Arminian Exodus (Uittocht van de remonstrantse predikanten)

This Dutch engraving depicts the forced exile of Remonstrant (Arminian) preachers following the Synod of Dort in 1618–19, a theological and political crisis that divided the Reformed church. Figures are shown being driven out in carts and wagons while crowds gather along the route. The print employs the visual language of Northern European satirical engraving—a tradition linking Reformation broadsheets to Hogarth and Gillray—combining narrative scene, text commentary, and named participants to mock religious opponents and celebrate their defeat. The crowded composition and moralistic tone reflect how woodcut and engraved Bilderbogen (picture-sheets) functioned as early mass media, blending propaganda, reportage, and humor. This work documents how comic and caricatural imagery served sectarian conflict centuries before the modern comic strip.