NWO awards VIDI to historian David van der Linden

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded an €800,000 Vidi grant to historian David van der Linden to study Peacebuilding in Early Modern France. How can former enemies achieve a lasting peace in the wake of civil war? This project explores the peacebuilding mechanisms developed after the French Wars of Religion (1562–1598) and analyses how effective these solutions were. Historical research thus sheds new light on the long-term impact of peacebuilding strategies.

Vidi grants are awarded annually, and are intended for experienced researchers who have been conducting successful research for some years after gaining a PhD. Alongside the Veni and Vici grants, the Vidi grant is part of the NWO Talent Programme. Within this programme, researchers are free to submit their own topics for funding. In this way, NWO wishes to stimulate innovative and curiosity-driven research. The researchers are selected on the basis of their research quality, the innovative nature of their research, the expected societal impact of their research proposal and the possibilities for knowledge utilization.

In the online overview (nwo.nl) of awards granted in 2019, the names of all laureates as well as short summaries of their research are available..