Religious conflict from a different era
St. Francis History Prof Examines 17th Century British/Dutch Dispute
St. Francis College history Professor Eric Platt goes back to the 1600s to examine a major dispute on religion and political power in his new book, “Britain and the Bestandstwisten: The Causes, Course and Consequences of British Involvement in the Dutch Religious and Political Disputes of the Early Seventeenth Century” (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht).
The book focuses on British involvement in a serious conflict that arose in the Dutch Republic during the 1610s over differing views on religious doctrine, church-state relations and the very nature of the Dutch state (the Bestandstwisten). King James I and other major British political and religious figures, fearing the conflict would spread to Great Britain, became closely involved and had a significant effect on its ultimate outcome.
Both sides in the Dutch disputes also greatly relied on British sources when writing pamphlets to gain the support of the general population. The conflict ultimately had a major impact on Great Britain as well. Similar political and religious debates, with a clear connection to the earlier Dutch disputes, were a major cause of the English Civil War of the 1640s. Dr. Platt’s work is the first published full-length treatment of British involvement in the conflict.