Henderikx, P..

Kees Dekker en de historische geografie. De betekenis van het werk van prof.dr. C. Dekker (Wemeldinge 22 augustus 1933 - Odijk 18 december 2012).

Historisch-geografisch tijdschrift 32 (2014) 104 - 109.

In december 2012 overleed Kees Dekker, mediëvist, oud-rijksarchivaris in de provincie Utrecht en emeritus hoogleraar Archiefwetenschap en Paleografie aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam. Van jongs af aan was zijn liefde voor de geschiedenis een bepalende factor in zijn leven.

Kees Dekker and historical geography

Kees Dekker, medieval historian, former head of the state archives in the province of Utrecht and professor emeritus at Amsterdam University, passed away in 2012. Dekker was above all known for his research into medieval regional history. His main interests were local and regional history, with an emphasis on regional history, in particular on local government, ecclesiastical institutions, water management and historical geography. He broke fresh grounds in publications on the provinces of Zeeland (his native region) as well as on the province of Utrecht where he headed the regional archives. With regard to the historical geography of Zeeland, he focused on the medieval building of embankments; a process he connected with the large flood of 1134, as well as on the land reclamations around the embanked islands. His major work was on the island of Zuid-Beveland. With regard to Utrecht, his main publications were on the region along the Kromme Rijn ('Winding Rhine', the region upstream of the town of Utrecht). He described the early settlements on the natural levees in this region, as well as the reclamations of the back swamps during the 11th - 13th centuries.