Histogram is the newest feature to our Walking Museum saga. It refers to all the interesting characters from the 16th century that appear in the legend of Tijl Uilenspiegel. We give you a short overview of who is who so you can easily navigate through the fascinating world of the 16th century. 

Thyl Ulenspiegel

The literary hero, Thyl Ulenspiegel first appeared in German folklore  around 1500. In the 19th century Charles De Coster wrote the Légend of Ulenspiegel (1867).  In his story, Tijl Uilenspiegel, the knave of Damme, grows into a geus and a freedom fighter. He fights against the fanaticism of the Inquisition and against the oppression of Philip II.

Nele

Nele, daughter of Katelijne, is the wife of Thyl Ulenspiegel. With her he treks through the Low Countries in his never-ending struggle. In De Coster's Legend of Ulenspiegel Thyl Ulenspiegel, Nele and Lamme Goedzak symbolize the Flemish national character, as we also see it in Bruegel's paintings: Ulenspiegel is your spirit; Nele is a sweet and nice girl, the companion of Ulenspiegel, like him immortal and will be your heart; and fat-bellied Lamme Goedzak will be your stomach. 

Lamme Goedzak

Lamme Goedzak, a literary hero known from popular prints, recognizable for his becomes the loyal friend of Thyl Ulenspiegel in De Coster's book.

Klaas

Klaas, the father of Thyl Ulenspiegel, dies at the stake. It is a turning point in Charles De Coster's novel: Uilenspiegel takes up arms to avenge the death of his father: "the ashes of Klaas are beating on my chest".

Soetkin

Soetkin, is the mother of Thyl Ulenspiegel. In Charles De Coster's work, she and Klaas symbolize Flanders: “Klaas is your courage, noble people of Flanders, Soetkin is your brave mother.”

Katelijne

In De Coster's novel, Katelijne plays an important role: she is the unwed mother of Nele, but also a midwife and the predictor of the future. She brings Thyl and Nele into contact with extraterrestrial spirits. She herself is tortured until she goes mad.

Charles V (1500-1558)

King of Spain and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, was lord of the Netherlands at a time when Protestantism was gaining a foothold.

Philip II (1527-1598)

Son of Charles V, succeeded his father as the head of the Habsburg Empire in 1555.  As a devout Roman Catholic, he reacted harshly to the burgeoning Protestantism in the Netherlands. His rigid attitude was one of the causes of the Eighty Years' War. In De Coster's The Legend of Ulenspiegel (1867), Philip is the counter-image of Thyl Ulenspiegel. Philip is a lonely, frustrated, cruel, and hateful person.  As son of “the murderer of our regions”, Philip becomes an executioner himself.

Margaret of Parma (1522-1586)

In 1559, Philip II left the Netherlands and appointed his half-sister Margaret of Parma as Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands. Her overly lenient attitude towards Protestant reform resulted in her being replaced by the Duke of Alba in 1567.

Alessandro Farnese (1468-1549)

Alessandro Farnese was elected Pope Paul III in 1534. He fought fanatically against the Reformation, he introduced the Index (of Prohibited Books) and installed the Inquisition (a court dedicated to the detection and prosecution of heretics).

Duke of Alba (1507-1582)

In 1567, the Duke of Alba came to Brussels to bring order. As governor of the Netherlands, he was particularly repressive in the persecution and suppression of Protestants. When he returned to Spain in 1573, the Eighty Years' War was raging in full force. 

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

In 1517 Martin Luther published his Ninety-Five Theses denouncing the abuses within the Catholic Church. The Reformation that grew out of this was a major factor in the cause of the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), which in turn resulted in, amongst other things, the split of the Southern and Northern Netherlands.

Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus was born in Rotterdam. Known works by him include The Praise of Folly (1509) in which he made satirical comments about those in power within the Catholic Church.

Gerard Mercator (1512-1594)

The Flemish scientist and cartographer Gerard Mercator played an important role in modern cartography. In particular, his Mercator projection, which faithfully reproduced the angles on a map, was an important invention and most useful in navigation.

Geuzen

The Dutch nobles who revolted against Spanish authority were called Geuzen. This term probably came from the French word gueux, meaning beggar, but has become an honorary title for all those who fought against the Spanish King's army, both on land (Forestgeuzen) and at sea (Watergeuzen).

William of Orange (1533-1584)

William of Orange the leader of the military revolt against Spanish rule. The Eighty Years' War (1568-1648) marked the definitive separation of the Northern and Southern Netherlands.

Count of Horn (1524 – 1568)

Count of Horn was an admiral and statesman in the Spanish Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Year’s War, who sought to preserve the traditional rights and privileges of the Netherlands and to end the Spanish Inquisition. Together with Count Egmont he was publicly executed on the Grand Place in Brussels in 1568 by order of the Duke of Alba. Their deaths caused a shock wave in the Netherlands and contributed greatly to the revolt against Spanish rule.

Count of Egmont (1522 – 1568)

Count of Egmont was a general and statesman in the Spanish Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Years' War, who sought to preserve the traditional rights and privileges of the Netherlands and to end the Spanish Inquisition. Together with Count Horne he was publicly executed on the Grand Place in Brussels in 1568 by order of the Duke of Alba. Their deaths caused a shock wave in the Netherlands and contributed greatly to the revolt against Spanish rule.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525/30-1569)

With his magnificent paintings and drawings, Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525/30-1569) takes us back to the sixteenth century. Sometimes he brings to life the folklore of the countryside, other times the grandeur of nature.

Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450-1516)

As a painter of fantasy figures and hellish demons, Hieronymus Bosch is unique. It earned him the nickname 'the devil maker'. His highly detailed paintings would later inspire Bruegel who often used the same grotesque figures.