aksimonart

Utrecht Surrenders
#88

©A.K.SIMON - Utrecht Surrenders - Oil on Linen - $125

"Thirty Days Hath September . . . " -  30 Day Challenge Day 3

Historical Fact: September 3, 1483 Utrecht surrenders to Habsburg

So my understanding of this is that the Habsburgs were a strong family that wanted to dominate and control. They did just that and their dynasty became huge and eventually included Hungary which makes the connection for me. My husband is Hungarian and has inherited that controlling gene. I on the other hand have the peace-loving, artistic Utrecht gene. However, I refuse to surrender! Or, maybe I should, as you read the rest of the story.

Enough silliness – here are the facts: The House of Habsburg is greatest known for being a source of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740. The dynasty was originally from Switzerland and first ruled Austria and in Utrecht surrendered to them. The Habsburgs sought to solidify their power by the frequent use of familial marriages, also known as intermarriages, which led to disastrous results. Marriages between first cousins, or between uncle and niece, were ordinary in the family. These intermarriages eventually led to the entire extinction of all Habsburg blood in 1780. The Spanish Habsburg died out in 1700 while the Austrian Habsburg line died out in 1740. All blood relatives of the Habsburg were dead by 1780. This was mainly due to intermarriages between close family members. (otherwise known as pre-deliverance)

Utrecht city and municipality is now the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 316,448 as of February 1, 2012.

So, you say, “what does this have to do with art” – like you didn’t guess already. Utrecht was the stomping ground for Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer and there is also a Utrecht School of the arts (not to mention a whole line of oil paint). 

Moral of the story: Surrendering doesn’t mean the end of the story. Habsburg family gone – Utrecht thriving – hmmm – probably because so many were artists! And as my daughter, Sarah, says, “Your family tree should never be a circle!”