Available past volumes

2008 (174), 535 p.

Besides the administrative part (sessions held in 2007 and 2008 and report on 2006 and 2007), this volume contains four scientific contributions.

Based on a copy from the 17th century, Steven VANDERPUTTEN is editing a chronicle in Middle Dutch that belongs to the genre of gesta episcoporum: Het turbulente verleden van de Luikse prinsbischoppen door de ogen van een inwoner van het oude graafschap Loon: de Chronijk van Luyk, toegeschreven aan Petrus Treckpoel (1442-circa 1507-8), p. 5-88. This account is the work of an inhabitant of the county of Looz, perhaps Petrus Treckpoels (1442-1506 ?), who was in any case a close relative. The author provides a highly personal assessment of the facts that he had selected during the successive reigns of the prince-bishops of Liège up until 1506. These facts, which are of regional interest, all aim to illustrate the continuing tensions between the rebellious-natured inhabitants of Liège and the legitimate power. The comments are intended to have a moralising effect and are, in fact, imbued with a certain naivety.
José Eloy HORTAL MUÑOZ, La visión de un ministro « castellanista » sobre la situación de los Paises Bajos al final del siglo XVI : los « advertimientos » de Esteban de Ibarra, p. 89-166. The latter, adviser and first secretary to the Secretary of State and War, was closely involved in the affairs of the Netherlands. In 1596, he offered his experience to Archduke Albert by compiling a file that is currently kept in the Simancas Archives. The author extracted four pieces, which he is currently editing. They offer a portrait of the collateral council members and other important figures associated with managing the State.
Henri HAAG, Le mémoire de Léon Arendt et les Conseils des ministres d’août 1914, p. 167-257, offers an interpretation of Belgium going to war that differs from traditional views. He explains his point of view in a detailed introduction. This is the result of the analysis of a paper he is editing, which is little known to Belgian historians: “What shall we do in case of war?” This text was written in November 1911 by Léon Arendt, Director General of Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Indeed, well before 1914, the threat of a great war and an invasion was regularly brought to the government’s attention. The paper most certainly reflects the author’s opinion but it is one that was also shared by the other members of the department. The “system”, according to the term used by Arendt himself, is based on an ideal of permanent neutrality. The government accepted the main points of the plan in 1912. Consequently, Arendt’s views had a great influence over the country’s policies during the Cabinet meeting at the beginning of August 1914 and particularly at the one held on the 4th of that month. Contrary to what some claim, the role of the ministers of state was far from being decisive during the meeting of 2nd August. They were only consulted as a matter of form. The promoter of the neutralist policies was not the King but the Department, even before the beginning of the conflict.
There was a palpable increase in international tension in the 1930s. In Germany, there was no mistaking the dramatic rise in national socialism. On the other hand, a secret military agreement had linked Belgium to France since 1920. France considered it as a true alliance treaty, granting its troops the right to cross Belgium in case of necessity. Other provisions in the agreement also led to diverging interpretations. In order to prevent the country from being drawn into military action despite all, Baron Van Zuylen, Director General of Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was convinced of the need for Belgium to have a new international status. It would allow Belgium to conduct its own foreign policies, characterised by the nonalignment. In the study presented here, accompanied by the editing of thirty documents, Gustaaf JANSSENS (Paul-Henri Spaak en het begin van de Belgische onafhankelijkheidspolitiek (1936-1937), p. 259-391) has paid particular attention to three notes that the young socialist minister of foreign affairs sent to King Leopold III. Kept in the Royal Palace’s archives, these reports, which have remained almost unknown up until now, emphasise the minister’s vision regarding the international position of Belgium. They also illustrate the way in which he shaped this policy of independence and defined the priorities with his diplomatic advisers, the King and the Prime Minister.

Tables of contents from the last five years

2007 (173), 323 p.

Besides the administrative part (sessions held in 2006 and report on 2005), this volume contains five scientific contributions.

