1417: Het begin van zeshonderd jaar Republiek der Letteren

Abstract

This chapter gives an accessible introduction to the Republic of Letters, arguing that the Netherlands played a crucial role in this transnational success story. This story fallen victim to historiographies that focus on Dutch political borders and Dutch language culture; the learned culture of the United Provinces was multilingual (Latin and French before Dutch) and international (half of the professors being French or German), with intense epistolary traffic with England and Scotland. Moreover, the 'modern' Republiek der Letteren is seen as a the literary incrowd of Dutch novels and poetry, whereas the early modern Republic of Letters was learned, scientific and scholarly.