LL-L "Grammar" 2007.04.29 (09) [D/E]

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L O W L A N D S - L  -  28 April 2007 - Volume 09

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From: "Roger Thijs, Euro-Support, Inc." <roger.thijs at euro-support.be>
Subject: LL-L "Grammar" 2007.04.29 (01) [D/E]

*From: Frank < frank.verhoft at skynet.be>
Subject: Grammar
....;
Theo replied:
<<<Dativus.<<<
Ik ben (nog) niet geheel overtuigd, Theo :-).
Ik vind het heel bizar dat 'den' slechts voorkomt in Hollandse namen als Den
Haag en Den Bosh (etc.), exact volgens het Brabantse patroon. Op enkele
steenworpen van Den Haag ligt _De_ Lierde, _De_ Rotte etc. Waarom is er daar

dan geen 'dativus'?
Beste groetjes,
Frank Verhoft*
I'm wundering whether "den" is not rather euphonical originally, transformed
later into a case by grammaticians.

As old device for Flanders, I leaned in primary school "Vlaanderen *de*Leeuw".
The "lion" is mostly referred to as "Robert of Béthune", the later Count of
Flanders.

A magazine of the Flemish group in France "Cercle Michel De Swaen" is
entitled:
"La Flandre *au* Lion - Vlaanderen *den* Leeuw"
So they clearly use a dative contextually.

Actually the device is best known as coming from the book "De Leeuw van
Vlaanderen" by Hendrik Conscience, romantizing a battle between Flanders and
some counties in the North of France with the King of France in 1302.
"... klom het geroep: Vlaenderen *den* Leeuw! Wat walsch is valsch is!", p.
345 in the 2002 reedition of the first print of *1838* in original
"Commission" orthography.
Could be a dative.

Historically though in the *contemporary* chronicle by van Veltem (Spiegel
Historiael), the "lion of the battle" was in the coat of arms of de Renesse
(from Zeeland, cf http://www.renesseaanzee.nl/):

XXV 31ff Van Brabant sprac doe her Godevard:
Die ridder, die draecht den *lupart*
dats die gene, dat secgic die,
daer ic mi meest af ontsie.
Hets mijn her Jan van Rinesse.
In die wereldt en esser niet sesse
om gaens wijt ende breet
die bet van orloghe weet.
(Then Godfried of Brabant said: I'm most afraid of the knight with the lion
in his coat of arms. It's Sir Jan of Renesse. In the whole world one cannot
find six people, who know more than him on warring.)
(Brabant and Hainaut, as well as the Flemish town of Ghent, were fighting at
the French side)

XXVI 50ff
Een ridder daer te desen stride
mijn here Jan van Renesse
las den sinen oec een lesse:
dat si hem niet lieten dorbreken.
ende haer biechte souden spreken.
'Ende sijt nu niet vervart
bodelt al man ende pard
'Vlaendren *ende *leu!', es onse gecri

Since the nobility of King of France was clearly humiliated, the battle of
1302 was referred to in songs all over Europe. Here is one from England:

Alas thou seli Fraunce! for the may thunche shome
That ane fewe fullaris maketh ou so tome:
Sixti thousent on a day hue maden foot lome,
With eorl ant [with] knyht.

However it was a Pyrrhic Victory on that July 11th of1302. In 1305 Flanders
had to sign the desastrous treaty of Athis-sur-Orge, killing the Flemish
dream for independency.

Flanders had been assigned to France in 843 (Treaty of Verdun). It acquired
though some territory at the German side of the river Schelde (The land of
Aalst, and the "Vier Ambachten", the latter originally islands in the
river). In 1526 (Treaty of Madrid) Flanders got rid of its dependency from
the French crown and became part of Habsburgian Germany.

In the romantic 19th century the battle of 1302 was glorified in several
publications, including one in Belgian Dutch of the time by Hendrik
Conscience. It was a best-seller and many elements from that book were used
in the Flemish language battle (for getting Dutch recognized as official
language in Belgium). July 11th became an official holiday in Flanders.
Those romantic symbols are nowadays used in Northern France by people trying
to define a regional identity.

Flanders replaced its old arms (red blue yellow) by a black lion on gold
arounf the end of the 12th century. It may also have been present in some
form on the battlefield in 1302. (The count of Flanders, Gwij of Dampierre,
nor his son Robert of Bethune though, participated at the battle).

Regards,
Roger
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