[verboden geschrift] - Johan van Oldenbarnevelt - Gulden...

Gulden Legende van den Nieuwen St. Jan, that is: concise account of the nobility, virtues and deeds of Master Jan van Barnevelt, former advocate of Holland and West Friesland - 36 pages - 20 x 15.5 cm This exceptionally explosive treatise from 1618 is one of the most famous and fiercest pieces of political satire in Dutch history. It was aimed directly at destroying the reputation of the land’s advocate Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. • The Satirical Form (The “Nieuwe St. Jan”): The title is a direct, mocking parody of the Legenda Aurea (the Golden Legend), a famous medieval book full of pious lives of saints. By portraying Oldenbarnevelt as a "saint" (Saint John), the author coats his so-called “nobility and virtues” with a thick layer of sarcasm. Instead of piety, his political ambitions and enormous influence are depicted as a great danger to the country. • The Political Charge: The pamphlet is written from a fierce anti-Remonstrant and pro-Orange stance. It appeared in the summer of 1618, precisely at the boiling point of the fierce political and religious struggle in the Republic. The author rakes Oldenbarnevelt’s entire political record over the coals: his role in concluding the Twelve Years’ Truce with the arch-enemy Spain, his active support of the Remonstrants, and his escalating conflict with Prince Maurice. • The Target Audience: The text explicitly states that it is written for a “clear and good report from a deceitful, especially bad Mennonite, and devout Catholic.” With this, the author tried to reach specifically the groups outside the ruling Calvinist church (such as Mennonites and Catholics) to warn them about and mobilize them against the power of the land’s advocate. The pamphlet features the telling and then-popular political couplet: "It is an irredeemable burden That the servant washes above his master" This was a direct snub at Oldenbarnevelt’s position. As land’s advocate he was in theory merely a civil servant (the 'servant') in the service of the provinces. In practice, however, he had attracted so much power that he acted as if he were the boss ('master') over the States and over Stadtholder Maurice. The pamphlet appeared just before Oldenbarnevelt’s arrest in August 1618. Although Oldenbarnevelt had already been sidelined, the authorities found the pamphlet so incendiary and dangerous to public order that the States of Holland decided on November 6, 1618 that the text must be taken out of circulation immediately. This official ban underscores how deep the political crisis ran; the pamphlet was seen as a dangerous propaganda weapon in a country teetering on the brink of civil war. A few months later, in May 1619, Oldenbarnevelt would indeed be beheaded for high treason. condition: fair old moisture stains, worn top edge, woodworm, rust spots, complete

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