Earlier this year we interviewed Andrea-Vicky Amankwaa-Birago, a German historian of Ghanaian descent. Hang on, I hear you say, isn’t this podcast about Dutch history? Well, yes, of course it is, so here is a tidy little link. Besides giving us a great insight into her life, having been born and raised in Europe as a member of the Ghanaian diaspora, Vicky’s current focus of study is the life of Kwasi Boachi, a prince of the Ashanti Empire who was born in 1827. The Ashanti empire covered most of what is today Ghana, as well as parts of Togo and the Ivory Coast. When Kwasi Boachi was 10 years old he, alongside his cousin Kwame Poku, was sent all the way from his home in West Africa to the Netherlands to be educated. This was a part of an arrangement made between Kwasi’s father, the Ashanti king Otumfuo Kwaku Dua I, and another king, William I, the King of the Netherlands. The Dutch had a need of soldiers in the colonies, primarily in what is now Indonesia where many had been lost in a recent war of independence waged by natives against the Dutch governance of the East Indies. West African fighters appealed to the Dutch king and a deal was struck on his behalf that would allow the Dutch voluntary recruitment of local Akan fighters, in exchange for guns. To firm the ties even more, the two young princes joined the Dutch embassy back to Europe. After their studies were complete, they were both supposed to return to their homelands, bringing the knowledge and experience they had gained. Kwame Poku returned. Kwasi Boachi, however, did not.  Instead, Boachi completed his exams in civil engineering at Delft Royal Academy in 1847 and was assigned to become a mining engineer. However he went to Freiburg in Germany to study and live until he was sent to the Dutch East Indies in 1850. Whilst working in the East Indies, Boachi was heavily discriminated against by his superiors to such an extent that he actually received compensation and a monthly allowance for what he suffered. He remained in Indonesia until his death in 1904 when he was aged 77. We spoke with Vicky when she was at an airport en route to Ghana. You’ll hear a few background airport noises and the sound quality was somewhat affected by dodgy internet, but Vicky’s enthusiasm and passion for her work more than make up for that. In our interview, she talks about Kwasi’s experience, especially as a black-noble living in 19th century Europe. We also discuss the African Diaspora and identity in Europe, how different nations utilise history and the idea of coming to terms with the past, and what she, personally, is out to achieve working as a historian in today’s world. Vicky's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/anton_wilhelm_amo_erbschaft/?hl=en Vicky's research (English): Building (b)ridges beyond the Portrait – Mapping Memories of Kwasi Boachi – Exit Frame! Vicky's research (German): https://voices.skd.museum/building-bridges-beyond-the-portrait/ You can find all the paintings referenced in this link. SHOW NOTES: PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands BLUESKY: https://historyofnl.bsky.social/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On June 12, 1672 the Dutch republic was attacked on all sides by France, England and the bishoprics of Cologne and Münster. Within a month, three of the seven provinces had been conquered and the people of Gelderland, Utrecht and Overijssel brutally felt the pinch as foreign soldiers looted, raided and plundered at will. Many fled westward, sailing across the Zuiderzee, where they found refuge in the Waterland region of Holland. In this episode we speak to historian Loek Zoon of Waterlands Archief whose recent work has shone a light on how the towns of Waterland reacted to the sudden surge of strangers, about the people who fled and those who helped them and how the whole event can inform us better as we similarly face a world in which high-level politics distills into dislocation and strife. Do you want to know more about Flemish and Dutch history and culture? Visit ⁠⁠www.the-low-countries.com⁠⁠. Our theme music is created by Samuel P K Smith. Music clips provided by Storyblocks: "Minimal Documentary Background Music" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk ⁠https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/minimal-documentary-background-music-skxjrbbvvketzhdzl.html "Documentary Corporate Marimba Background Music" by Media-Music Group ⁠https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/documentary-corporate-marimba-background-music-rivttg71dkk2oc0dt.html "Escaping Forever" by Michael Vignola https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/escaping-forever-hog3rptosk2xlgdd7.html "Jazz Bass And Drums Solo" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/jazz-bass-and-drums-solo-bjj7ev19vkhjpmbps.