The Roman Emperor Constantine was a key figure in antiquity. His conversion to Christianity at the beginning of the 4e century led to a transformation of the Roman Empire. Without Constantine, Christianity may never have gained such a strong hold on the West. Yet this does not mean that his emperors
Municipal elections will be held again on March 19. Research agency TNS-Nipo has calculated that less than half (42 percent) of eligible voters intend to vote. The willingness to vote for local politics has been declining for years. Arent we getting tired of all that deliberating and co-deciding? W
They suddenly appeared in the thirteenth century:portolan charts, stunningly accurate nautical charts with coastlines almost as detailed as those on modern charts. They were made using techniques that were not known at all at the time, says Roel Nicolai in his dissertation. The medieval people must
According to some, it must have been a nice life:a bit of canoeing and roasting fresh fish and meat over a fire. This is what life must have been like for the first inhabitants of the Dutch coastal area, about 9,000 years ago, when the North Sea plain filled with water again after the last ice age.
Nearly 450 objects:fortresses, redoubts, fortified towns, line dikes and canals in an area of about 80 × 40 kilometers on either side of the Belgian-Dutch border between Knokke and Antwerp – these are the State-Spanish Lines. A military raid in 1583 is the first step; some elements still play a ro
After the First World War, Germany was prohibited from developing or using biological weapons. Although Hitler supported this ban, Nazi scientists secretly conducted research into insects that could be used as biological weapons. Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, set up an entomological institu
Thanks to, among other things, faster suits, the clap skate and the professionalization of speed skating, a world record has been skated at an Olympic distance no fewer than 369 times since 1950. Skating sponsor advised.nl shows in an infographic how this went.
In the late Middle Ages, quite a few mythological stories about the Trojan War circulated in the Netherlands. They have long been dismissed by historians as bizarre historical excesses and often ignored. Neerlandica Wilma Keesman (UvA) researched these Troy sagas in the Netherlands. She discovered w
How and why do people sometimes mass murder others because they belong to a different race, creed or people? Historians and sociologists often say that it is mainly the circumstances that determine everything. Forced by the situation, you and I can also be a camp executioner. ’ One of the great clic
In the fourteenth century, Europe was ravaged by epidemics. Mihai Netea, researcher at Radboud UMC, discovered that this has left its mark in the DNA. Certain immune genes in Europeans and Roma gypsies have changed under the influence of the epidemics. But in people from Northwest India, where the R
75 years ago, on September 1, 1939, the German Wehrmacht . fell Poland in. It was the start of the Second World War. Shortly before that, Hitler and Stalin had agreed to conquer and destroy Poland together. In September 1939, Poland would be crushed and beheaded. The episode was a gruesome start to
Russia is the largest state on the European continent but has been systematically excluded from the dominant European security institutions of the EU and NATO. This will inevitably lead to post-Cold War conflicts, says Glenn Diesen in his dissertation that he will defend at the Free University on 3
Archaeologist Louwrens Hacquebord has spent the past two weeks traveling with a super-fast Royal Navy patrol vessel to the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen. Here he discovered new traces of Dutch whalers from the seventeenth century. Having just returned to Den Helder, he talks to Kennislink about his
The Neanderthals have survived a lot shorter than we thought:they died out about 40,000 years ago. The Homo sapiens however, also appeared on the scene earlier, meaning the two have lived side by side in Europe for thousands of years. This is apparent from a new dating method. The Neanderthals live
Historian Piet de Rooy disputes in his book Our dot on the world map the generally accepted statement that our country has developed in a calm, peaceful and tolerant manner. He argues that the Dutch political culture has been shaped by conflicts and coincidences, and that the only reason our country
Our cultural heritage is in the spotlight. Not only do scientists do a lot of research on it; everyone has an opinion about it. The discussion around Zwarte Piet is a good example of this. A real Dutch tradition that should not be offended, or is it? Zwarte Piet has changed its appearance before and
Did the Tower of Babel really exist? And did building it cause confusion? Salomon Kroonenberg goes in search of the origin of human multilingualism, using the Biblical story as a guideline. From scratch, and without knowing how his exploration would end. Kroonenbergs amazement cannot help but stimul
The autumn conference that the Royal Netherlands Historical Society will hold on November 28 should be the prelude to a reflection process that will culminate in a professional code of conduct for Dutch historians in 2017. Why is such a code necessary and is that a good idea? What do we consider a
Hidden beneath a mysterious manuscript from Mexico is a cartoon that may reveal a wealth of insights into the lost, pre-colonial culture of Central America. How do you make that visible, if the five-hundred-year-old document already falls apart when you point at it? When the Spanish conquerors wipe
When the enemy becomes your father…, the title of a lecture about the concealed descendants of Dutch soldiers in the Indies. Annegriet Wietsma gave this moving lecture in the context of the Month of History with the theme Friend &Enemy. Kennislink then put her to the test to close the Month in style
Beginning of the ecclesiastical career Born in Rome in the middle of the Middle Ages, around the year 816 , from father Leone and unknown mother, Formoso he immediately undertook a training closely linked to the ecclesiastical world in the place where he was born and lived throughout his life.
Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna was a great poet. It is a well-known fact, as well as the fact that for almost nine years she was Józef Piłsudskis secretary. However, hardly anyone has heard that at some point the writer became - as we would say today - the Marshals manager. Lets add a very effective manag
In the late nineteenth century, male domestic service was rare. But not every woman would be a suitable servant either. What was taken into account? And was it worth the effort? This is a definitely female profession. Many positions available, a young, dynamic team. The guild of servants includes
The issues of maintaining racial purity and building an ideal society are most often associated with Nazi rule, German concentration camps and the Holocaust. Few people realize, however, that the basics of the so-called Race theory was formulated in the United States of America. When Dr. Mengele