Commemorative poems and other pamphlets on the politics of the Grand Pensionary Gasper Fagel (1672–1688)

Abstract

In the 1740s François Fagel, the nephew of the grand pensionary, Gaspar Fagel (1672–88) encouraged the creation of a myth of his family's Orangist heritage in the ‘authorised’ celebrations of his own political achievements, building on the foundation laid by his uncle. By the twentieth century Gaspar Fagel had become a shadowy figure in the history of the states as no more than a faithful servant of William III, the lesser successor of de Witt and the fore-runner of the more cosmopolitan Heinsius. The contemporary pamphlet literature relating to Fagel is small compared with that on de Witt, but has a richness of style and interest which makes it worthy of investigation. His opponents and supporters were equally fierce in their criticism or praise. The Prince of Orange is frequently marginalised in these publications, and this article examines the political ideology of a selection of these pamphlets, their structure and the contemporary perceptions of the importance of Fagel in the determination of states policy.