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We sit down with Elyzabeth Gorman, storyteller-in-chief of Badass Tours, to talk about LGBTQ+ history of the Netherlands. Quite the badass herself, Elyzabeth aims to communicate ‘hidden histories’ - stories of women, people of colour and members of LGBTQ+ communities whose lives and experiences are so often overlooked or even wilfully ignored in the mainstream telling of Dutch history. She does public speaking events at museums around the country and has made it her mission to communicate lesser known histories of the Netherlands, in English. Sounds like our kind of person! While there’s a range of areas that Elyzabeth covers in her work, for this episode we wanted to particularly focus on LGBTQ+ history, since we personally feel like this is an area which we have also neglected in our podcasting so far and which we could learn a lot more about ourselves. Do you want to know more about Flemish and Dutch history and culture? Visit ⁠www.the-low-countries.com⁠. Episode art photo by Dana Marin / Amsterdamian. Our theme music is created by Samuel P K Smith. Music clips provided by Storyblocks: "Minimal Documentary Background Music" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/minimal-documentary-background-music-skxjrbbvvketzhdzl.html "Documentary Corporate Marimba Background Music" by Media-Music Group https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/documentary-corporate-marimba-background-music-rivttg71dkk2oc0dt.html "Jazz Bass And Drums Solo" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/jazz-bass-and-drums-solo-bjj7ev19vkhjpmbps.html “Black Baugette” by Humans Win https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/black-baugette-hy78n0qm_klr27ky7.html "Escaping Forever" by Michael Vignola https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/escaping-forever-hog3rptosk2xlgdd7.html "Lofi Jazz Beat (Paris Caf Version)" by The Turquoise Moon https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/lofi-jazz-beat-sdve38movkgogrl4f.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After Prince Juan’s death in 1497, Margaret of Austria spent almost two years in mourning in Spain, being treated with empathy and kindness by the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand. Margaret’s sudden singleness meant that, whether she liked it or not, her father Maximilian was going to update her profile on the Tinder for European royalty, and start swiping through every eligible prince or king throughout the continent to see how he could next use his daughter for his own political gains. We will sort through the prospective matches and, while Margaret travels through France on her way back home, we’ll make a detour there ourselves for a game of royal tennis which will end in a royal death, divorce and subsequent sex scandal. Salacious! Margaret of Austria arrived back in Ghent in March 1500, just in time to be present at the christening of her nephew, Charles, a grandiose celebration such as had not been seen in the Low Countries before, even including a fire breathing dragon. In the aftermath, Margaret’s future would once again be discussed within the various courts of Europe and she would be married off for a third and final time, this time to Philibert the Handsome, Duke of Savoy. With thanks to George, John Ricketson, Jackie Pearson, Geoffrey Egger and Jo Crease. SHOW NOTES: https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-54-the-widowed-bride PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands BLUESKY: https://historyofnl.bsky.social/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We sit down with Bart Ouvry, managing director of AfricaMuseum in Tervuren, Belgium, to speak about the challenges he faces attempting to decolonise a colonial museum. Established in 1898, the museum originally served as a propaganda tool to lend support to Belgium's King Leopold II's colonial ambitions in Congo and central Africa. By the late 20th century, the museum was being widely and critically called into question, leading to a five year renovation plan that started in 2013, intended to revamp it both physically and philosophically. Since reopening in late 2018, AfricaMuseum has continued to receive mixed opinions from many different perspectives. This testifies to the complexities and controversies that remain inherent within any discussion about historical narratives and what different and divisive consequences they can bear for people today. To hear more about the museum team’s journey in forging a path through this mire, we were lucky enough to sit down with Bart in his office to ask him about his own background, the importance of history, about his role at the museum and about what it’s like to lead a team that is faced with tackling such difficult and monumental task. Do you want to know more about Flemish and Dutch history and culture? Visit www.the-low-countries.com. Our theme music is created by Samuel P K Smith. Music clips provided by Storyblocks: "Minimal Documentary Background Music" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/minimal-documentary-background-music-skxjrbbvvketzhdzl.html "Documentary Corporate Marimba Background Music" by Media-Music Group https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/documentary-corporate-marimba-background-music-rivttg71dkk2oc0dt.html "Jazz Bass And Drums Solo" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/jazz-bass-and-drums-solo-bjj7ev19vkhjpmbps.html "Escaping Forever" by Michael Vignola https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/escaping-forever-hog3rptosk2xlgdd7.