Het Eeuwig Edict en de Intredes van Don Juan. Of de moeizame mise-en-œuvre en mise-en-scène van een vredesverdrag tijdens de Nederlandse Opstand..
co-authored with Elisa Masschelein, Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis 129 (2016) 175-195
The ‘Eternal Edict’ and the Entries of Don Juan in 1577.Or the difficult mise-en-œuvre and mise-en-scène of a peace treaty during the Dutch Revolt
The Treaty of Marche-en-Famenne – the ‘Eternal Edict’ of 12 February 1577 – was a peace treaty signed between the new Governor-General of the Netherlands, Don Juan de Austria, and the insurgent States-General of the region, dissatisfied under Spanish Habsburg rule. This contribution analyzes how peacemaking implied more than just signing a treaty: the ‘Eternal Edict’ sparked a six-month long pacification process that aimed to put into effect the clauses and to spur the recently concluded reconciliation. Moving from Leuven to Brussels to Mechelen, the Governor-General foremost used his Entries in these cities to present himself as a peace dove, while he commissioned printed editions of the treaty and of its ratification by Philip II. Meanwhile, he engaged his secretaries and delegates to follow-up on the implementation of the treaty. His opponents, however, opposed these peace initiatives swiftly by vetoes at the negotiation table and a relentless stream of counterpropaganda. Hence, in the early modern era pacification relied upon a complex process of aligning all parties through negotiations and ceremonies, yet in this case the interplay between the mise-en-œuvre and mise-en-scène failed within half a year.
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