Arie van Deursen
Encyclopedia
Arie Theodorus van Deursen (23 June 1931 – 21 November 2011) was a Dutch
historian whose focus was the early modern period
. He was Professor Emeritus of History at the Vrije Universiteit
in Amsterdam. He was a specialist in Dutch history of the 16th and 17th century.
, religious controversies in the 16th and 17th century (Jacobus Arminius
versus Franciscus Gomarus
) and the political situation of that period; he wrote biographies of William the Silent
and Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
, a history of the Vrije Universiteit
, a history of the Netherlands (1555–1702), a biography of Michiel de Ruyter
and several volumes of collected essays.
As an orthodox Christian Van Deursen has been heavily involved in polemics about the history of secularization
and its consequences. In his Huizinga Lecture
Huizinga en de geest der eeuw (Huizinga and the spirit of the age) Van Deursen compared the critical evaluation of the secularization by Isaäc da Costa
and Johan Huizinga
. As an historian Van Deursen was a good storyteller. His books are meticulously constructed, based on archival evidence.
Van Deursen died in Oegstgeest
on November 21, 2011 at the age of 81.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
historian whose focus was the early modern period
Early modern period
In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages. Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate, the timeframe spans the period after the late portion of the Middle Ages through the beginning of the Age of Revolutions...
. He was Professor Emeritus of History at the Vrije Universiteit
Vrije Universiteit
The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...
in Amsterdam. He was a specialist in Dutch history of the 16th and 17th century.
Career
Arie van Deursen was born at Groningen. He was a prolific author with a refined style. He has written several books about daily life in the Dutch Golden AgeDutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
, religious controversies in the 16th and 17th century (Jacobus Arminius
Jacobus Arminius
Jacobus Arminius , the Latinized name of the Dutch theologian Jakob Hermanszoon from the Protestant Reformation period, served from 1603 as professor in theology at the University of Leiden...
versus Franciscus Gomarus
Franciscus Gomarus
Franciscus Gomarus , was a Dutch theologian, a strict Calvinist and opponent of the teaching of Jacobus Arminius , which was formally judged at the Synod of Dort .-Life:His parents, having embraced the principles of the Reformation, emigrated to the Palatinate in 1578, in order...
) and the political situation of that period; he wrote biographies of William the Silent
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
and Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange from 1618, on the death of his eldest half brother, Philip William, Prince of Orange,...
, a history of the Vrije Universiteit
Vrije Universiteit
The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...
, a history of the Netherlands (1555–1702), a biography of Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter is the most famous and one of the most skilled admirals in Dutch history. De Ruyter is most famous for his role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th century. He fought the English and French and scored several major victories against them, the best known probably...
and several volumes of collected essays.
As an orthodox Christian Van Deursen has been heavily involved in polemics about the history of secularization
Secularization
Secularization is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions...
and its consequences. In his Huizinga Lecture
Huizinga Lecture
The Huizinga Lecture is a prestigious annual lecture in the Netherlands about a subject in the domains of cultural history or philosophy. The lecture is in honour of Johan Huizinga, a distinguished Dutch historian who worked in the first half of the 20th century...
Huizinga en de geest der eeuw (Huizinga and the spirit of the age) Van Deursen compared the critical evaluation of the secularization by Isaäc da Costa
Isaac da Costa
Isaac da Costa was a Dutch poet.Da Costa was born in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. His father, an aristocratic Sephardic Portuguese Jewish, Daniel da Costa, a relative of Uriel Acosta, was a prominent merchant in the city of Amsterdam; his mother, Rebecca Ricardo, was a near relative of the...
and Johan Huizinga
Johan Huizinga
Johan Huizinga , was a Dutch historian and one of the founders of modern cultural history.-Life:Born in Groningen as the son of Dirk Huizinga, a professor of physiology, and Jacoba Tonkens, who died two years after his birth, he started out as a student of Indo-Germanic languages, earning his...
. As an historian Van Deursen was a good storyteller. His books are meticulously constructed, based on archival evidence.
Van Deursen died in Oegstgeest
Oegstgeest
Oegstgeest is a town and municipality in the province of South Holland in the western Netherlands. Its population was 22,576 in 2008.-Location :...
on November 21, 2011 at the age of 81.
Books (Dutch)
- Professions et métiers interdits: Un aspect de l'histoire de la révocation de l'Édit de Nantes, Groningen: Wolters 1960 (doctoral thesis)
- Honni soit qui mal y pense? De Republiek tussen de mogendheden (1610–1612), Amsterdam: Noord-Hollandsche Uitgevers Maatschappij 1965
- Bavianen en slijkgeuzen: Kerk en kerkvolk ten tijde van Maurits en Oldenbarnevelt, Assen: Van Gorcum 1974 (ISBN 9051941854)
- Mensen van klein vermogen: Het kopergeld van de Gouden Eeuw, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker 1991 (ISBN 9035110110). Translated in English: Plain lives in the Golden Age. Popular culture, religion and society in seventeenth-century Holland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1991.
- Volume 1, Het dagelijks brood
- Volume 2, Volkscultuur
- Volume 3, Volk en overheid
- Volume 4, Hel en hemel
- Een dorp in de polder: Graft in de zeventiende eeuw, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker 1994
- Willem van Oranje: een biografisch portret, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker 1995
- De Bataafse revolutie (1795–1995), Apeldoorn: Willem de Zwijgerstichting 1995
- Geleefd geloven: geschiedenis van de protestantse vroomheid in Nederland (coauthor: G.J. Schutte), Assen: Van Gorcum 1996
- Maurits van Nassau, 1567-1625: de winnaar die faalde, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker 2000
- Rust niet voordat gy ze van buiten kunt: de Tien Geboden in de 17e eeuw, Kampen: De Groot Goudriaan 2004
- De last van veel geluk: De geschiedenis van Nederland 1555-1702, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker 2004 (ISBN 9035126270)
- Een hoeksteen in het verzuilde bestel: De Vrije Universiteit 1880-2005, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker 2005 (ISBN 9035128672)
- De admiraal: De wereld van Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, Franeker: Van Wijnen 2007 (ISBN 9789051942828)