Talk:Golden Age of Flanders

Basic concept seems flawed
This article defines the "Golden Age of Flanders" as the period 1500-1555, but this seems to be at first glance entirely arbitrary, and not supported by the sources. Definitions given in the used sources (implictly or explicitly) are either the 15th and 16th century, or the period 1400-1650 or thereabouts. E.g. this one mentions "the 16th century", and then gives examples ranging from the height of the influence of Bruges (15th century) to the works of Rubens (17th century). The "Golden Age" exhibition is "a narrative exhibition about the cultural and economic growth of the Southern Netherlands in the 15th and 16th centuries", not about the much smaller and very precise period described here.

Furthermore, the concept "Golden Age of Flanders" has been used very sparingly apart from the exhibition, which raises the question if we even need an article on this topic. It's not like the Dutch Golden Age, which is a commonly used term. Fram (talk) 09:55, 27 November 2019 (UTC)

I agree that precise dating should be removed. I think that 16th century, or fist half of the 16th century, can stay. Flemish golden age is mostly used for the cultural period (often forming a continuum with the Dutch golden age, altough the latter is focused on the 17th century) whereas "golden age of Antwerp" and a few times "Flemish golden age" is used for the economy in that time period. The political-economic background mentioned in the article is correct and it's taken from Fernand Braudel. Barjimoa (talk) 14:24, 27 November 2019 (UTC)

Okay, after a quick look on google books, I think i am going to incorporate your suggestions in the article. Barjimoa (talk) 14:56, 27 November 2019 (UTC)

User: Fram, I have incorporated all of your suggestions. I think we can save it from deletion. Right now it's pretty solid. Barjimoa (talk) 15:18, 27 November 2019 (UTC)

When i have time i will make this article better
In light of the debate had on the other page and in light of the suggestions made to me by a number of users, I will make this article better once i have time to make the edits. Barjimoa (talk) 19:21, 28 December 2019 (UTC)

COI tag (March 2024)
The comment above that the concept is flawed is spot on. It's flawed because the very term Flemish Golden Age is fake. It's not a popular name, it's not a scientific historical concept and thus academically non-existent. It seems to have been invented by the Flemish government, a province of which conducted an exhibition in 2016. The subject matter (excluding the explicit term Golden Age) is simply lifted from the Flemish Renaissance article. That one is a legitimate name for the contents of this page. A separate Flemish Golden Age article is thus simply a duplication of the Flemish Renaissance article. Besides being a repetition it is also factually inaccurate since the Flemish Renaissance has not been discarded or replaced as a term. Basically all of the oldest sources for the exact term "Golden age of Flanders" are various entities of the Flemish government. The government remains the "single source" that dominates this article as even the tourist agency (VISITFLANDERS) masquerades as a source. Article doesn't even qualify as notable since the Flemish government remains the only primary user of the term they invented, which amounts to wp:original research. This article was created as an attempt to help rebrand the Flemish Renaissance as "Golden Age" analogous to the term Dutch Golden Age. But that one is a legitimate article, partly originates from the sister article on Dutch language Wikipedia. But notice this Flemish Golden Age article exists only in English — it doesn't have an equivalent local Flemish (Dutch) or any other language page. This is because, again, the term is not used in the real world. It's one extra clue that it is a rebrand invented for visitors (likely to speak English, hence article only in English). Therefore it should be deleted because is an original advertisement, a duplicate, and factually inaccurate, as currently the term Flemish Renaissance continues to be widely used in multiple languages and has not been replaced in both formal and informal usage. —Loginnigol 08:51, 31 March 2024 (UTC)