The brief personal and moving account, by the late lamented Bryce Lyon (Brown University), on François Louis Ganshof:Medieval Historian and Friend, (p. 5-14 and a facsimile, with an Editorial Note, by Ludo Milis), reveals, through the prism of friendship, several traits of the personality of the great medieval historian from Ghent. It is a welcome first step in a direction the Commission intends to pursue and develop by placing greater emphasis on “ego-documents”.
Alexis Wilkin, Datation et analyse du contexte de rédaction du Polyptyque dit de 1280 de la cathédrale Saint-Lambert de Liège, p. 15-45, returns to a file that was opened in 1958 by Denise Van Derveeghde and published in the Commission’s collections. In fact, the date of circa 1280 is not valid for the entire source. Additions were made after this era. It is in fact a composite document, retranscripted during the first half of the 14th century. The initiative behind this copy is undoubtedly linked to the development of the local government in Liège and the management of a heritage that was perhaps exposed to economic difficulties.
While the nobility in Flanders was the subject of a fundamental study for the period prior to 1300, its descendents from the Early Middle Ages and the Burgundian period have not benefited from the same interest up until now. This gap remains to be filled and a first step in this direction has been taken by Frederik Buylaert, Jan Dumolyn, Pieter Donche, Eric Balthau, Hervé Douxchamps, « De adel ingelijst.“Adelslijsten” voor het graafschap Vlaanderen in de veertiende en vijftiende eeuw», p. 47-187. The authors are editing seven lists dating from 1362 to 1481, available both in the form of originals and copies from the 16th and 17th century. Established for military purposes, they list the nobility and those who, without being strictly so, are however considered to be socially related to the group. Besides the basic aim of these lists, they also contribute undeniably to a better understanding of the political, economic and cultural history of the county of Flanders. Moreover, the index of people's names and place names constitutes a precious identification tool, that will also be of service to genealogical studies.
Salome Sticken (1359-1449) is the most well-known of the female disciples of Geert Grote, the founder of modern religious devotion in the 14th century.
Lieve De Mey and Kathrien Heene, Een opmerkelijke biografie van een moderne devote:de Vita et conversacio Salome priorisse in Diepenven, p. 189-229, are editing a Latin version, taken from a manuscript from the last decade of the 15th century, kept at the Royal Library of Belgium. They are thus beginning the comparison and search for interactions between the vernacular versions, by the sisters themselves, and the versions in Latin written by clerics.
Toon Quaghebeur, Het decreet van 7 november 1695 van gouverneur Maximiliaan Emmanuel van Beieren aan de Raad van Brabant tegen de recursus naar de seculiere rechtbanken door clerici, p. 231-256, is editing the text in which the governor general of the Netherlands intends to put an end to the conflicts between the Episcopal jurisdictions and the secular courts of justice, especially the provincial justice council of Brabant. From now on, he forbids the latter from acknowledging legal actions brought before him by clerics, unless they concern discipline or faith. This decree, which was difficult to apply in the Netherlands, is the subject of different interpretations in Rome and Madrid. The question is all the more sensitive since it falls under the scope of the intense controversy that opposed Jansenists and anti-Jansenists on an international level at the end of the 17^th century.

2006 (172), 283 p.

Besides the administrative part (sessions held in 2005 and report on 2004), the volume is composed of a major scientific contribution by

Olivier Vanderhaegen, who was awarded the Bryce and Mary Lyon Prize. The author is editing La correspondance de dom Nicolas Spirlet, dernier abbé de Saint-Hubert avec Patrice-François de Neny, chef-président du Conseil privé des Pays-Bas autrichiens (1760-1782). It includes 182 letters found in various archival repositories, 60 of which are from Neny. These documents are also interesting because they help us to understand the political history of the period, and to discover relatively unknown facets of these two personalities through the private elements of this correspondence. Spirlet, a man with a difficult character, nourished personal ambitions: he wanted his land transformed into a bishopric and to be made its titular. For a long time, he had been playing the role of informer and even intermediary for the government of Brussels, especially as regards the principality of Liège and France. He sought the support of the monarchy to solve the conflicts between himself and his monastic community, and the inhabitants under his jurisdiction. All the correspondence reflects the particularly complex situation of a region endowed with classic feudal and seigniorial structures, but one that was also a centre of interest for international politics. Its geographic situation made it very desirable to the various powers.

