One for the historians

[anteros_lmc]

This came to me via work and, although it's only peripherally related to age of sail, it does cover the right period and it's far too interesting not to share. Allow me to present the VirtualDutch timeline of Anglo-Dutch relations: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dutch/OER/timeline/

...an interactive multimedia timeline on Anglo-Dutch relations from antiquity to 1830, created using MIT’s Simile technology on the basis of the 300-page manuscript The Stranger’s case : a timeline of Cross-Channel Interactions by Jaap Harskamp, curator of the Dutch and Flemish collections at the British Library, in which he has compiled and annotated a comprehensive list of over 800 events relating to Anglo-Dutch relations throughout the centuries, drawing on a huge variety of sources. Dr Harskamp has donated this manuscript to UCL for this purpose.

The timeline does include a few maritime events and naval engagements but it's full of all sorts of generally fascinating historical detail. I particularly liked the following entry for 1793:

First description of Britain as treacherous
The French poet Augustin Louis de Ximenes (1726-1817) coins the phrase 'la perfide Albion' (perfidious Albion = treacherous Britain). The notion was popularised in1813 when it was used as a recruiting slogan for the Napoleonic wars in reference to Britain's 'treacherous' foreign policy. During and after the period of the Boer Wars the phrase was adopted in the Netherlands and used in anti-English writing and propaganda.

PS I've f-locked this post as it would make me a leetle bit too identifiable IRL. Having said that, this is a freely available academic resource so feel free to disseminate it accordingly.

PPS How much fun would it be to do a similar timeline for CSF? ;)

Comments

[esmerelda-t.livejournal.com]

la perfide Albion

That'd be a great name for a band...

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Good intit? Have you had a look at the timeline? There's some fascinating stuff in it including the invention of oxtail soup and the first use of "frog" as an insult for the Dutch There's also a fascinating entry on the first raids on molly houses in London and Antwerp which I'll post later.

Telling you, this _completely_ derailed my work this afternoon!

[esmerelda-t.livejournal.com]

Not yet, we've just got shot of father's alsatian, who mother was watching for the evening for him (it's like the custody arrangements they had for me 20 years ago...)but I shall try to have a look at some point! Sounds like a great fic fact resource.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

it's like the custody arrangements they had for me 20 years ago...
Hope you didn't chew the furniture and pee on the floor? ;)

Sounds like a great fic fact resource
Definitely. I shall be working oxtail soup and frogs into my next fic.

[esmerelda-t.livejournal.com]

I've just been in to the bathroom to discover he's slashed the toilet paper to ribbons because no one was paying enough attention to him.

I might have done that. :P

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I might have done that. :P
Are you not a little old for shredding toilet roll if you don't get enough attention??

[esmerelda-t.livejournal.com]

While Floyd was the culprit this time, I might take a leaf out of his book if I'm feeling especially ignored in the future.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Eeek! Well in that case I shall make sure I always comment on your fic so as not to come home to find my toilet paper shredded :P