23 Facts About Pieter Geyl

Pieter Catharinus Arie Geyl was a Dutch historian, well known for his studies in early modern Dutch history and in historiography.

Pieter Geyl's thesis was on Christofforo Suriano, the Venetian Ambassador in the Netherlands from 1616 to 1623.

Pieter Geyl was married twice, first to Maria Cornelia van Slooten in 1911 and secondly to Garberlina Kremer in 1934.

Pieter Geyl worked as a teacher at Stedelijk Gymnasium Schiedam in Schiedam before going on to serve as the London correspondent for Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant newspaper.

In 1919 Pieter Geyl took up a professorship in Dutch history at the University of London, where he taught until 1935.

In 1935, Pieter Geyl returned home to become a professor at the University of Utrecht.

In 1928 Pieter Geyl became correspondent of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences; he resigned in 1936.

In 1940, Pieter Geyl wrote an article on how historians view Napoleon.

In September 1940, Pieter Geyl used his article for the basis of series of lectures at the Rotterdam School of Economics.

In 1945 Pieter Geyl became the chair of history at the University of Utrecht.

Pieter Geyl was a critic of the Sonderweg interpretation of German history that argued that Nazi Germany was the inevitable result of the way German history developed.

In particular, Pieter Geyl defended the German historian Leopold von Ranke against the charge of being a proto-Nazi.

Pieter Geyl often debated Toynbee both on the radio and in print.

Pieter Geyl accused Toynbee of selective use of evidence to support pre-conceived notions and of ignoring evidence that did not support his thesis.

Finally, Pieter Geyl was opposed to Toynbee's apparent claim that Western civilisation was in terminal decline.

Pieter Geyl was noted for challenging the then-popular theory that the historical separation of the Dutch and the Flemings was a result of "natural" causes.

Pieter Geyl claimed that there was a "Greater Netherlands" history and that the Dutch and Flemings separated only during the Eighty Years' War against Spain in the 16th century.

Pieter Geyl argued that the revolt failed in the south not because of political, cultural or religious differences, but only because the geography in the north with its lakes, bogs and rivers favoured the rebels and the geography in the south with its flat plains favoured the Spanish Army.

Pieter Geyl expressed his ideas in a series of articles and in his main work, De Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse Stam.

Pieter Geyl was noted for arguing that the House of Orange and the Dutch people were often in conflict, especially during the 18th century.

Pieter Geyl accused William IV of Orange of using the uprising of the Doelisten against the ruling elite to seize power for himself in 1748.

Pieter Geyl used his book to advance his view that all historians are influenced by the present when writing history and thus all historical writing is transitory.

Pieter Geyl felt that history was a progress of "argument without end", but did not feel that this meant that an "anything goes" interpretation of history was acceptable.