Product Description
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 was even more difficult to give 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 demonstratemany 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 become increasingly 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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Disappointed
If one is interested in the overly detailed political development of the Low Countries, this is the book for you.If you want to know more about the Frisians, the cities, and dike systems development, forget it.It was like telling the history of the U.S. without telling about the Native Americans or mentioning the cities like San Francisco.The many cities Like Leeuwarden and Harlingen played a great part in Netherlands history, but not mentioned.The Scots had special conditions awarded to them in the wool trade for almost 500 years and it is not mentioned.What happened to these Scots when this trade ended?I am disappointed.

Window into a hidden history
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.

Good introduction into Dutch and Belgium history
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. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: John W. Lovell; Publication date: 1879; Subjects: History; ... Read more

Product Description
The Battle Of the Bulge, in December 1944, was Hitler and the Wehrmacht's last great battle of World War II in the West. After losing the war for the beaches and hedgerows of Normandy, and barely escaping with huge losses from the Falaise pocket, the Germ ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

speaking of editing
Dear Ron Reviewer:Make that the Huertgen Forest; the experiences and accomplishments of Pergrin and the combat engineers have in fact been told many times before, and I would also edit your 'repetitious repeats.'And why 'two Nazi Panzer (It's a German word and capitalized) divisions and one army division?' All three were Wehrmacht, and all three were engaged during the Nazi era.Are you saying the German army (Heer) division wasn't 'Nazi' but the Panzer divisions were?Anyway, back to the book.I've followed published works on the northern sector of the Battle of the Bulge ever since my uncle, who was awarded the Silver Star in that engagement, enlightened me as to the real truth juxtaposed with the endlessly enduring myths, false heroics, faulty memory, deliberately false news reporting, intentionally falsified official military 'history,' and propaganda.Col. Pergrin has always appeared to be straightforward and essentially honest in his many interviews and accounts, led his forces well, did a fine job under the circumstances--and was certainly 'in a position to critique' the fact that it was US aircraft who bombed him, his troops, the inhabitants and the entire town of Malmedy, not once but for three days in a row.Glad he took the trouble to put together this book.A bit overpriced, but a valuable contribution to Ardennes material from the perspective of a fine officer and his men who played such significant roles.

Member of ECB WW2
Serious mistake in not having an index.
Content of book good.
Col. Pergrin an excellent commander during those difficult times.

Engineering the Victory-The Battle of the Bulge
As the title states, this book is about the exploits of combat engineers in the Ardennes and, in part, in the Heurtgen Forest during the period November to January, 1944.It is somewhat unique in that it focuses on the contributions that engineers made toward stopping two German panzer divisions and one army division during the December attack in the Belgium-Luxembourg area.It is a story that needs to be told and Col. Pergrin does a good job of doing it.He had his headquarters in Malmedy, and he was in a very good position to critique the exploits along the northern shoulder.(At one point, the Colonel identifies not only a northern and southern shoulder, but an eastern and western one as well!)However, the importance of this book is marred by a distinct lack of editing and proof reading.Spelling errors are myriad.For example, the same place name is spelled in different ways.Photographs are repeated for no particular reason with different captions.Some sentences make no sense.H.M. Cole's maps from the US Army in WWII, "Ardennes" book are reprinted, so small that the information is unusable, and no citation is given for the source.(Lack of citations for sources is another shortcoming of the book)On the other hand, there are a few unit action maps that are very useful in interpreting the actions of engineers at Trois Ponts, Stavelot, and Malmedy.Col. Pergrin has made a valuable contribution in this work. If he had had a good editor to smooth out the repeats of general Battle of the Bulge history, bring the chapters together as a cohesive unit and eliminate extraneous side trips, we would have a 5-star book.

Note:My thanks to "Horrido" who did such a constructive job in reviewing my review.I have made a couple of corrections which I hope will soothe his sensibilites.It sounds like with the help of his uncle, he now knows the truth about WWII. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent thinking
I am only 3/4 through in 5 hours last evening.Will continue this evening!A page turner, and interesting learning: as Dr. Bodson learns, we too, learn. Recommend for ALL readers! Dr. Bodson was a professor of mine in college and his writing is as he speaks - concise and not to be forgotten after a first read (or listen.)

A great read about an under-appreciated subject
This is a fascinating book about a subject too few people know anything about. The book is extremely well written by a very thoughtful author. It's history but it reads like a novel. Excellent!

I re-read this book not long ago, and on a recent trip to Belgium, I made a point of taking a day to visit the places where the author was active during the war.This book made it all come alive.

