The Fatal Inheritance: Philip II and the Spanish Netherlands

by Edward Grierson

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1969

Reviews

[James Rooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all-time personal favourite book. It can hardly be considered a great breakthrough in historiography, it doesn't offer any new revelations or provocative theses, but it is just a great pleasure to read.

Grierson has a very engaging and captivating writing style, he gives life to these historical figures, especially Philip II, William of Orange, the Duke of Alba, and the Duke of Parma, that just make them seem to come out of the pages.

This is still a very solid and informative account on the origins of the Eighty Years' War and the beginning of Spain's decline from European hegemony, so there is much to learn for the inquisitive reader.

But it is just so darn fun I can't help but highly recommend it to anyone.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was bought by my father when it first came out and has been part of my own library for 20-odd years. FINALLY, finally I decided to read it - and am very glad I did. It's a period of continental history I'm not familiar with, as we tend to only see these events from the British point of view, but very intriguing and quite absorbing. The author does go on a bit sometimes, but usually because there's a heck of a lot of ground to cover! Very glad I finally got round to reading it...

[Pete McBrayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great, Thanks James Rooney and Goodreads! An old-fashioned narrative history, balanced, but full of that Gibbon condescension that makes for a great read. Grierson's style is so erudite I imagined him as an Oxford don sitting down, pulling out a pipe and saying "Ah yes, the Dutch Revolt. Well, here's how it started...".

[Andrew Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting narrative, some funny off-color jabs from the author keep the book entertaining.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

A historical account of the reign of Philip II of Spain centered on the conflict both religious and political for the independence of the Spanish Netherlands. It covers the time period of 1556 to 1598 and draws on the historical records left from both the church and the state to identify the movements and motivations of the central figures of this time. It is more the story of the people in power than a general history including more of the general population who seem to be more of a background to the author than a force.

Still the author makes an unbiased picture of the major personalities without the typical historical traditional villainy that colors other historical accounts of this time period. The author‘s frequent reference to the John Motley’s Rise of the Dutch Republic is the basis of a comparison between a historical account that is based more on fact than colored by emotion and religious bias.