Revisiting the Golden Age and its heroes. A historical comparative research into the changes in the public representation of the Dutch Golden Age and its Heroes: Michiel de Ruyter and Jan Pieterszoon Coen

Abstract

In recent years the public representation of the Dutch Golden Age has been under revision. The current debate about the legacy and celebration of the Golden Age arises from a growing desire for an inclusive history of the Netherlands. The increasing resistance to the glorification of the Golden Age and its heroes has led to a revised public representation of this period. This thesis answers the question how the public representation of the Golden Age, and specifically its heroes, have changed over time. The goal of this research is to further explore the relations of shared memory and Dutch nationalism in connection to the Golden Age, with the focus on the changes in the heroic status of two Golden Age heroes. By combining theories of nationalism, shared memory and post-colonialism as well as the use of methods in conceptual history and comparative history, three main conclusions were drawn: (1) The Golden Age term was used more often between 1945 and 1995, and almost always expressed a positive or glorifying sentiment. (2) The comparison shows that Michiel de Ruyter’s (1607-1676) heroic status increased with the influence of post-colonialism for his position on multiculturalism and anti-slavery. However, Jan Pieterszoon Coen’s (1587-1629) heroic status has been partly tarnished because he was framed as a symbol of colonialism and mass murder. (3) The decreasing heroic status of Coen did not seem to affect the public representation of the Golden Age as an entity. Partially because his violent actions were seen as extraordinary and were exclusively ascribed to him and not to the zeitgeist of the Golden Age. Many thus dissociated themselves from Coen’s unnecessary violence but honoured the memory of the Golden Age. Keywords: Golden Age – Nationalism – Heroification – Shared memory – Michiel de Ruyter – JP Coen.