A fascinating and vivid account of the WWII underground.
I borrowed the book from a family friend and could not put it down!I hung on every suspenseful turn.Mr. Bodson's account was brutally honest and extremely informative.I learned a great deal about the true face ofthe war and many detailed events I never would have imagined.I recommendthis book to anyone with an interest in underground tactics or a love ofwar stories.An incredible journey! ... Read more

Product Description
To commemorate the opening of the OECD historical archives to thepublic and their deposit at the European University Institute, the OECD askeda group of EUI historians to prepare a book on the role played by the MarshallPlan and the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation in the economicrecovery and rehabilitation of Europe.This book examines important episodesin the OEEC's history from the original offer of Marshall Plan aid in 1947 tothe decision to create the OECD in 1960.The book presents information on themain stream of research and available archives on the Marshall Plan and theOEEC.Theme and country studies underline the challenge to and the role ofthe OEEC in the distribution of Marshall Plan aid and the implementation of aEuropean recovery program. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on intensive research in the archives of six countries, this book presents an in-depth analysis of Belgium's monetary and financial history during World War II. Exploring Belgium's financial and business links with Germany, France, The Netherlands, Great Britain, the United States, and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the authors focus on the roles played in this complex wartime network by the Central Bank and private bankers in Brussels, by the Belgian government in exile in London, and by the Belgian minister plenipotentiary in New York. ... Read more

Product Description
On 11 July 1302, below the town walls of Courtrai, the most splendid army of knights in Christendom, the flower of the French nobility, was utterly defeated by Flemish rebels, common workers and peasants. The French knights, products of a lifetime's training, were ably led; but so too were the Courtrai townspeople, in addition to being well-armed, and their victory, despite their lack of military skills (and golden spurs), put an end to the enduring myth of the invincibility of the knight. A French explanation of the terrible defeat was immediately given, intended to save the honour and pride of the French nobility; in Flanders the victory was glorified as a just reward for the bravery of the townsmen and the competence of their commanders. Unfortunately there were no impartial witnesses. Any account of the battle must therefore pay careful attention to the personalities of the chroniclers, their nationality, and their political and social leanings, as well as their personal sympathies. Verbruggen's study is prefaced by discussion of the problems of reconstruction and extensive consideration of the sources, showing the difficulties faced by medieval military historians in attempts to interpret them. He then offers his own account of the events of that dramatic day, a case study in the reconstruction of events in one of the greatest battles of the middle ages.J.F. VERBRUGGEN lectured at the Royal Military School in Brussels, and then taught in Africa, retiring as Professor of History, University of Congo, and University of Bujumbura (Burundi). He is also the author of The Art of Warfare in Western Europe.Originally published in Dutch in 1954, translated and updated. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

the history of sources - the source of history
To those of us who normally read the strictly narrative accounts of good quality popular history, this professional work could come as something of a shock. It did to me as I realized that after a short introduction setting the scene, the first 127 pages were an essay on the sources of knowledge of an event that happened over seven hundred years ago. This essay on sources considers every aspect of the written texts being considered such as what is actually being said and not said, who is saying it, for what purposes are they speaking, how could they have known the facts being presented, and so on. In addition and contained in this is some explaination of the medieval approach to recording and writing about events. This study shows a deep mastery of medieval French and Flemish language as well as the total historical context. I don't know how this has been judged by professional historians, as I am not one, but I was certainly impressed.

Next there are two shorter essays that try to understand first, the terrain which is critical to understanding the battle but difficult to know since the battlefield site was covered with a Vauban style fortress in the seventeenth century and modern canals and other infrastructure to the present day, and second the structure and size of the two armies which is a fascinating though time consuming exercise in counting and estimating. Of some interest are a few pages in which Verbruggen describes how the Flemish military effort was financed. Then as now, wars cost money and sooner or later, someone must pay the bill.

The book concludes with a description of the events leading to the battle, then finally less than twenty pages reconstructing the battle to the best of the historian's very considerable, and by this point well established, knowledge. There are then a few pages of conclusion that put this action into the context of medieval military practice, politics. social, and economic development.

One might think that this is a lot of book to read to find out what happened when it is on a single page in Wikipdedia. Well, the Wiki version is essentially the highly digested version of Verbruggen's work and that's OK. If we want to know HOW we know something that happened seven hundred years ago, this is the book to read. It is, in its own way, a defence of the historical undertaking. As such, I couldn't recommend it more highly. ... Read more

Product Description

June 18, 1815, was one of the most momentous days in world history, marking the end of twenty-two years of French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. On the bloody battlefield of Waterloo, the Emperor Napoleon and his hastily formed legions clashed with the Anglo-Allied armies led by the Duke of Wellington -- the only time the two greatest military strategists of their age faced each other in combat.