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We dumbly delve into the deep and desolate doldrums that define trying to understand the growth and development of Dutch shipbuilding in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, particularly in Holland. Conditions would conspire to allow this industry to flourish across the Low Countries. There is, however, a distinct lack of written information from the shipbuilding sector in the 15th century to speak about it definitively. Historians and archaeologists have put together and continue to put together as many pieces as possible, however much of the detail is forever lost. As such, speculation must play its part. In the second part of the episode, we are going to discuss some of the main sources that historians use to try and get a picture of this very opaque past. With thanks to David Bailey, Emma Kennedy, Elpeniki Lyberis, Lieke Sloot and Nicobellasims. SHOW NOTES: https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-53-clinker-to-carvel-and-how-to-shove-sphagnum-into-wood PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands BLUESKY: https://historyofnl.bsky.social/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On October 27, 1275, Count Floris V of Holland issued a toll exemption to the village of Amsterdam as compensation for damage caused by his troops. This document remains the oldest known written reference to Amsterdam and is kept in a dark depot in the Amsterdam City Archives. One of the curators and people responsible for keeping this document safe for the people of Amsterdam is Erik Schmitz. We had the privilege of speaking to him on October 28, 2024, as Amsterdam kicks off its 750th jubilee year. Our conversation spans from looking at the physical document itself, what it meant for Amsterdam's growth over the centuries and how its significance has changed in line with the development of the city itself. Do you want to know more about Flemish and Dutch history and culture? Visit www.the-low-countries.com. Music clips provided by Storyblocks: "Jazz Bass And Drums Solo" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/jazz-bass-and-drums-solo-bjj7ev19vkhjpmbps.html "Minimal Documentary Background Music" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/minimal-documentary-background-music-skxjrbbvvketzhdzl.html "Lofi Jazz Beat (Paris Caf Version)" by The Turquoise Moon https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/lofi-jazz-beat-sdve38movkgogrl4f.html "Documentary Corporate Marimba Background Music" by Media-Music Group https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/documentary-corporate-marimba-background-music-rivttg71dkk2oc0dt.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between the years 1000 and 1500 CE the soggy, sphagnum filled bog lands of the western Low Countries were terraformed to support human habitation and, as such, the seeds of future prosperity and hardships were simultaneously, albeit unknowingly, sown. Draining the swamp meant that land was created for agriculture, farming and settlement. This land was crisscrossed by waterways over which products both domestic and foreign could be moved on boats from the sea to the rivers and vice versa. Draining the swamp also meant that those lands sank, due to oxygen seeping into the pierced mass of moss and rotting the previously petrified peat within. People had to invent things like pumping mills to move water out of the swamp and stave off that waterlogged sinking feeling they had been experiencing. By the start of the 16th century, towns in the Low Countries had become important hubs of commercial shipping, with boats sailing from Northern Germany and beyond to the Baltic Sea, preferring to use the relatively calm and peaceful waters “inside the dunes” of Holland to reach markets in Flanders, as opposed to risking the open waters of the North Sea. Although water management required cooperation between the peoples of different towns, all of this economic activity also naturally created competition and rivalry between these towns, particularly in Holland, as they literally fought over their rights to do things like dig new canals, build new locks and charge tolls. It’s Draining the Swamp Part II: Too Drained, Too Furious. With thanks to Fredrik, Kelly Magee, Laura Isräels, Kevin Bertram and Lars for their Patreon support. SHOW NOTES: https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-52-draining-the-swamp-part-2-too-drained-too-furious PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/historyofNL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We chat with comedian and author Greg Shapiro a.k.a. The American Netherlander a.k.a. the voice of Donald Trump in the "America First, the Netherlands Second" video. Greg shares with us his uniquely American insight into the Netherlands' history and culture, especially as to how it relates to the United States, how the two cultures can learn from each other, and how kids books differ between the two countries. You can find Greg Shaprio's tour dates at https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-upcoming-comedy-shows/ Music provided by Storyblocks: "Jazz Bass And Drums Solo" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/jazz-bass-and-drums-solo-bjj7ev19vkhjpmbps.html “Cousing Mischief” by Facundo Alvarez https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/cousing-mischief-rpgn65n8dkfs85l7u.html "Minimal Documentary Background Music" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/minimal-documentary-background-music-skxjrbbvvketzhdzl.html “Comedy Background Detective Cartoon Version 4 20 Sec” by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/comedy-background-detective-cartoon-version-4-20-sec-svoc3fdwpkgc9wmi0.