Lysbeth: A Tale of the Dutch

by H. Rider Haggard

First published 1901

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3.8(309)

Lysbeth van Hout and her family face religious persecution, confiscation and betrayal as the Netherlands revolt against Philip II of Spain. The private consequences of forced marriage and divided loyalty are carried through years of resistance until Leiden itself is trapped by a Spanish siege.

Haggard combines family saga, Protestant martyrology and military adventure. The Inquisition, William the Silent’s rebellion and the relief of Leiden give the novel a clear historical structure, while the household story shows how imperial policy and confessional conflict entered ordinary civic life.