Customer Reviews (11)

Good first Waterloo book
Recommended as an intro to the subject; Waterloo buffs will probably want more detail. Roberts tells the story, but also adds nice detail (e.g., the damage cannonballs could do). The books touches upon all the mistakes, but Roberts cautions us against using 20/20 hindsight. If you only have time for one quick read on the subject...

"He had his Waterloo..."
WATERLOO is one of the finer single-subject books I've ever read. A terse 122 page account of the battle which simultaneously triggered the golden age of the British Empire, the fall of Napoleon, and the end of the 19th century, it is the sort of book which can be read in a day or two, but which leaves a lasting impression on the reader's mind. It was worth every penny of the pittance I paid for it at Borders, where I discovered it in the discount bin - an undeserved fate for a work of this class, or a subject this important.

Now, I admit I know sod-all about the Napoleonic era, and oddly enough, I can't say this book much improved my knowledge, because author Andrew Roberts isn't interested in discussing much about the events which preceded the battle. It may be that he assumes the reader knows the history of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars; it may be he was simply trying to save space. It makes little difference. Roberts seems to feel the battle's inherent drama obviates the need for a lot of backstory, and he's bloody well right. In this corner (he seems to be saying) you have the Duke of Wellington, who was undefeated against the French even after years of fighting them in the brutal Peninsular Wars; in the opposite corner, the Emperor Napoleon, winner of seventy battles and undefeated against the British. Now, let's get it on and see who wins...

WATERLOO covers a lot of ground for such a short book, but its main emphasis is on reconstructing the battle in its particulars - the blood-and-guts realities of advancing in close-packed ranks under heavy fire, the confusion of a smoke-wreathed battlefield, the agony of hauling heavy guns through deep mud. In other words, it's more about what the battle was like for the privates, sergeants and captains than for the major-generals trying to direct it. And this is what makes the book so entertaining, and such a refreshing departure from most military literature: at no time does Roberts let the reader forget what a horrible, chaotic, error-ridden mess a battle is, particularly in the era before telegraph, radio or observation baloon. The Soviet military axiom, "Wars are not won by the most competent army; they are won by the least incompetent army" is more or less affirmed here, but the point is made without too much Monday-morning quarterbacking. Roberts understands the staggering burdens the generals of this era were saddled with, and emphasizes instead the enormous courage required of the participants.

No book is perfect, and WATERLOO has its brown spots. Roberts comes off as just a bit too partisan in favor of the British, and in his conclusion he finally succumbs to the temptation of telling the French (i.e. Napoleon) what they "should have done" in the battle, which is a bit of a conceit - no historian, however brilliant, can ever reconstruct in his own mind the chaos and uncertainty of a command headquarters in the midst of a great battle. But these are minor quibbles. When the book really sings - as it does when Roberts depicts the savage fighting between Marshal Ney's cavalry and the British infantry squares, certainly one of the epic duels in all of warfare, and one fought with equal gallantry and courage on both sides - it sings loud. Furthermore, he also does a fine job of explaining just why Waterloo was (and is) so important - how it put an end to the 127 year period known as the "long 18th century" and shaped the development of modern Europe to this very hour.

I have a rule of thumb: any time you know the outcome of a tale, but still get sweaty-palmed during the telling of it, you know the storyteller has done his job. In WATERLOO, Andrew Roberts spins an old and familiar yarn, but damn, does he spin it well.

"An enemy should be outflanked, or enveloped, without separating one's own force."
"An enemy should be outflanked, or enveloped, without separating one's own force."Such "was a favourite military maxim of Napoleon's."Yet these "sensible rules of warfare were emphatically not adhered to by their author during Saturday, 17 and Sunday, 18 June 1815."Instead, Napoleon went straight at "the bottleneck before the Forest of Soignes," "adopt[ing] the frontal assault tactic at Waterloo."Including others as well, Andrew Roberts concludes that "the errors made by Napoleon and other French commanders during the Waterloo campaign were severe, indeed perhaps even decisive."