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They both lived during the Dutch Golden Age, grew up in Leiden, were taught by the same painter, shared a studio, received all the praise, and painted the rulers of their time. And yet, Jan Lievens is not as famous today as his friend Rembrandt. In this episode of The Low Countries Radio, we reconstruct the lives and works of these two giants of art, showing how trends and the zeitgeist can drive or hinder an artist's career, but how their legacy is bound to the whims of fate and fortune. Do you want to know more about Flemish and Dutch history and culture? Visit www.the-low-countries.com. Music provided by Storyblocks: "Jazz Bass And Drums Solo" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/jazz-bass-and-drums-solo-bjj7ev19vkhjpmbps.html "Minimal Documentary Background Music" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/minimal-documentary-background-music-skxjrbbvvketzhdzl.html "Documentary Corporate Marimba Background Music" by Media-Music Group https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/documentary-corporate-marimba-background-music-rivttg71dkk2oc0dt.html "Lofi Jazz Beat (Paris Caf Version)" by The Turquoise Moon https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/lofi-jazz-beat-sdve38movkgogrl4f.html “Cousing Mischief” by Facundo Alvarez https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/cousing-mischief-rpgn65n8dkfs85l7u.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1440s a goldsmith from Mainz called Johannes Gutenberg developed a movable type printing press which catalysed the European printing revolution. It heralded a technological leap in communication tools which had far reaching consequences for the societies of the Low Countries, particularly in urban centres where print shops were established. A large market for books already existed in the Low Countries, in no small part because of the existence of Common Life schools and subsequent high rates of general literacy. With the copying and widespread distribution of texts becoming so much quicker and easier, other fields of work began to shift and develop, as different skills and networks were needed to smoothly bring content to the public. In this episode we are going to first take a look at what a 15th century printing workshop might have been like, before meeting some of the pioneers who would pull the printing presses and perfect the processes pertaining to the profitable publication of pamphlets, prayer books and other pre-16th century paper imprinted particularities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We meet Simon Gronowski, a 92 year old jazz pianist, lawyer and Holocaust survivor. At the age of eleven, Simon was locked in a cattle wagon with his mother and around 50 other people after a month’s imprisonment at the Dossin Barracks in Mechelen for the crime of being Jewish. The train they had been herded onto was bound for the extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the 20th such mass deportation of Jews from Belgium. But this train trip would be unique in world war two. The 20th convoy became the only deportation train in the entire continent which was attacked and stopped by resistance fighters, allowing around a hundred people to escape. Simon Gronowski was one of these people and it is his story that we are going to explore in today’s episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We chat with author and academic Christine Kooi, whose book Reformation in the Low Countries 1500-1620 was released last year by Cambridge University Press. As its title suggests the book encompasses a vast and tumultuous period which served to greatly shape the modern nations of Belgium and the Netherlands. It is a sweeping and extremely useful narrative and we are lucky enough today to have Christine join us online from her home in the US to help us unpack it. Do you want to know more about Flemish and Dutch history and culture? Visit www.the-low-countries.com. Music provided by Storyblocks: "Minimal Documentary Background Music" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/minimal-documentary-background-music-skxjrbbvvketzhdzl.html "Jazz Bass And Drums Solo" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/jazz-bass-and-drums-solo-bjj7ev19vkhjpmbps.html "Documentary Corporate Marimba Background Music" by Media-Music Group https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/documentary-corporate-marimba-background-music-rivttg71dkk2oc0dt.html “Spooky Circus” by Facundo Alvarez https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/spooky-circus-346988170.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We dig up the bulbs of the past, trim the stems of historical myth and hopefully emerge with a lustrous vase of understanding as to where the tulip came from, how it became infectiously vogue in the Dutch Republic and what place it holds in modern calculations of economics. Do you want to know more about Flemish and Dutch history and culture? Visit www.the-low-countries.com. Music provided by Storyblocks: "Minimal Documentary Background Music" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/minimal-documentary-background-music-skxjrbbvvketzhdzl.