276°
Posted 20 hours ago

The Burgundians: A Vanished Empire

£9.9£99Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

It's quite telling that what I enjoyed the most about the book are the direct quotes from first hand accounts, reenforcing my preference for primary sources. I had no issues reading those but once I dived again into the author's storytelling it turned into a chore. On a sidenote, if you discuss the Burgundian dukes in a group, it's only a matter of time before someone (including myself) asks "which duke came first?" or "I'm confused, can someone rank the dukes?" To make it easier (for myself) I'm going to list these powerful dukes below: Wat kan de lezer verwachten? Een helder verhaal over de politieke geschiedenis in de Bourgondische periode (1360-1500, grofweg) met een ruime inleiding over de duizend jaar die eraan vooraf gingen en een afwikkeling over hoe daarna de Bourgondiërs Habsburgers werden met Keizer Karel als brugfiguur en wij, de Lage Landen, mee naar het Spaanse rijk verhuisden, u weet wel, waar de zon nooit onder ging. Dus veel berekende huwelijken van Karels, Filipsen, Maria's, Margaretha's en een Lodewijk of een Jan gecombineerd met een kluwen van wisselende allianties en feodale obediënties. En heel de tijd slag leveren ook, tenzij er vrede gesloten werd. Maar geen angst, Van Loo voorziet de protagonisten van vlees en emotie, zodat ze niet alleen door hun naam herkenbaar blijven maar wat lijken op personages in een roman. Ik heb niet de indruk dat Van Loo hier de Rubicon naar de fictie oversteekt richting historische roman omdat alle anekdotiek en innerlijke toestand van de hoofdrolspelers ogenschijnlijk terug te voeren zijn naar geschreven bronnen waarnaar hij verwijst. Maar aan de historici om daarover te oordelen. It is, in academic terms at least, unconventional – guided as much by Van Loo’s enthusiasm for historical novels and 19th-century historiography as by synthesising modern studies on the topic – but it works, and shines a very welcome spotlight on a dynasty that, in Britain at least, is sadly neglected outside of specialist circles.

You might suspect that the Burgundians might have appreciated the storyteller they have found in Bart Van Loo (…) history told with enjoyable narrative flair (…) It is, in academic terms at least, unconventional, but it works, and shines a very welcome spotlight on a dynasty that, in Britain at least, is sadly neglected outside of specialist circles.” ― ***** The Daily Telegraph It's bursting with great stuff. Good stories, many interesting characters with deep dives into the dukes with their extravagance, cruelty, and appetites, loads on art and literature and emergent technology (I am desperate to go see some of the surviving buildings and paintings now), lots on the state of the common people, not just the nobles. Really good with the historical context, which let me slot it into place with what I know of England/France/Holy Roman Empire. Written in an enthusiastic, informal style (and terrifically translated) so it's a bit like a history lesson from a really good teacher. It's a big book about an area of which I knew virtually nothing and I've been glued to it for a week. See also: Reviewed in short: New books by Margaret Reynolds, Michio Kaku, AK Blakemore and Jay Griffiths] This book has not only a podcast (not the audiobook version of the book!) but also recently a theater performance (in Flanders, in so far I know). It received lots of praise by critics. However the reason people give for why they liked the book so much is the same reason I didn't: the writing style.

Important to know

beides ist nicht korrekt, aber immer noch besser als Flandern, Brabant, Hennegau, Geldern, Seeland und Holland sagen zu müssen, But also about the arts... writing, painting, architecture (how many palaces were built during the reign of Burgundy dukes is unimaginable- a lot have already disappeared unfortunately)

The political and the personal, economics and culture, belief and violence, success and failure, major developments and spicy details – it’s all there. The Burgundians expertly draws on the latest scientific insights, but is also told with lightness and elegance’ ― Frits van Oostrom A political masterwork on a par with the splendours of Champmol, the duchy was, for all the glory attached to it, inherently fragile. Built and held together by Philip the Bold and his heirs with a mixture of cunning, money, might and marriage, it was a patchwork that came together slowly from 1361 – when Philip was awarded the title by his father, the French king John the Good, for his bravery at the Battle of Poitiers (1356) – up to 1477, when Philip’s great-grandson Charles the Bold died at the Battle of Nancy.That the rise of the Burgundian dukes and their ultimate incorporation into larger realms all happened within 150 years, makes the story as dramatic as intriguing. Bart van Loo appears to be one of the best-suited authors to present this rollercoaster of burgeoning bourgeoisie, feudal ambitions, artistic innovations, commercial expansion, and fledgling administration – coupled, alas, with a lot of strife, pestilence and war. We think The Burgundians is a work of art in itself.

