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Project

No world without the stars. Prophecy and society in the Spanish- Habsburg Netherlands during the Dutch Revolt(1560s-1640s)

This project will study the interaction of astrology with politics and religion in the Habsburg Netherlands (1560s-1640s). Special attention will be paid to the cross-fertilization of Dutch astrological cultures and traditions with those of neighboring territories and to the general position of astrology within the framework of the Dutch Revolt (1566-1648). The project will analyze prognostic works, produced within the cities of Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels. These include textual source material (such as almanacs, pamphlets, humanistic treatises, prodigious works and plays) and visual source material (such as engravings, book illustrations and other relevant printed
representations). Furthermore it will disclose the complex production network of these sources. Special attention will be paid to the question whether and why certain astrological themes were more suited to display than others and how the various stakeholders determined the political and religious discourses within astrological treatises. Also the unique relationship between past, present and future that these prognostic works propagated, will be taken into account. This project will argue that astrological cultures formed an important base for the constantly evolving process of identity formation in the Habsburg Netherlands during the Dutch Revolt. Different prognostic traditions were constantly exchanged, fused and adapted to local circumstances and structured daily lives in times of political and religious insecurity.

Date:1 Oct 2014 →  31 Mar 2018
Keywords:Spanish-Habsburg Netherlands
Disciplines:History
Project type:PhD project