Representations of Flemish Immigrants on the Early Modern Stage

Immigrants from the Low Countries constituted the largest population of resident aliens in early modern England. Possessing superior technology in a number of fields and enjoying governmental protection, the Flemish were charged by many native artisans with unfair economic competition. With xenophobic sentiments running so high that riots and disorders occurred throughout the sixteenth century, Elizabeth I directed her dramatic censor to suppress material that might incite further disorder,...