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Long time listeners will be aware that, alongside being passionate about the history of our boggy swamp, we also carry a deep love for the game of cricket. The venn-diagram intersection between those two things can often leave a lot to be desired. However, somehow Julian Smith, our intrepid co-creator, producer and frequent voice of excitement in the background, managed to find a small but wondrous plot of podcasting turf from which to tell an amazing story about cricket being played in the Netherlands during World War One. This opportunity came on one of our all-time favourite podcasts, called The Final Word, which is a cricket-themed podcast that delves deeply into the many fascinating stories that abound through the long history of the game. So in this small piece, you will hear the two Final Word podcast hosts, Adam and Geoff, talking with Julian, who unravels the story for us. You do not need to know anything about or have any interest in cricket to enjoy this story, which we hope you do. Thanks a lot to Adam Collins and Geoff Lemon for having Julian on the show. You can find The Final Word here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-final-word-cricket-podcast/id1315888074 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the end of episode 49, we said that we were going to move away from the political part of the story of the History of the Netherlands for a while to instead focus on some of the other important societal developments that were happening concurrently at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries. To be honest, perhaps it is because we have taken quite a long break, or maybe because of the change of direction we want to make now, but we have found it rather difficult to write this episode. The 16th century saw so many radical developments in such a vast variety of subjects that the prospect of somehow covering this all in a satisfactory way in this podcast without being forever consumed by it is, to put it lightly, daunting, bordering on overwhelming. So bear with us over the next few episodes as we, in our typical way, blithely set off in a new direction and attempt to lay foundations to explain how a new zeitgeist of education and learning that had originated in the Italian peninsula in the 14th century, took hold in the Low Countries in the 15th. As usual, it is not possible nor is it our intention to cover every single facet of every single topic which we bring up in this podcast, so please don’t be too disappointed if we fail to bring up your favourite 15th/16th century Renaissance humanist. Cool? Alright. Let’s go. With thanks to Bill Weedman, Liran Braverman, Dennis van Heeren, Johan Verbeek and Egbert for their Patreon support. SHOW NOTES: https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-50-the-granddaddy-of-netherlandish-humanism PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/historyofNL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just as much as Dutch and Flemish culture today have been defined by their ability to seek consensus through compromise, so too have they defined by a willingness to angrily, and often violently, take to the streets in order to be heard. In this episode of The Low Countries Radio we will take a look at some of the major and minor protest movements that have occurred across the Low Countries which have helped shape them into the places they are today. Featured in this podcast: the Eel Riots of 1886, the Leuven Student Revolt of 1968, the Coronation Riots of 1980 and the White March of 1996. Do you want to know more about Flemish and Dutch history and culture? Visit www.the-low-countries.com. Music provided by Storyblocks: "Minimal Documentary Background Music" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/minimal-documentary-background-music-skxjrbbvvketzhdzl.html "Documentary Corporate Marimba Background Music" by Media-Music Group https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/documentary-corporate-marimba-background-music-rivttg71dkk2oc0dt.html "Jazz Bass And Drums Solo" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/jazz-bass-and-drums-solo-bjj7ev19vkhjpmbps.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do black chickens have to do with witchcraft? Why were pigs not allowed to walk the streets freely in the Middle Ages? And should we welcome the return of the wolf or not? You'll hear the answers in this podcast on the history of animals in the Low Countries. We have long imposed our personal whims on other animals. We use them for labour or sport. We give them symbolic meaning, assigning them divine significance and power. Or we groom them and breed them to eat. For thousands of years, our relationship with animals has been an integral part of how we and our world have evolved. In the Low Countries, this is a journey from the ancient times of hunter-fisher communities to the early days of animal husbandry, through centuries of urbanisation, warfare, massive floods and land reclamation. All have had a drastic impact