[4] It was the first example of historical fiction published in Dutch and was set during the Beeldenstorm of 1566 about the revolt by Calvinists of the Spanish Netherlands against Catholic rule.

At the time, Belgian and Western European high culture was dominated by French which was also the established language of the upper classes and state bureaucracy across the country.

Conscience, however, believed that Dutch provided a more authentic form of expression and preferred to use it, making his works unusual at the time.

It was believed that Conscience may have been inspired by a romantic painting of the battle by the Flemish artist Nicaise de Keyser, unveiled in 1836.

[3] You Fleming who has read this book, reflect, through the glorious deeds that it recounts, what Flanders once was, what it is now, and even more what it shall become if you forget the sacred examples of your forefathers!

In his foreword to the 1838 edition, Conscience explicitly stated that he intended his book to raise Flemish national consciousness and patriotism.

[3][1] The Encyclopædia Britannica describes De Leeuw as a "passionate epic" and compares it to the historical fiction of the Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832).

[4] With the immense success of the De Leeuw van Vlaanderen, Conscience was widely credited as the man "who taught his people to read" (leerde zijn volk lezen) in popular culture.

[11] Also notable is Karel Biddeloo's loose adaptation of the work in 1984 within the De Rode Ridder series, inspired by surrealism.

[6] The work was also adapted into a film in 1984, directed by the celebrated Flemish writer Hugo Claus, to commemorate the centenary of Conscience's death.

[9] The work was a co-production between various private and state groups in Belgium and the Netherlands and, at 80 million Belgian francs, was the most expensive film produced in the Low Countries to date.