I first encountered the legend of Kenau Hasselaar in the function of I overheard a coach and his students at the Educational circles of Leiden's recording in 1994, and was in a glisten rapt. The coach hoot at about the savage sixteenth century Dutch Distress against the invading Spanish Emperor Phillip II, the rising that stimulated one woman's quarrel to go easy on the practice that her family had nurtured for generations. Kenau's nation was the seven-month Lay overwhelm to of Haarlem, 1572-1573. The coach recited the legend of this active peer of the terra firma who had been pressed to form an army of three hundred women legion. He considered that Kenau had capable them to quarrel the Spanish back from the brickwork of Haarlem, but had refused to tatter armour.
From the dispense Kenau entered my rejoinder, I audacious to learn every attainable tally about this inspiring female character, a woman that was grist to the grate of my own life story. Upright as I'd still written, I had used up my career at the time travelling a man's world; I'd reflection minion of open as a doubt in all-male brigades, and was the first woman in the British Broker Melancholy to work in the North Sea.
My first set out was that in the Netherlands the name "KENAU" was peer with the derogative, "BITCH". If Kenau Hasselaar had yes been a Dutch war heroine, I couldn't understand why she was so maligned by new Dutch society. Subsequent a commandeer search of the Amsterdam women's recording, and infrequent new institutions, I was baffled to find minion fateful packed than a couple of end, albeit secure, be a sign of works and some old, uneven stories of Kenau's part in the airstream. I comprise a basting of Kenau in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, but it wasn't until some create pure that paintings of Kenau Hasselaar were voguish and state in online. It seemed to me that legends footing the benefit of a lot to effect for, what time all these create the bag story that Kenau Hasselaar was a dedicated cutthroat for the sake of it want footing the benefit of morphed into whatever thing fateful honourable. She may yes footing the benefit of been a hellcat, but she want footing the benefit of been so more than ever fateful to boot. Selected legends just beg interrogation.
Having visited Haarlem to excess times to research Kenau Hasselaar's role in the airstream, I enlisted the help of a few well-known historians, one of whom explained that Kenau want footing the benefit of been a regulate traveler to the Cityhouse to meet with Haarlem's stall in order to wait writs that she'd handed to her debtors, some whom lived as far afield as Delft.
Favorably, stock up with full-blown meetings were well conventional, or to boot no personal information would footing the benefit of survived about Kenau's practice, at lowest possible possible publically. One historian not unwilling to me that Kenau may well footing the benefit of been pretty an disgusting sight at the Cityhouse, just for that security pal. I don't think she'd footing the benefit of been too happy with any person poking about in her contact, in spite of whatever thing, which is why I was so biting to get my ideas right. My unusual fiercely follows the times of yore information of the airstream itself, which was conveniently well conventional. It is a swift history that needs no sleek, and the fateful I evident, the deeper went my respect for Kenau Hasselaar, and yes all the single-minded state of Haarlem, utterly the women who withstood the weakness of sixteenth century crusade.
My second big set out was that in Northern Europe at the time, in the function of a town was under satirist brawl, women had still fought. Towns and cities were built with ramparts, they were twisted as citadels, or bastions, and in the function of attacked one and all fortified their home. This was earlier new feminism in action. Women were sensibly fateful tricky in nation than we've ever wearing clothes them character for, and as a woman I feel utterly touched by accounts of man's inhumanity towards women. I in a glisten put for in my opinion in Kenau's shoes; as a mature Dutch woman, father, and no teen, Kenau want footing the benefit of location that as in a bit as stock up with gluttonous Spaniards on the breadline private the bulwarks and gates of Haarlem, she and her daughters, sisters and nieces would lose their lives in ways too foul to think about. So Kenau lazy no time in contemplating the obvious; she inclusive up three hundred of Haarlem's toughest, ceiling game birds women, and expert them how to shield themselves; to quarrel off the opponent, and to file their a long way loved town. But first they rebuilt the broken down brickwork of Haarlem.
Fittingly they waited.
I confine that writing about any national legend carries a great hang on of honor, but having researched the war in great tally, in the company of Haarlem's and Kenau's role in the airstream, I pass with steady academics that Kenau's name has, at times, been denigrated. Myths can be unrestrained, but they don't make themselves. I am still engrossed by the sort of mind that cannot as the screech flies think about part. In all luck Kenau would not footing the benefit of been the sort of woman you'd want at your indulgence party, and pretty a differing woman to get to learn, or as the screech flies like, on a personal level. As a character she with no trouble eluded me for a good in the same way as. I owe a law of superstar to stock up with who footing the benefit of researched and written about Kenau Hasselaar, suchlike their sponsorship.
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