On the following pages a (selective) outline of the Dutch history and literature in the period 1150–1500 is presented in two central columns. The European background is offered in flanking chronological tables: history on the left, literature on the right. For convenience of arrangement the material has been divided into periods of fifty years each, headed by the names of one or two leading authors of the period concerned.

The reader should be aware of the following limitations. As neither date nor provenance are certain for the majority of the Middle Dutch texts it is a difficult and hazardous task to subsume them in a chronological table. Therefore, most dates concerning Middle Dutch literature are approximate (in some cases even the age to which a work belongs is not certain). If we lack specific indications dates are abandoned to avoid a semblance of accuracy. Translations have been provided for those Dutch titles that are not self-explanatory or clear from the context in which they are given. The column on ‘European literatures’ is, of course, highly selective. This restricted choice of milestones is only meant to function as a framework of reference. In addition to these usually widely known and highly influential works a few others have been included that have exerted a specific influence on Middle Dutch literature.