This research is about the representatives of the count of Holland and Zeeland in the Habsburg period (1483-1558).The questions which are addressed concern who the representatives of the count... Show moreThis research is about the representatives of the count of Holland and Zeeland in the Habsburg period (1483-1558).The questions which are addressed concern who the representatives of the count were, how they acquired their office, what their duties were and how they performed them, and what this meant for the relationship between the prince and his subjects. In a society which could not yet fully function with strict rules imposed by the centre, the officers played the role of brokers, smoothing the relations between prince and subjects through the use of informal means. The first half of the sixteenth century saw a stricter living by the rules, formalisation of procedures and the separation of the different spheres of influence, slowly carried out and sometimes reversed again in a complicated dance between prince, Council and States. During that process the foundations which held the relations between sovereign and subjects together, the possibilities of princely officers to act as intermediaries, were gradually eroded. Those foundations were needed more than ever in a time when taxes, trade impediments and the prosecution of heretics caused most feelings of resistance among the subjects. When William of Orange led the Revolt in 1568, the count lacked a group of Holland officials who could form a successful counterpoise. Show less
This political biography analyzes the political influence of, and methods used by, P.W.A. Cort van der Linden (1846-1935), Dutch Prime-Minister from 1913 to 1918. While he was a Professor of... Show moreThis political biography analyzes the political influence of, and methods used by, P.W.A. Cort van der Linden (1846-1935), Dutch Prime-Minister from 1913 to 1918. While he was a Professor of Economics he developed a view of liberalism based on German idealism which also included a progressive use of Social Darwinism. This view was what he called “the theory of a higher sense of justice.” The application of this theory is evident in his legislation to protect children (1901) as well as in the constitutional revision of 1917. According to Van der Linden’s views, it was ‘a political necessity’ to introduce general male suffrage. He also made the future introduction of female suffrage possible, and, in spite of criticism from Kuyper, the leader of the Calvinistic antirevolutionary party, he made possible the equal treatment of private, denominational, and state schools. The non-partisan attitude of the Prime-Minister was also important for the maintenance of neutrality in the Netherlands during the First World War. Van der Linden stayed in close contact with Germany while Foreign Secretary Loudon spoke to the French. In addition to all these efforts, the Prime-Minister had to settle disputes within his cabinet, with commander-in-chief Snijders and with Queen Wilhelmina. Show less
