Hugo Grotius, Annals of the War in the Low Countries: Edition, Translation, and Introduction

Grotius on the Dutch Revolt and thefundamentality of reason of state

TheAnnals of the War in the Low Countriesis one of Hugo Grotius' lesser-known works. Grotius expresses a contrarian view ofthe early revolt, which he presents not as a united battle for the true faithand the ancient liberties of the land but as a protracted and painful struggle,not only with the great power of Spain, but also with discord, selfishness andreligious fanaticism among the Dutch. To convey this complex and controversialvision of the foundational years of the Dutch Republic, Grotius chose theworldview and the prose style of the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus as hismodel. His commissioners, however - the States of Holland - did not publish thework when it was finished in 1612; it appeared in print posthumously in 1657.

Thisis the first edition of Grotius' then-influential and well-known Annalsof the Dutch Revolt since its initial publication. It presents a criticaledition of the Latin text, a fresh modern English translation, and anintroduction which covers all aspects of the work, from its conception to itsmodern reception, underlining the importance of reason of state for Grotius'thought in general.

This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).