The end results:"Nearly 71,000 men were killed or wounded in the battle of Waterloo," going up to 120,300 if you add the results of battling the several days previous to this grand showdown 12 miles South of the gates of Brussels."Nationally the breakdown over the entire 15-18 June period was roughly as follows:French casualties 67,500; Prussian 30,000; and Anglo-Allied 22,800."But the Battle of Waterloo had an even larger legacy, as well.The battle was "important because of the decisive and undeniable way that it finished off la Gloire, the French sense of military superiority that had been the central factor of European politics ever since Napoleon had taken over command of the Army of Italy in March 1796."Thus the 'long eighteenth century,' which began with Britain's Glorious Revolution, ended with a dramatic humiliation for Britain's rival. Waterloo consequently "heralded the true beginning of the modern British Empire."And "without la Gloire, France has had to live on her myths and with her ever-mounting roll of defeats, from Sedan to 1940 to Dien Bien Phu."Hence the character of the European Union of today.In an editorial entitled "The European Opportunity" (June 2007), the New York Sun lamented the fact that "Though superficially modeled on the United States, the European Union owes more to Napoleon than to Madison..."That's what the EU is, after all, an attempt by other means to bring about that which went down to failure at Waterloo:A united Europe with France at its helm.Even after the resounding refusal of the French people in 2005 to affirm the recently proposed European Constitution Paris refuses to take Non for an answer, and thus it is likely to be put forth in the latter half of the inaugural decade of the 21th century again; this time, most likely, without recourse to a referendum, so as to make sure it gets enacted.The Battle of Waterloo, one could whimsically argue---if it wasn't so undemocratically serious---has far too close a parallel to the film "Ground Hog Day," wherein the central character portrayed by Bill Murray rises each morning to find it is the same day over and over again, and thus gets to try all sorts of shenanigans until he is able to get things ordered just as he would like them to be. That's why Andrew Roberts terms Waterloo "The Battle for Modern Europe."The battle, of course was lost by France.All the details are herein provided by Mr. Roberts in this short book of <100 argued pages (with an unannotated bibliography that I really wish was annotated; hence my rating above) but that hasn't stopped the French from trying to effect a rearguard action ever since.(07Jun) Cheers

A summary of the battle that doomed the Emperor.
I liked this short concise history of the Battle of Waterloo.Some people may gripe about the shortness of this account, but it does a summary job of this famous battle.Roberts dispels the notion that if Napolean had won this battle, he would have continued to rule France.More likely, he would have been defeated by other armies converging on France.Napolean was a gambler by nature, and it shows in the summary history of this battle.He commited the Guard too late, and divided his troops too soon.He lost the battle because of this, and also because of Wellington and his troops.

This is a nice easy to read history of the battle.Roberts summarizes the five stages of the battle in easy to read formats.A nice read.

Great Overview
What other reviewers cite as a deficiency is what makes this book worth buying -- it is a short, easy-to-read summary of Waterloo.If you don't have the desire to read longer works or you just need a quick understanding of what happened that day, this is the book for you.It's up-to-date with current arguments and does an excellent job of summarizing the days' major events and phases.If you're a diehard Napoleonic Wars fan, or if you've read other books on Waterloo, you probably won't find much new here. ... Read more

Product Description
On the afternoon of 1 March, 1815, a fleet of ships dropped anchor off the southeast coast of France. After ten months in exile on the island of Elba, the Emperor Napoleon had returned to reclaim his throne. European chancelleries responded by immediately preparing for war. Only one year earlier, four great powers - England, Austria, Russia and Prussia - had combined to defeat Napoleon and now, these four countries made a pledge to invade France from all sides. Napoleon's only recourse was to rearm, and he quickly marshalled his forces: mobilized the National Guard, began mass production of muskets and bought or confiscated all available horses. On the Allied side, by the end of spring, only the Duke of Wellington's troops and the Prussian army, under the command of Field Marshal Blucher, were prepared. The Emperor knew that by attacking the two armies separately, his Armee du Nord stood a good chance of winning. He planned a surprise strike, to destroy the first army he encountered before the other could intervene.Maintaining complete secrecy over his tactics, he manoeuvred the Armee du Nord close to the Belgian border and at dawn on 15 June, sent the first cavalry patrols over into enemy territory, followed immediately by columns of infantry. Thus begins The Battle, a thrilling new account of the great Battle of Waterloo, which survivors from all sides deemed, in the words of an English officer 'a terrible fight for a terrible stake: freedom or slavery to Europe.' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A different examination of the Battle of Waterloo
Alessandro Barbero's "The Battle" may not be quite the definitive history of the Battle of Waterloo promised in the subtitle, but it is nevertheless an excellent and very rewarding entry in a crowded field.Barbero, an Italian historian, offers a synthesis of the battle that provides unusually equal coverage of all the participants without taking sides.Barabero's narrative ranges from the perspective of Allied and French commanders Wellington, Blutcher, and Napoleon down to the level of individual soldiers, without letting any one perspective dominate the story.Barbero's method of recounting the Battle of Waterloo is also unique in focusing more on the experiences of different units and less on the normal but arbitrary division of the battle into five phases.This method emphasizes the continuity of the combat and highlights the incredible strain this day-long battle placed on those units that were in the very thick of the fighting.In particular, Barbero brings out how desparately close the Allied line on Mont Saint Jean came to breaking in the closing hours of Waterloo and how the Prussians overcame a variety of challenges to reach the battlefield.Barbero's synthesis of events leaves the reader with a sense of the sheer horror the survivors must have felt at what was an incredibly bloody battle, even by the standards of the Napoleonic wars.

