Wednesday 11 April 2012

Putting Marlborough into perspective

From English language literature on the War of the Spanish Succession, written by Englishmen using English sources, one might get the impression that the Duke of Marlborough was the gift of the British islands to mankind, who defeated the French single-handed. The Dutch were merely a nuisance, an unwilling ally constantly avoiding combat and obstructing the Duke's ambitions and lust for glory.

Luckily, some historians are trying hard to counter this somewhat one-sided interpretation. Please see the excellent blog of of Jamel Ostwald where a new post stresses the importance of reading between the lines.

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