In the mean time I've added the book The Waning of the Middle Ages to my TBR which has been cited by the author as well as critics comparing the two works. Hopefully that book will work better for me than The Burgundians. Because despite being disappointed by this book I still want to learn more about the Burgundians. That being said, once I digested this reading experience, I will try to listen to Van Loo's podcast. Het boek beschrijft de vele uitvoerige banketten waarvoor de Bourgondische leefstijl zo bekend staat. We lezen over de verschillende vermaarde huwelijken met banketten met complete deegwerken, met daarin verstopte zangers en complete orkesten: The bit which follows is then very confusing, but essentially from the 9th century onwards the name 'Burgundy' got attached to a duchy within the Frankish realms which overlapped, in part, with the historic kingdom established by the Germanic Burgundians. It is that duchy which correlates, more or less, with the region of France known as Burgundy today. The above comes across as quite negative. What about the positives? The author has a lively and entertaining writing style and a wry sense of humour, which can make the stories recounted compelling reading. Read in isolation, the various segments and chapters of this book would come across very well. The author is clearly passionate about art history, and anyone interested in this field will be well rewarded by reading this book. Plus, as mentioned above, the subject matters of this book are interesting and important, perhaps not as well known to English language readers as they should be. ConclusionThe history of art is stuffed with irreparable losses, but few of them can be more mournable than the destruction of the Burgundian Chartreuse de Champmol. Founded in 1383 at the behest of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, the monastery was one of the most artistically significant in all of medieval Europe. Van Loo vlecht drie grote lijnen en een heleboel kleintjes dooreen. Natuurlijk de grote Europese geschiedenis, de Mannen met Plannen, de vorstelijke dynastieën met hun eindeloze ge-oorlog, gebrandschat, gemartel en geplunder... je krijgt er echt pijn in je buik van. Maar dat wordt dan met subtiele tussenpozen verzacht door meesterlijke hoofdstukken over de emotionele en 'relationele' make-up van de hoofdrol-hertogen, de Philipsen, de Karels... Richard de Rechtbrenger en Jan zonder Vrees! Maar vooral ook onvergetelijke portretten van hun oma's, nichten, moeders en dochters, met bijvoorbeeld de zo bekende namen Jacoba van Beieren en Margaretha van Oostenrijk... zij blijken interessante, moedige, wijze en zelfs wrede vrouwen te zijn geweest. Wonderlijke vrouwen, soms meisjes nog, die bij alle beperkingen die hun eer- en wraakcultuur ze oplegde, toch hun verwante testosteronbommen vaak voor erger behoedden. Bijna 4 jaar geleden had ik mijn eerste kennismaking met Bart van Loo. In zijn boek over Napoleon maakte ik al kennis met zijn uiterst aangename manier van schrijven. Dus dit nieuwe boek, over de oorsprong van de Lage Landen, kon niet anders dan bovenop mijn al (immens dikke) stapel nog-te-lezen eindigen.

Van Loo is historicus noch kunsthistoricus, hij is romanist. En 'auteur/conferencier'. Dat alles blijkt een gelukkige combinatie op te leveren. De Loo vertelt ons eindelijk eens exact hoe wij ooit bij Willem van Oranje, Alva en Philips de Tweede zijn uitgekomen. Want daar begint (na de onvermijdelijke Hunebedden en Romeinen, en een gat van 1568 jaar vage volksverhuizingen) voor de meeste Nederlanders pas hun herinnering aan de geschiedenisles. Maar wat die 'Bourgondiërs' hier nou precies deden, en van waaruit zij opereerden... het was mij een raadsel. Dat kan je natuurlijk even opzoeken, maar dat doe je niet. Als geschiedenis niet meer dan een belangstelling is, dan wacht je tot je tegen Bart van Loo aanloopt. Of tegen Maarten van Rossem over het Romeinse en Amerikaanse imperialisme, of tegen Mary Renault over het Minoische Kreta. In de onbeklimbare berg van goedgeschreven geschiedenisboeken moet je forse keuzes maken, en ik laat het toeval dat werk vaak doen. To narrate the legendary story of the dukes of Burgundy, you need a learned and visionary guide like Bart Van Loo. A masterful work’ ― Le Figaro A thrilling narrative of the brutal dazzlingly rich wildly ambitious duchy that was the most advanced and sophisticated economy and the most extravagant flashy court of its time. Filled with flamboyant murderous and debauched dukes, courtesans, courtiers and maniacs, it is a total pleasure to read.’ ― Simon Sebag Montefiore, Aspects of history, Books of the YearDit non-fictie werk leest als een wervelende roman. Bart Van Loo neemt ons mee naar de feestelijke banketten, de paleizen vol pracht en praal en laat ons van op de eerste rij meegenieten. Door zijn levendige beschrijvende schrijfstijl worden al je zintuigen geprikkeld en kan je als het ware alles zien, proeven, ruiken, en meebeleven. Firstly, the link between Philip the Bold / his descendants and the Germanic Burgundians is a little tenuous, apart from the name attached to the duchy which was given to him by his dad. The author tries to draw a connection, by suggesting that the 14th and 15th century dukes saw themselves as successors to the Germanic Kings of Burgundy. A longer perspective might well make sense if the focus on the book remained on Burgundy itself but, from the 14th century onwards, the author focuses much more on the regions of the Low Countries acquired by the dukes; in fact, Burgundy itself is strangely absent from much of the book from this point onwards. A history of the Low Countries?

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment