The Founding of the Dutch Republic: War, Finance, and Politics in Holland, 1572-1588

by James D. Tracy

In 1572, towns in the province of Holland, led by William of Orange, rebelled against the government of the Habsburg Netherlands. The story of the Dutch Revolt is usually told in terms of fractious provinces that frustrated Orange's efforts to formulate a coherent programme. In this book James D. Tracy argues that there was a coherent strategy for the war, but that it was set by the towns of Holland. Although the States of Holland were in theory subject to the States General, Holland provided over 60 per cent of the taxes and an even larger share of war loans. Accordingly, funds were directed to securing Holland's borders, and subsequently to extending this protected frontier to neighbouring provinces.

Shielded from the war by its cordon sanitaire , Holland experienced an extraordinary economic boom, allowing taxes and loans to keep flowing. The goal - in sight if not achieved by 1588 - was a United Provinces of the north, free and separate from provinces in the southern Netherlands that remained under Spanish rule. With Europe increasingly under the sway of strong hereditary princes, the new Dutch Republic was a beacon of promise for those who still believed that citizens ought to rule themselves.

Genres: History

356 pages, Hardcover

First published January 24, 2008

Reviews

[Nanimonai · Rating 4 out of 5]

终于在去罗马飞机上把书读完了。英语作品中少有的关于八十年战争前段的研究，着重财政和军政角度抓住了命脉，提出的核心问题是：尼德兰人建立的这个Dutch Republic到底是什么样的国家，或者，他们眼中他们建起的究竟是什么国家？档案材料非常丰富，涉及角度极多，作者通过呈现荷兰省内各个城市的争夺、荷兰省与Gelderland及其他省的矛盾、各省贵族与奥兰治之间的权力角斗，把这场最终取胜的独立战争编织成了一片复杂的织锦。停在威廉之死、战争最危险的时候，虽然在分析上恰到好处，但在读者来说却意犹未尽。硬到可怕，让我这种素来喜欢财政史数字的人都算不下去险些扔书。。。手头的活结束的话，真的想翻译。