Articles by Mark Edward Hay
BMGN - Low Countries Historical Review , 2018
On 15 March 1813, Tsar Alexander I, in pursuit of the retreating Grande Armée, passed through the... more On 15 March 1813, Tsar Alexander I, in pursuit of the retreating Grande Armée, passed through the Prussian city of Breslau. The Prince of Orange, William VI, who was residing in exile on his private estates nearby, seized the opportunity to meet the Tsar to request his assistance in retaking the Netherlands for the House of Orange. The Tsar was quick to pledge his support, and he accepted Orange into the anti-Napoleonic coalition that would defeat Napoleon in 1814. This anecdote raises several questions about the return of the House of Orange to the Netherlands. How could a stateless, destitute, and exiled dynasty convince the Tsar to support its plans for a return to the Netherlands? Why did the other great powers follow suit? And why was the Prince of Orange in London at the outbreak of the uprising in the Netherlands in 1813, rather than with the allied armies in Central Europe? The aim of this article is to explore how the House of Orange navigated the tumultuous diplomatic environment in March through November 1813 to re-establish itself as the ruling dynasty of the Netherlands.
The historical agency of the small- and medium-sized historical actors, the so-called Lesser Powe... more The historical agency of the small- and medium-sized historical actors, the so-called Lesser Powers, remains much neglected in the historiography of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic period. The reason for this is that hitherto historians have failed to develop a historical perspective that does justice to the particularities of Lesser Power agency. This article explores the historical agency of two Lesser Powers, Nassau and the Netherlands, in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era, though with a particular emphasis on the era of the reconstruction of the post-Napoleonic international order, the years 1812-15. By viewing the agency of these historical actors through the prism of the dynastic network of the House of Nassau, rather than
through the prism of its component parts, the Walramian Nassaus of Weilburg, Usingen and Saarbrücken and the Ottonian Nassaus, commonly referred to as the House of Orange-Nassau, the ruling dynasty of the Dutch Republic, this article offers a new approach to researching Lesser Power strategies of international conflict resolution, thereby hopefully contributing to the creation of a much-needed historical narrative of Lesser Powers.
Despite that the bicentenary commemoration of the historical events of 1812-1815 has shifted hist... more Despite that the bicentenary commemoration of the historical events of 1812-1815 has shifted historical attention onto the Napoleonic era, the understanding of this period of Dutch history has evolved only little. The perception remains that the Dutch and the House of Orange did little to shake off the French yoke or to take their destiny into their own hands. This article challenges this perception. Through drawing on its patronage network and its political and dynastic ties I contend that Orange established itself as a rallying point for Dutchmen. This pivotal position in Dutch affairs allowed Orange to raise a military force, with which it participated in the liberation of the Netherlands, and it got Orange accepted into the Sixth Coalition. And as a member of the coalition that overthrew Napoleon, Orange, and by extension the Netherlands, could claim it postion amongst the victors of the Napoleonic Wars, rather than being considered conquered territory.
Book Chapters by Mark Edward Hay
War, Demobilization and Memory: The Legacy of War in the Era of Atlantic Revolutions, 2016
Arnhem 1813. Bezetting en bestorming., Oct 2013
Digital Publications by Mark Edward Hay
Talks by Mark Edward Hay
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Articles by Mark Edward Hay
through the prism of its component parts, the Walramian Nassaus of Weilburg, Usingen and Saarbrücken and the Ottonian Nassaus, commonly referred to as the House of Orange-Nassau, the ruling dynasty of the Dutch Republic, this article offers a new approach to researching Lesser Power strategies of international conflict resolution, thereby hopefully contributing to the creation of a much-needed historical narrative of Lesser Powers.
Book Chapters by Mark Edward Hay
Digital Publications by Mark Edward Hay
Talks by Mark Edward Hay
through the prism of its component parts, the Walramian Nassaus of Weilburg, Usingen and Saarbrücken and the Ottonian Nassaus, commonly referred to as the House of Orange-Nassau, the ruling dynasty of the Dutch Republic, this article offers a new approach to researching Lesser Power strategies of international conflict resolution, thereby hopefully contributing to the creation of a much-needed historical narrative of Lesser Powers.