The Political Thought of the Dutch Revolt 1555–1590

This book is a comprehensive study of the history of the political thought of the Dutch Revolt (1555–90). It explores the development of the political ideas which motivated and legitimized the Dutch resistance against the government of Philip II in the Low Countries, and which became the ideological foundations of the Dutch Republic as it emerged as one of the main powers of Europe. It shows how notions of liberty, constitutionalism, representation and popular sovereignty were of central importance to the political thought and revolutionary events of the Dutch Revolt, giving rise to a distinct political theory of resistance, to fundamental debates on the ‘best state’ of the new Dutch commonwealth and to passionate disputes on the relationship between church and state which prompted some of the most eloquent early modern pleas for religious toleration.

Preface; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. The Dutch Revolt: historical contexts; 3. Religion and resistance: the case of reformed protestantism; 4. Politics and resistance: the political justification of the Dutch Revolt; 5. From revolt to republic: the quest for the best state of the commonwealth (1578–1590); 6. Politics and religion (1572–1590): the debates on religious toleration and the substance of liberty; 7. Conclusions: the Dutch Revolt and the history of European political thought; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.