The Rise of the Dutch Republic — Volume 16: 1569-70

Motley, John Lothrop, 1814-1877Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.2

Word count: 80K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. The Rise of the Dutch Republic — Volume 16: 1569–70 by John Lothrop Motley. Author: Motley, John Lothrop, 1814–1877. Language: English. Class: DH: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg. Release Date: January 1, 2004.

Editor's review

This volume of Motley's The Rise of the Dutch Republic covers 1569–1570. A classic of nineteenth-century English-language historical writing noted for its narrative power, it is made freely available in digital form through Project Gutenberg. Relatively short, the volume focuses on a critical phase on the eve of the Dutch War of Independence, showing how the author brings a pronounced moral stance and dramatic technique to the tensions among religious conflict, local self-government, and imperial power. Its value lies not in offering the latest scholarship but in embodying an influential tradition of historical narrative: it shaped the English-speaking world's imagination of the Dutch Revolt and serves as a specimen for understanding later nation-state narratives. It is suitable as supplementary reading alongside a general history, or for observing the style and assumptions of nineteenth-century historical writing. Read it as both a source and a historiographical text, attentive to the author's sympathies and antipathies rather than treating it as a neutral compilation of facts.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the Dutch War of Independence and early modern European history
Specialist readers studying the narrative style of nineteenth-century English-language historiography
History enthusiasts seeking a free electronic text to supplement their reading of general histories

Not a good fit for

Specialist researchers seeking the latest scholarship and source criticism
General readers who want the whole period in one volume and prefer not to read a multi-volume work
Learners who struggle with English and lack supporting tools

Reading tips

Read the preceding volume or the introduction to the same work first, to grasp Motley's overall narrative framework before entering this volume.
Mark the author's evaluative language as you read, distinguishing factual statements from moral judgments.
Read alongside a chronology of 1569–1570 to avoid losing the sense of time due to the volume division.
After finishing, summarize the volume's core conflict in a paragraph to check whether you have grasped the main narrative thread.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can this volume be understood on its own?

Basically yes, because the volume covers a relatively concentrated period and the sequence of events is fairly coherent. But Motley's work is a continuous narrative, with characters and background established in earlier volumes, so reading it alone may leave some names and political relationships unfamiliar. It is advisable to skim the work's overall table of contents or a summary of the previous volume before starting this one for smoother comprehension.

What should readers note about the book's historical viewpoint?

Motley wrote in the nineteenth century and held pronounced liberal and Protestant positions, often making sharp moral judgments about both sides in the conflict. Readers should treat evaluative language in the book as the author's views rather than settled conclusions, and compare strongly judgmental passages with other general histories or encyclopedia entries. It is better to read this volume as an influential historical narrative than as a neutral compilation of facts.

Any practical advice for reading the electronic edition?

The Project Gutenberg text is a plain-text ebook, convenient for searching names of people and places but lacking maps and annotations. It is advisable to open a map of the region on another device and use the search function to track recurring figures. Since it is the original English text, keep a dictionary tool at hand; the volume is short, so short reading sessions organized by chapter work well, and there is no need to finish it in one sitting.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Motley, John Lothrop, 1814-1877 Author

John Lothrop Motley (1814–1877) was an American historian and diplomat, known for his historical works on Dutch independence and the Dutch Revolt. His major work, The Rise of the Dutch Republic, narrates in detail how the Dutch provinces threw off Spanish rule and established a republican government, combining rigorous scholarship with a strong narrative drive. His History of the United Netherlands continues the account of political and military developments from the death of William the Silent to the end of the sixteenth century. The collection here contains 103 of his works, mostly different volumes and editions of these general histories. Public information is limited, so biographical details are omitted; his works show a respect for primary sources and a talent for portraying major historical turning points, and they have had a lasting influence on the study of Dutch history in the English-speaking world.