LL-L: "History" LOWLANDS-L, 04.FEB.2001 (01) [D/E]

[Lowlands-L]

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  L O W L A N D S - L * 04.FEB.2001 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Roger Thijs [roger.thijs at euro-support.be]
Subject: historical backgrounds

I like old stuff, and this Saturday on the Brussels flee marked I got,
for a few dimes, a book from 1809:
- no author (may have to do with the French occupation)
- title: "Antiquitates Belgicae of Nederlandsche Oudheden... nieuwen
druk, vermeerderd met land-beschrijvings aenteekeningen..."
- printed: Tot Gend by C. J. Fernand, Boekdrukker, te Putte (I see a
contradiction between Ghent and Putte, I guess the printing place may be
false)

The date may be correct. The split-up of Westphalia is described in
detail, up to the treaty of Tilsit of July 9, 1807, as well as the
internal subdivisions of Dec 14 1807 (pp. 224-225)

The names for the Northern and Southern Netherlands (The North is still
a bit independent at the time):
- for the North:: De Vereenigde Provintien (follows the list of old
provinces, and the new departments of the kingdom of Holland since May
1806)
- for the South, the former "Katholyk Nederland of Nederlandsche
Provintien" (follows in some detail the old provinces and their division
into the new French  departments) (p. 12-13)

Comment: This odd name-giving is consistent with other sources from the
same period:
cf. on a map of Germany in the English edition of the Atlas historique
by Las Cases (1802-1804):
- the actual Belgium is called "Netherlands"
- the actual Netherlands is called "Holland"
(map reproduced on p. 36 in J. Black, Maps and history, Yale, 2000)

Back to the old book:
Where it may be rather correct for the actual politico-geographical
situation of the time, it is quite original on some historical matters:
(Many of you will damn it to trash; I'm sorry to have a somehow
different taste and admire what others dislike and "litter on flee
markets")

The Alsatians are also Saxons: "Edel-saxen":
quote p. 59:
... gelyk de Saxen, die een land, eertyds geheel boschagtig, bezaten,
waer van de Holt-Saxen (dat is Hout-Saxen) geheeten zyn, waer van het
zelve land nog in 't latyn Holsatia genoemt word; en de gene, die
_Edel-Saxen_ genoemt waeren, hebben den naem van Elsas, in 't latyn
Alsatia, aen hunne woon-plaets gegeven.

The saxons got their name from a kind of sickle:
quote p.62
... Als Justus Lipsius van den oorsprong des naems der Saxen redekavelt,
... zegt ook, dat het werktuyg, waer mede men hier te lande het gras
afmaeyt, geheeten word een zeyssen, en de korte zweerden, die de oude
Saxen eertyds plegen te draegen, die zy seaxen noemden, waeren krom op
de wys van eene zeyssen, hebbende de snede op de omgekeerde buytenste
zyde, gelyk men zien kan in 't schild van den ouden Oost-Saxen koning
Erkinwyn, die dry van deze korte kromme zweirden of seaxen van zilver in
een rood veld voerde.

I spare you all the whole story of the origin of the Saxons,
an excerpt, p. 74:
Saxons of Saxen - De Saxen, een volk van de Schyten afkomstig, zyn uyt
Asia vertrokken ... etc.
... genaemt Sacae of Saci, een strydbaer en trots volk, dat den
groot-magtigen en brood-dronken koning Xerxes gedient heeft in de
ongehoorde, zwaere maer ongelukkigen krygs-togt tegen de Grieken...
etc... etc...

The origin of the Picts is also very clear (you just have to understand
some Dutch),
quote p. 75
De Picten - Dit is een volk, dat, als in het gemeen geloofd word, uyt
Schytiën in Schotland gekomen zyn, alwaer zy woon-plaets en verbond met
de Schotten maekten. Zommige schryvers bevestigen, dat zy, in Denemerken
komende, den naem van Picten kregen, om dat zy _picti_, dat is geverwt
waeren aen hunne naekten lichaemen, en zy de Orcadische eylanden voor-by
zeylende, zit-plaets namen omtrent Fida en Landonia, naer dat-ze de
vreede of wilde Britten verdreven hadden. Daer naer namen zy Schotsche
vrouwen, en maekten met hun een verbond, en zoo is met verloop van tyd
een volk daer uyt geworden.

etc etc

Shall I return the book to trash?

Regards,

Roger

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