Barbero passes perhaps too quickly over the preliminary combats at Quatre Bras and Ligny that set the stage for Waterloo.His contention that the deployment of Lobau's corps to the French right flank was in support of D'Erlon rather than a response to the advance of the Prussians is a plausible if different reading of events.His assertion that the Imperial Guard advanced in square rather than column or mixed order during its final assualt on the Mount Saint Jean line is bold but seemingly at varience with the battle drill of the day and with the interpretations of most historians.

Barbero's prose flows smoothly.John Cullen's translation of the text into English is very nearly seamless; this reviewer noted only a handful of passages with awkward phrasing.

This book is highly recommended to both the casual reader of history and to the devoted student of the Napoleonic Wars.The casual reader will find it both entertaining and educational; the keen student will find a different perspective on Waterloo worth pondering. ... Read more

Product Description
This insightful book explores the ways in which Flemish painting between 1550 and 1650 both represented and reflected the burgeoning capitalism of Antwerp, Europe`s major port of the time. The author focuses on market-scene paintings as well as on the interaction between painters and markets, arguing that certain modern ways of collecting and valuing paintings had their roots in this period. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

thought-provoking AND a good read!
Smart, scholarly, compelling, and well-written to boot.This is a book that will change the way you think about Flemish painting.Although its topic is ostensibly narrow--pictures of markets from about 1550 to 1650--it actually offers an entirely new interpretation of Flemish artistic culture, and it does it by using a refreshingly new methodology.Honig argues that painting became a site where issues of economic thinking (about value, exchange, desire) were rehearsed and finally resolved, although their resolution spelled the end of the market genre.The best chapters were Ch.3, on Beuckelaer's *Ecce Homo* scenes set in a market (these, she shows, are about judgment, justice, and market desire) and Ch.6, where she discusses the history of connoisseurship, collecting, and forgery.Great stuff and some excellent prose.

FANTASTIC!!!!
This book made me want to run out to the nearest market and consume huge amounts of food! Brilliant typing and great big colorful pictures. I didn't get through the theoretical or historical stuff but I loved the way the pictures looked!

Filled with unfortunate historical inaccuracies
A very well-written book, and presumably well-intentioned.Unfortunately, many, many mistakes which undermine the project.It may be great for a casual reader, but for those sincerely interested in the art and history of the time and place, I would not recommend it.

Food for Thought
Honig's superbly researched book breaks new ground in relating an important period in the history of European (especially Dutch) painting to the social and economic transformation of early modern society. Sheestablishes, in a new and impressive manner, meaningful connections betweenthe subject matter, composition and style of characteristic market scenes(Aertsen, Beucklaer, Jan Breughel and others) and the emerging conventionsof the marketplace.This exemplary study, rich in insight and scholarship,breathes new life into the historical sociology of art and deserves a muchwider readershiip than its descriptively accurate but uninspiring title islikely to attract!

The best book likely to be written on this subject
Honig is shear genius.Comprehensive and exquisitely written ... Read more

Product Description
This study of sixteenth-century Antwerp and its surroundings is an attempt to combine commercial explanation models concerning the impact of great towns on their surrounding countryside with an approach in which institutional factors, and especially property relations, play the major role. It focuses on four types of influence of Antwerp on its surroundings: the demographic impact; the increasing urban demand for agrarian products; the impact of the urban economy on non-agrarian types of labour in the countryside; the purchases of land and other investments made by Antwerp citizens and their impact on the property relations in the surrounding countryside. Within the framework of these four fields of interaction between town and countryside, three essential questions have to be answered: First, how can we characterize the urban influence in each of these fields? Can it be considered a stimulus for the rural economy or rather an obstacle? Second, what was the economic response of the rural economy to the urban impact? Did it respond by specializing, according to the model presented by J. de Vries, and others, or were there obstacles that obstructed specialization? Third, what role did the medieval legacies play in the interaction between the 'capitalist' metropolis and the 'feudal' countryside? ... Read more