on animal life in the region. In this podcast, we discuss some animals that roamed or still roam in the Low Countries. We will see how the relationship between humans and animals has helped shape local societies and cultures, and how, over the millennia, we have exterminated some animals and invited others into our homes, but also unintentionally had some as very unwelcome guests. Starring in this podcast: reindeer, cows, chickens, pigs, shipworms, badgers, beavers and wolves. Music provided by Storyblocks: "Jazz Bass And Drums Solo" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/jazz-bass-and-drums-solo-bjj7ev19vkhjpmbps.html "Lofi Jazz Beat (Paris Caf Version)" by The Turquoise Moon https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/lofi-jazz-beat-sdve38movkgogrl4f.html "Minimal Documentary Background Music" by Volodymyr Piddubnyk https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/minimal-documentary-background-music-skxjrbbvvketzhdzl.html “Cousing Mischief” by Facundo Alvarez https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/cousing-mischief-rpgn65n8dkfs85l7u.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the Netherlands and Belgium did not exist, people spoke of the Low Countries when referring to the area around the river deltas. Water has always played an essential role in the history of that region. For centuries, living on these waterlogged lands provided the Dutch and the Flemings with opportunities for trade, urbanisation, agriculture and much more. But it also meant that they lived under the constant threat of devastating and deadly floods. In this podcast, we discover how the Low Countries, after centuries of battling floods, have gradually learnt to treat water as an ally and a part of the cultural identity of its inhabitants. Do you want to know more about Flemish and Dutch history and culture? Visit www.the-low-countries.com. Music provided by Storyblocks: “Cousing Mischief” by Facundo Alvarez https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/cousing-mischief-rpgn65n8dkfs85l7u.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The double marriage between the Habsburg and Spanish dynasties organised in the creation of the Holy League in 1495 was part of a larger plan driven by the Spanish monarchs to create a general European-wide alliance against the French. To further these aims, Ferdinand and Isabella also arranged for their other children to marry into the Portuguese and English royal families as well. Such good family planning, however, was not to yield anywhere near the results that Ferdinand and Isabella sought. In this episode we will track the tumultuous journeys leading up to the weddings which brought Spain and the Low Countries together, the devastating repercussions the Spanish monarchs’ religiosity would have for the Jews of the Iberian peninsula, as well as a series of untimely deaths which would see the Spanish succession repeatedly shuffle down the line. When the music stopped in this dynastic game of musical chairs, Philip the Handsome and Joanna of Castile’s five month old baby son, Charles, would found himself perched on the stool which held possession of a ridiculous amount of Spanish, Imperial and Burgundian titles, all of which would eventually make him the most powerful person in Europe. With thanks to Mary Teresa Howell, ericb3234, Bill van Loo, Wazdr and Roni Rivera for their Patreon support. SHOW NOTES: https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-49-the-willing-bride PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/historyofNL Lyrics to “Ball of the Burning Men” by Exchanger Verse 1 Tonight we celebrate, for some maid of the court Will bind herself to man, for the second time, the young tart Tonight we humiliate, have fun, eat well, be drunk, make noise As the tradition dictates, for the twice wed goose Chorus The king rules surrounded by fools They came to the feast in the guise of a beast Madness reigns as they’re bound in chains Let the dames shield you from the flames It’s the Ball of the Burning Men ! Verse 2 The almighty Church frowns upon these pagan rites They might be kingmakers but did they really think they could change our ways ? We will pray to the One God and chant with the priests at dawn But we’ll still dance past the noon and sing the old tunes Verse 3 Lights out, foul creatures burst into the room suddenly Exotic monsters to amuse, really the king’s bunch in disguise Some lesser count has devised this brilliant surprise Dancers covered in pitch and feathers, which come alight so easily And so the guessing game begins, among them hides our king Under which of these grotesque suits is our crown ? His brother in the crowd can’t wait to find out Can’t help himself to break the one rule - No fire inside ! For lack of light he grabs a flame - No. Fire. Inside!! No! Chorus The king rules surrounded by fools They came to the feast in the guise of a beast Madness reigns as they’re bound in chains Let the dames shield you from the flames It’s the Ball of the Burning Men ! The king rules surrounded by fools They came to the feast in the guise of a beast Madness reigns as they’re bound in chains Let the dames shield you from the flames It’s the Ball of the Burning Men ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices