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Gustaaf Johannes Petrus Renier (25 September 1892, Flushing – 1 September 1962, Twickenham) was professor of Dutch History at University College London.

Early life

Renier was the child of Johanna Maria Elisabeth Renier and the maritime pilot Peter Paul Renier, [1] [2] both natives of Flushing. [3] He was sent to school in Antwerp and Leuven, and studied History at the University of Ghent, beginning a doctorate under Henri Pirenne.

Career

At the outbreak of the First World War he fled to England, working as a journalist, biographer and translator, and became London editor of Nieuwe Courant, [4] began his PhD at University College in 1921, completing his doctoral thesis on 19th century Anglo-Dutch relations in 1930, under Pieter Geyl. In 1939, Renier was a BBC contract staff member. [4] In 1936, he succeeded Geyl as Reader in Dutch History at University College London, retiring in 1957. [5]

In contrast to his former advisor, Geyl, he took the view that Dutch and Belgian nationhood were highly distinct.[ citation needed]

Personal life

On 17 May 1923, he married the Irish novelist Kate O'Brien, but the marriage ended within a year, and divorced 1925. [6] O'Brien left Bilbao after less than a year, returning to London because of her sudden decision to marry Renier, the marriage only lasted eleven months. [7]

Works

  • Great Britain and the Establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (1930)
  • The English: are They Human?. Williams & Norgate. 1931.
  • The Ill-fated Princess: The Life of Charlotte, Daughter of the Prince Regent (1932)
  • William of Orange (1932)
  • Oscar Wilde (1933)
  • He Came to England (1933)
  • Robespierre (1936)
  • The Criterion of Dutch Nationhood: An Inaugural Lecture Delivered at University College, London on June 4, 1945. G. Allen & Unwin. 1946. [8]
  • History, its Purpose and Method (Boston: Beacon Press, 1950) (Routledge, March 2018)

Further reading

  • E. H. Kossmann, " Gustaaf Johannes Renier", in Politieke theorie en geschiedenis (Bert Bakker, Amsterdam, 1987), pp. 420–424.

References

  1. ^ H. van der Hoeven, Renier, Gustaaf Johannes Petrus (1892-1962) at historic.nl (in Dutch)
  2. ^ "Renier, Gustaaf Johannes Petrus (1892-1962)". Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland:1880-2000. Huygens Instituut. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  3. ^ Genealogy page. Both biographies erroneously describe Renier's mother as Walloon. Both his grandfathers were from Ostend, West Flanders, his grandmothers were locals from Flushing and Middelburg.
  4. ^ a b "Successes, setbacks and stories of the unexpected from the IHR's Class of 1921". On History. Institute of Historical Research. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Gustaaf Johannes Petrus Renier". Wiki Encyclopedie van Zeeland. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  6. ^ "O'Brien, Kate (1897–1974)". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  7. ^ Davison, Jane. "Kate O'Brien and Spanish Literary Culture". Project MUSE. Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  8. ^ Bury, J. P. T. (April 1947). "The Criterion of Dutch Nationhood. An Inaugural Lecture delivered at University College, London, on June 4, 1945, by Professor G. J. Renier". International Affairs. 23 (2): 262–262. doi: 10.2307/3018931.


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