Arie Theodorus van Deursen (23 June 1931 – 21 November 2011) was a Dutch historian whose focus was the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

. He was Professor Emeritus of History at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. He was a specialist in Dutch history of the 16th and 17th century.

Career

Arie van Deursen was born at

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

. He was a prolific author with a refined style. He has written several books about daily life in the

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...

, religious controversies in the 16th and 17th century (

Jacobus Arminius Jacobus Arminius (; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Jakob Hermanszoon'' ; 10 October 1560 – 19 October 1609) was a Dutch Reformed Christianity, Reformed minister and Christian theology, theologian during the Protestant Reformation period whose views ...

versus Franciscus Gomarus) and the political situation of that period; he wrote biographies of

William the Silent William the Silent or William the Taciturn (; 24 April 153310 July 1584), more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange (), was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburg Netherlands, Habsburgs that set off the ...

and

Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange Maurice of Orange (; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Lordship of Frisia, Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death on 23 April 1625. Before he became P ...

, a history of the Vrije Universiteit, a history of the Netherlands (1555–1702), a biography of

Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch States Navy officer. His achievements with the Dutch navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars earned him the reputation as one of the most skilled naval commanders in ...

and several volumes of collected essays. As an orthodox Protestant Christian, Van Deursen was heavily involved in polemics about the history of

secularization In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

and its consequences. In his Huizinga Lecture, ''Huizinga en de geest der eeuw'' (Huizinga and the spirit of the age) Van Deursen compared the critical evaluation of the secularization by Isaäc da Costa and

Johan Huizinga Johan Huizinga (; 7 December 1872 – 1 February 1945) was a Dutch historian and one of the founders of modern cultural history. Life Born in Groningen as the son of Dirk Huizinga, a professor of physiology, and Jacoba Tonkens, who died two ...

. Van Deursen died in

Oegstgeest Oegstgeest () is a town and municipality in the province of South Holland in the western Netherlands. Its population was in . Etymology The portion ''geest'' in the name refers to the Geest, geest lands, which were excavated in the seventeent ...

on 21 November 2011, aged 80. He was member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. In addition to various advisory a ...

Books (Dutch)

* ''Professions et métiers interdits: Un aspect de l'histoire de la révocation de l'Édit de Nantes'', Groningen: Wolters, 1960 (doctoral thesis) * ''Honni soit qui mal y pense? De Republiek tussen de mogendheden (1610–1612)'', Amsterdam: Noord-Hollandsche Uitgevers Maatschappij, 1965 * ''Bavianen en slijkgeuzen: Kerk en kerkvolk ten tijde van Maurits en Oldenbarnevelt'', Assen: Van Gorcum, 1974 ()Online edition DBNL
''Bavianen en slijkgeuzen: Kerk en kerkvolk ten tijde van Maurits en Oldenbarnevelt.''
/ref> * ''Mensen van klein vermogen: Het kopergeld van de Gouden Eeuw'', Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 1991 (). Translated into English: ''Plain lives in the Golden Age. Popular culture, religion and society in seventeenth-century Holland.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. ** ''Volume 1, Het dagelijks brood'' ** ''Volume 2, Volkscultuur'' ** ''Volume 3, Volk en overheid'' ** ''Volume 4, Hel en hemel'' * ''Een dorp in de polder: Graft in de zeventiende eeuw'', Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 1994 * ''Willem van Oranje: een biografisch portret'', Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 1995 * ''De Bataafse revolutie (1795–1995)'', Apeldoorn: Willem de Zwijgerstichting, 1995 * ''Geleefd geloven: geschiedenis van de protestantse vroomheid in Nederland'' (coauthor: G.J. Schutte), Assen: Van Gorcum, 1996 * ''Maurits van Nassau, 1567-1625: de winnaar die faalde'', Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 2000 * ''Rust niet voordat gy ze van buiten kunt: de Tien Geboden in de 17e eeuw'', Kampen: De Groot Goudriaan, 2004 * ''De last van veel geluk: De geschiedenis van Nederland 1555-1702'', Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 2004 () * ''Een hoeksteen in het verzuilde bestel: De Vrije Universiteit 1880-2005'', Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 2005 () * ''De admiraal: De wereld van Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter'', Franeker: Van Wijnen, 2007 () * ''In Katwijk is alles anders. Een christelijk dorp ontmoet de wereld, 1940-2005''. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Bert Bakker, 2011.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deursen, Arie van 1931 births 2011 deaths Dutch Calvinist and Reformed Christians Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Academic staff of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam People from Groningen (city) 20th-century Dutch historians 20th-century Dutch male writers 21st-century Dutch historians 21st-century Dutch male writers