The Our Lady Cathedral in Tournai is today one of the most remarkable churches of the Low Countries. In the Middle Ages, it was the mother church of the most northern bishopric of France.... Show more The Our Lady Cathedral in Tournai is today one of the most remarkable churches of the Low Countries. In the Middle Ages, it was the mother church of the most northern bishopric of France. The early 12 Century Cathedral was built during a highly turbulent chapter in the history of the bishopric. After five centuries in personal union with the diocese of Noyon, and a long struggle for independence, Tournai recovered its own bishop in 1146. The architecture of the new early 12 Century Cathedral was to represent the venerable age of the Church of Tournai and its original independence. The triconchos (trefoil) ground plan points to the martyrium churches: it recalls the ideal of the early Church and its local saintly founder. The impressive group of five towers refers to the future, being a prefiguration of the Holy City Jerusalem that will descent on earth at the end of time. The strength of the Cathedral as a representation of the episcopal see of an independent bishopric of Tournai was visualised in the attribute of Eleutherius, the new patron saint: a model of the group of five towers forms a concise summary of the architecture of the Cathedral. Show less
Between 1213 and 1484, numerous towns came into being in the counties of Holland and Zeeland, resulting in the rapid transformation of Holland in particular, into a “landscape of towns” where a... Show moreBetween 1213 and 1484, numerous towns came into being in the counties of Holland and Zeeland, resulting in the rapid transformation of Holland in particular, into a “landscape of towns” where a large proportion of the county’s population – well above the average for that period - came to live. The research forming the basis of this book aimed at establishing the effect of the granting of town privileges (or city rights) with regard to the creation of these towns from both a historical and a legal-historical perspective. This was done along three lines. First, the historical circumstances accompanying the granting of specific town privileges have been assessed. Secondly, it has been established whether the granting of town privileges had been used as an instrument for attaining certain political goals and if so, in what manner. The third line was to discover which party - either Count or citizens - could be seen as the main instigator behind the granting of these privileges. This research subsequently focused on town privilege affiliations and on the hierarchical relations between town privileges. Finally, the contents of the town privilege charters were subjected to a legal-comparative analysis. Show less
In the late middle ages, the inhabitants of the duchy of Guelders had to deal with a number of negative stereotypes. They were reputed to be lumpish, barbaric, belligerent, and rebellious. These... Show moreIn the late middle ages, the inhabitants of the duchy of Guelders had to deal with a number of negative stereotypes. They were reputed to be lumpish, barbaric, belligerent, and rebellious. These stereotypes had come into existence during the many wars with the Burgundian and Habsburg princes, who wanted to conquer the duchy. Some Guelders historians, however, used these negative stereotypes in order to create a positive image of their compatriots: they described the people of Guelders as natural, brave, and as lovers of freedom. According to them, these labels were the essence of the Guelders identity. In Gelre. Dynastie, land en identiteit Aart Noordzij describes the development of a political identity in Guelders between 1100 and 1600. He does this by analyzing the interaction between political processes, state-formation and the shaping of identities. Successively, the formation of the dynasty, the structure of the territory, and the imagination of the dynasty, the territory, and its inhabitants pass in review. By reconstructing the interaction between political processes, imagination, and the shaping of identities, we can understand how a political community like Guelders, notwithstanding its complexity and lack of unity, could exist, function, and get coherence. Show less
