Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautifully written, finely drawn portrait of a great man., November 16, 1998
By A Customer
C.V. Wedgood is a beautiful writer, combining a novelist's eye for detail and motivation, with an historian's insistence on fact and drawing wise and powerful conclusions. She tells the story of 'William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, called the Silent.'' He was the revolutionary who brought about the independence of The Netherlands not by bold strokes and grandiose words, but by patience, kindness and firmness. Driven out of the Low Countries by an approaching Spanish army, the prince bided his time in Germany for five years, until he could return in strength. And then, mostly by force of his goodness, rallied the Low Countries, most especially the Netherlands, to continue the struggle. Wedgood shows in great detail how William managed a squabbling land of practical burghers, anachronistic nobles, two warring religions and the representatives of countless, towns, cities, provinces and nations. He was a revolutionary, yet a most moderate man. She also details his personal life: the courtship of his four wives, his devotion to his brothers, his generosity tohis subjects, his care of his mother. Her writing, as I said, is beautiful. And she is most wise, as for example when she notes that although events may seem inevitable after the occur, in fact they could have moved otherwise, had not men moved them. William was such a man. Finally, a personal note: If Dame C.V. Wedgood would appreciate learning of a new admirer, please pass along my appreciation for a wonderful book.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Unwilling Hero, February 25, 2005
First published in 1944, this book can be considered the classic biography of William the Silent, the great and ill fated leader of the epic rebellion of Netherlands from the Spanish joke.
The Dutch Revolt and the Golden Age of Dutch history have always fascinated me, because there you can distinguish some of the early features of our modern western culture.
The right of dissent, the need of toleration, the waning of feudal system and theocratic rule in the epic story of a small nation able to confront the most powerful superpower of the late Renaissance, the seeds of European Enlightenment, the rise of a modern capitalistic ethics...
The development of modern political thinking, not just with Lipsius, Grotius and Spinoza (to name only few) but in the common persuasion of the right to rebel when the sovereign does not fulfill his obligations, the right not to be taxed in absence of popular representation and the right of individual to private life and creed (what we now call toleration).
No surprise Benjamin Franklin did recognize in the Dutch Rebellion the first important model of the American Revolution.
And the Dutch revolt can command admiration with its epic progress and the so many metaphors in which the struggle finished to be portrayed: David and Goliath, Israel and Pharaoh (especially in the flooding of the lowland to crush the Spanish advance), lastly the "embarrassment of riches" (to steal the title of one of the best portrait of that culture),...
A fine piece of work, this book, based mostly on first hands documents, is not - strictly speaking - academic history, but belongs to that "lesser" sphere between history and fiction that is biography and can resort more easily to literary devices to recreate and paint the scenes.
So, if you look for a learned introduction to the role and times of William of Nassau, this is not the book for you: apart from the careful and intelligent use of first hand documents and the almost complete lack of rhetoric, the critical appraisal is very weak and mostly sketched in the background.
Nonetheless it is well written, sympathetic and knows how to take account of the weight the human factor had in the success of rebellion. William is described an unwilling hero, striving to keep his allegiance to his king but forced at last to fight despite all odds against him, repeatedly battered but never cornered, wearing off life and wealth to the last sacrifice, and yet holding firmly his stand as civil servant and refusing to the last proposed political glory.
A human hero after all.
The greatest virtue resides in being able to present the reader with a wealth of anecdotes and situations that are commonly ignored by the academic historian, who is more devoted to get rid of over structures to unfold the effective forces in play.
If you've been so patient and kind to follow me up to this path, there can be a chance you share some of my passions and could be interested in other books I had the opportunity to read in the past about the same argument:
- "The Dutch Republic. Its Rise, Greatness and Fall (1477-1806)" by Jonathan Israel. Excellent and definitive.
- "The Embarrassment of Riches" by Simon Schama. Possibly one of the best books (if not the best) ever written about Dutch culture and heritage. By the same author "Rembrandt's Eyes" which I had not still the chance to read.
- "The Dutch Revolt" by Geoffrey Parker. Insightful and very informative, more focused on the Spanish side of the struggle.
- "Spinoza. A Life" by Stephen Nadler. Don't be fooled by the title: it is both biography of the philosopher and history of his times. Also by the same author "Rembrandt's Jews" - I had not occasion to read.
- "Tulipomania" by Mike Dash - a lively but informative tale of the first recorded financial bubble.
You are truly welcome if you want to suggest other readings or just share ideas and comments! Thanks for reading.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
William the Silent, May 27, 2000
By A Customer
This is an excellent book. It is the kind of book you will find yourself coming back to for the best, most indepth explanations, and definitive quotes. It is the best and most comprehensive study of the Revolt of the Netherlands that I have yet come across. What's more, it is beautifully written and is a pleasure to read.
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by Tim Blanning
by C. V. Wedgwood
