Indeed, the big problem of the republic was that it was basically a state based on medieval insitutions. There had been some attempts to reform the state in the 18th century but the patricians of the individual states and cities blocked.
Printable View
Nope.
The Lowlands, Netherlands or Seventeen Provinces were declared one and indivisible under the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549.
Charles, par la divine clémence Empereur de Romains toujours auguste, Roy de Germanie, de Castille, de Léon, de Grenade, d'Aragon etc. Sçavoir faisons à tous présents et advenir, que comme nous ayons tousjours soigneusement et curieusement veillé à tout ce que a concerné le bien, repos et tranquillité de nos Pays de pardeçà, et pourveu non seulement à ce que nous sembloit nécessaire pour le présent, mais aussi aux choses à l'advenir, afin que nosdits Pays fussent tant mieux régis, gouvernez et conservez en leur entier, et estant nostre intention de tousjours faire le mesme envers iceux avec touts convenables moyens qui se pourront offrir, nous avons considéré qu'il importoit grandement à nosdits Pays pour l'entière seureté et establissement d'iceux, que pour l'advenir ils demeurassent tousjours soubs un mesme Prince, pour les tenir en une masse, bien connoissant que, venans à tomber en diverses mains par droict de succession héréditaire, ce seroit l'évidante éversion et ruine d'iceux.
They even had their own flag:
https://img198.imageshack.us/img198/...provincien.gif
Only 99 years later did part of the Netherlands become a republic, known as the Republic of the Seven United Provinces.
Of course if want to maintain that our country became a country only when it became a country in your book, I will gracefully bow to your Cartesian logic.
:bow:
I see that underneath your name it says: 'Fearful Jesuit'.
The Dutch Catholics were emancipated by the Revolutionaries. For such, amongst others, was the 'tyranny' the French armies brought: freedom of religion.
The worth of the nationalist-protestant-monarchist variant of Dutch history, I shall decide with my bummy-bum, in a moment when I visit the toilette.
We are going of on all sorts of tangents in this thread. Your thoughts about the nature of power are not more off-topic than Cromwell, Napoleon or republicanism.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swordsmaster
By all means debate your preference for monarchs if you feel like it. Where's the fun if we don't disagree with one another? :beam:
I feel the need to point out that the Dutch Republic was composed of a number feudal lordships, not constitutional Republics. The Dutch Republic was also an oppressive theocracy.
I can see why the Dutch might think a Constitutional Monarchy a good idea.
Oh, I've just realised something. I think most surviving Constitutional Monarchies are Protestant, while there are lots of predominantly Catholic Republics.
Louis, I love you in a manly, backroomish sort of way. There is no time like the wee small hours to confess to such sentiments and I will probably regret this tomorrow, but you are the best thing to happen to this forum since TosaInu set it up. Furthermore, I promise to never, ever agree with you on anything. Now, back to your ramblings about statecraft.
:bow:Eh? The Dutch Republic was a republic of lords, is that what you're suggesting?Psst, don't tell Louis..Quote:
Originally Posted by Philipvs Vallindervs Calicvla
Bow? We shall have to disagree to disagree then, for I shall argue it a bit longer.
The Pragmatic Sanction was a personal union under Charles V. In 1581, the Northern Netherlands declared themselves absolved from this union in the Acte de la Haye. (Act of The Hague). This was a declaration of indepence. What's more, the creation of something new. The continuity of the Spanish Netherlands was with the Southern Netherlands.
By the way - this explains the difference in identity between the Netherlands and Belgium. The Netherlands have a strong national identity, being an old country, of their own making.
Belgium by contrast was what was left of the Burgundian lands. A rump state. Lacking a clear national identity.
(And when Belgium at last became a clear entity of it's own, it was a Walloon state. To this day, the goal of Wallonia is Belgium, that of Flanders is Flanders)
Ah well. I've pretty much exhausted the subject too.
~~-~~-~~-~~<<oOo>>~~-~~-~~-~~
Too late! :beam:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Louis
~~-~~-~~-~~<<oOo>>~~-~~-~~-~~
'Louis, I love you in a manly, backroomish sort of way. Furthermore, I promise to never, ever agree with you on anything'.
I love you too and so I promise to never admit you are right about anything. Dearest, I knew that deep down you like it ruff, just as much as I do, but were simply scared to admit it.
~~-~~-~~-~~<<oOo>>~~-~~-~~-~~
I can only think of Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.Quote:
Originally Posted by Philipus
Catholics breed like rabbits though. Soon we'll take over Canada, the UK and the Netherlands. :knight:
And I fully support this stance. Reading your arguments is a pleasure. Like an intellectual orgasm. :beam:
This was okay.
