Causal patterns for justifying historical explanation. Causation in P.C. Hooft's Dutch History (1642)

The practice of justifying historical explanations generates causal patterns in which several types of arguments play a role. This paper is aimed at identifying some of such causal patterns on the basis of an exploration of the institutional conventions regarding the nature and the shape of historical explanations as reflected in the Dutch History (1642) by Pieter Hooft. Causal patterns can unveil bias, prejudice and strategic aims, as well explain why a text may be (or has been) interpreted in a specific way.