculty. By exploring three case... Show moreLines of thought describes the role of visual representations of invisible structures (definition, elements, cognition processes) in medieval texts in the Artes Faculty. By exploring three case studies in the field of logic, natural philosophy and medicine/psychology, the author investigated how medieval diagrams in learned texts were used and valued. She concentrated on scholarly activity in Paris, Oxford and Prague, 1200-1500. Show less
It has long been assumed that the position of nobility in the Low Countries weakened in the later Middle Ages. Though the narrative of a crisis of the late medieval nobility is no longer taken for... Show moreIt has long been assumed that the position of nobility in the Low Countries weakened in the later Middle Ages. Though the narrative of a crisis of the late medieval nobility is no longer taken for granted, it still exerts influence on historiography. This book sketches the contours of the noble population in the county of Zeeland between 1400 and 1550, thereby answering the central question of how the political and socio-economic position of the noblemen in society actually evolved in a period characterised by the processes of state formation, urbanisation and commercialisation. The question is approached from two perspectives: that of the nobility as a group and that of the individual nobleman and his family. On the one hand, it is traced how changes in the political and socio-economic circumstances affected the power, wealth and status of the nobility. On the other, the strategies of the nobles to consolidate their estate by adapting to the changing political and economic field are analysed. The specific political history and social institutions of Zeeland were of great influence on the structure of the noble population, the social reproduction strategies of the nobles, and the appreciation of nobility. The late medieval nobility in Zeeland should not be understood as a strong co-operative group, but rather as a group of individuals with the same legal status but different political and socio-economic profiles. They belonged to several overlapping social networks. As such the nobility retained its stability and continuity, although the identity and lifestyle that nobles shared became less connected to chivalry and more related to loyal state service in the sixteenth century. Show less
