Slag bij Xanten, 1608 1608 - 1610

"Slag bij Xanten," or "Battle of Xanten," created in 1608 by Frans Hogenberg, captures a clash during the Eighty Years' War with etching. This conflict, fought between the Dutch Republic and Spain, embodies a pivotal moment in the struggle for Dutch independence, mirroring a broader European landscape shaped by religious and political upheaval. Hogenberg's work is not just a depiction of military strategy. The chaotic scene of battling soldiers becomes a canvas where intersecting identities play out. How did soldiers experience the terror and confusion of battle? What anxieties were triggered by allegiances to faith, nation, and class? The print presents the battle as a maelstrom where individual agency is almost lost amidst larger geopolitical forces. While Hogenberg adopts a traditional, distant perspective on warfare, it also hints at the era’s changing dynamics. The print serves as a historical document and a lens through which to consider themes of freedom, resistance, and the human cost of conflict.