History of the Low Countries [Hardcover]

J. C. H. Blom (Editor), Emiel Lamberts (Editor), James C. Kennedy (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1571810846 | ISBN-13: 978-1571810847 | Publication Date: May 1999

The history of the smaller European countries is rather neglected in the teaching of European history at university level. We are therefore pleased to announce the publication of the first comprehensive history of the Low Countries - in English - from Roman Times to the present. Remaining politically and culturally fragmented, with its inhabitants speaking Dutch, French, Frisian, and German, the Low Countries offer a fascinating picture of European history en miniature. For historical reasons, parts of northern France and western Germany also have to be included in the "Low Countries," a term that must remain both broad and fluid, a convenient label for a region which has seldom, if ever, composed a unified whole. In earlier ages it as even more difficult to the region set parameters, again reflecting Europe as a whole, when tribes and kingdoms stretched across expanses not limited to the present states of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Nevertheless, its parts did demonstrate many common traits and similar developments that differentiated them from surrounding countries and lent them a distinct character. Internationally, the region often served both as a mediator for and a buffer to the surrounding great powers, France, Britain, and Germany; an important role still played today as Belgium and the Netherlands have increasingly become involved in the broader process of European integration, in which they often share the same interest and follow parallel policies. This highly illustrated volume serves as an ideal introduction to the rich history of the Low Countries for students and the generally interested reader alike.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a welcome addition to the historical literature on Belgium and the Netherlands, for...there is no good one-volume history of the Low Countries available...The chapters are written by some of the foremost specialists in their fields, and provide excellent summaries of our present views of the periods in question. -- Dutch Crossing

...eminently readable and...solidly based in contemporary scholarship. -- James D. Tracy, University of Minnesota

The editors...should be congratulated for maintaining a very high degree of stylistic consistency...I very much welcome an English-language translation of this important book. -- Boston University

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 600 pages
• Publisher: Berghahn Books (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571810846
• ISBN-13: 978-1571810847
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,292,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction into Dutch and Belgium history, January 27, 2001

By 

mathilde de gardin "mathilde_de_gardin" - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of the Low Countries (Paperback)

This is a required textbook for history students at the University of Leiden (the Netherlands). Well actually, the untranslated, Dutch, version is.

The book gives a good overview of the history of the Low Countries, starting with the Kelts, Romans and invading Germans, covering the Bourgondian Age, the dominion of the Habsburgers, the struggle for freedom, the golden age, the changing relationships between what is now called Belgium and the Netherlands, the importance of the religion and tolerance, ending the description in the mid 1990's.

The book covers political history, but economic, social, cultural, and religious history as well. The language is clear, and no prior knowledge of this region, or its history is required. Four stars and not five, because the part dealing with the 20th century has less analytical qualities then the high standard set by the rest of the book.

At the end of this readable and engaging book you'll know more about Dutch en Belgium history then most inhabitants of these countries do, and you'll understand some of the basic concepts still strong in Dutch foreign policies, and some of the structural internal problems Belgium still faces today.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Window into a hidden history, March 12, 2008

By 

Bre (new york, ny) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of the Low Countries (Paperback)

It is next to impossible to find a comprehensive history book on the Netherlands or Belgium here in the USA. I got this book prior to a month long work assignment in Belgium so I could learn about these countries. Like many others people and armies, I've passed through the Low Countries without knowing anything about them but I've always been fascinated by them because the kept being mentioned as being vitally important in my reading of the histories of other countries, especially in their wars for independence: The US, Scotland, England, France, Spain.
How could these two tiny countries have had any impact on the world. Isn't the conventional wisdom that there was the Roman Empire, then Charlemagne, then Spain/Portugal, then England/France, then the US/USSR?
Although this is a text book it is engaging and easy to read. The story is fascinating. I am now the local expert on the history of the Low Countries and their place in world history.
I echo the comment on the more lackluster presentation of the more recent material. My only other criticism deals with the graphics. While the text was translated the maps were not. Many of the city names were presented in Dutch or French and were not easily discernible. Also, there should have been more maps and they should have been comprehensive. During the Roman era the map looked like it might have been drawn by a Roman. As the borders changed repeated over the millennia it would have been helpful to have a consistent map somewhere in the book for reference and scale. Maybe the blobs presented are recognizable to native lowlanders they were not to me.