This one a bit on the gay side, Louis.
One of the social graces I lack, is the means to accept a compliment. :embarassed:
Or gifts too. I am pathetic at receiving compliments or giving them. I know I like to receive one, but am then ungracious about it and avoid the subject with a diversion.
Worse is that I always forget to give compliments. There are dozens of posters here whom I really like and many whom I adore. Yet I hardly ever say so, for which I've actually felt bad before.
You, Sarmatian, and I've long meant to tell you this, are not one of these poste...darn, nearly fell for the crap joke as a diversion again.
*scrapes throat*:
I like you in general and in particular I laughed out loud at your 'making a list of you people for the coming communist revolution' in the 'what's your class' thread, where I was too ungracious to say so. :2thumbsup:
And so we all love each other at the end of this thread. A singular feat, gentlemen. In the words of that unrivalled poet of all mankindMolièreShakespeare: 'All's well that ends well.'
:mellow:
Euro's.
Such Liars.
:laugh4:
Blimey, we've been sussed lads. :laugh4:
LOL. And let me beat Frenchie to the punch:
"Yanks.
So Naïve."
Not read any of this thread...Not even the OP, but really...What on earth possessed the royal family to call their first born son Charles? Like the last two Kings by that name had a really good time of it & brought luck, peace & prosperity to the kingdom. Cival war, Plague, London burnt down, & lets not forget the institution of a dictator that's made the Irish hate us for centuries due to his bloody barbarism. I feel that hand of the Duke in this matter.
George VI was known as prince Albert before he became king. Charles will probably reign as George VII.
should have known that one wouldn't go unnoticed. It can also be considered simply disrespectful in its familiarity, course siree is pretty much the same thing...But saying "yes siree" isn't beyond the pale :embarassed:
How dare you come in here and write an on-topic post! :furious3:
No, thanks for that of course.
The Richard Dimbleby Lecture, titled “Facing the Future” as delivered by Tampax Man:
Okay, so like a Christmas speech, it is entirely gratuitous. Every stoned 15 year old can give a grand oration on everything that is wrong with our greedy capitalist system.Quote:
So, Ladies and Gentlemen, we may well be told that we live in a “post-Modernist” age, but we are still conditioned by Modernism’s central tenets. Our outlook is dominated by mechanistic thinking which has led to our disconnection from the complexity of Nature, which is, or should be, equally reflected in the complexity of human communities. But in many ways we have also succeeded in abstracting our very humanity to the mere expression of individualism and moral relativism, and to the point where so many communities are threatened with extinction. Facing the future, therefore, requires a shift from a reductive, mechanistic approach to one that is more balanced and integrated with Nature’s complexity – one that recognizes not just the build up of financial capital, but the equal importance of what we already have – environmental capital and, crucially, what I might best call “community capital.” That is, the networks of people and organizations, the post offices and pubs, the churches and village halls, the mosques, temples and bazaars – the wealth that holds our communities together; that enriches people’s lives through mutual support, love, loyalty and identity. Just as we have no way of accounting for the loss of the natural world, contemporary economics has no way of accounting for the loss of this community capital.
[...]
It seems to me a self-evident truth that we cannot have any form of capitalism without capital. But we must remember that the ultimate source of all economic capital is Nature’s capital. The true wealth of all nations comes from clean rivers, healthy soil and, most importantly of all, a rich biodiversity of life. Our ability to adapt to the effects of climate change, and then perhaps even to reduce those effects, depends upon us adapting our pursuit of “unlimited” economic growth to that of “sustainable” economic growth. And that depends upon basing our approach on the fundamental resilience of our ecosystems. Ecosystem resilience leads to economic resilience. If we carry on destroying our marine and forest ecosystems as we are doing, then we will rob them of their natural resilience and so end up destroying our own.
That is why it seems to me of such profound importance that we understand that we are not what we think we are. We are not the masters of creation. No matter how sophisticated our technology has become, the simple fact is that we are not separate from Nature – like everything else, we are Nature.
The more you understand this fact the more you see how our mechanistic way of thinking causes such confusion.
Even so, there's a glimmering of intelligence and an independent mind. Or maybe I just think so because I agree with Charles. Community, urban and natural capital are where it's add.
Especially for Furunculus :wink3: :
Quote:
We also know that global warming
We also need, dare I say it, new forms of international collaboration