2005, (171), 429 p., 1 ill.

Besides the administrative part (sessions held in 2004 and report on 2003), the volume includes six scientific contributions:

Véronique FLAMMANG, Le dénombrement de la seigneurie de Hallines (comté d’Artois) en 1440s, p. 5-40.
The contents of this parchment, which is 2.65 m in length, scrupulously highlight the incredible complexity of the legal and agricultural matters that occurred in a seigneury, even a modest one such as this small town in the Pas-de-Calais. The publishing of the sole copy of this text known to exist is all the more justified since it is currently kept at the town hall of Halluin (in the arrondissement of Lille), which has decided to part with it. An index of the names of people and places greatly facilitates the consultation of the study.
Jean-Marie CAUCHIES, De la « régenterie » à l’autonomie. Deux ordonnances de cour et de gouvernement de Maximilien et Philippe le Beau (1495), p. 41-88 is a fine example of editing. The two texts describe the formal structure of the entourage of Archduke Philip. They especially reflect a son’s desire for independence with regard to his father and the resistance of the latter.
Monique WEIS, Du baume diplomatique sur les ravages de la guerre. La correspondance échangée entre le duc d’Albe et le duc de Clèves en 1568, p. 89-134.
Editing of twenty letters in old German kept at the Kingdom’s General Archives in Brussels, in the collection of the German Secretary of State. The registers that were created facilitate an advanced use of the texts despite the difficulties of the language. In spring 1568, during the Revolt of the Netherlands, the troops of the Duke of Alba ravaged the Duchy of Cleves and the Bishopric of Munster. In these non-belligerent territories, the damages of war were great and the population was severely tried. William V of Cleves expressed his grievances on this subject to the governor general. The correspondence also mentions the duke’s indulgence in consenting to accept refugees, political exiles and agitators. It also illustrates the religious policy, which remained ambiguous for a long time, maintained by William V.
Violet SOEN, Een vredesgezant worstelt met de Pacificatie van Gent. De vreemde wendingen van de vredesmissie in de Nederlanden van Jan van Noircarmes, baron van Selles (1577-1580), p. 135-193
Editing of ten letters and a memorandum – in French or in Spanish – that come from archives in Brussels and Simancas, completed by an index of the names of people. These documents allow us to closely follow the progress of the delicate diplomatic mission entrusted to this nobleman from Artois, captain general of the guards at the court of Madrid. The Baron of Selles was entrusted with putting the Netherlands back on the righteous path of political and religious obedience. His arrival fell within the context of the extension of the plan that consisted of sending over Margaret of Parma as a mediator. Confronted with the quest for a suitable solution as regards the protagonists that were difficult to bring together owing to their demands, the improvised diplomat took a series of unfortunate initiatives and found himself alone. His mission was clearly a failure. However, he resurfaced, just as unsuccessfully, owing to the Union of Arras. After the reconciliation of the provinces of Wallonia, his military career was just as unsuccessful and he died in captivity.
Guy THEWES, Un territoire indéfendable ? L’état des forteresses aux Pays-Bas autrichiens en 1725 d’après un mémoire élaboré sous la direction du comte de Daun, p. 193-271.
Charles VI, determined to keep the Netherlands, had to take suitable measures to defend them. In 1716, it was necessary to make reforms in the army. The network of fortresses was a key element in their defence. Subsequently, just as there had been a census of military manpower, a survey was ordered on the state of the fortifications that had passed under the authority of the Austrians, therefore excluding the fortresses of the Barrier. The vast anonymous report that forms the conclusion is based on the answers provided by the governors or the staff officers from the various towns. It concerns some thirty installations. A copy is kept in Brussels, in the Kingdom’s General Archives, and the other one is in Vienna, in the Kriegsarchiv. While the interim governor general was entrusted with leading the survey, its execution may have been the responsibility of Count Eugene Hyacinthe de Lannoy, a colonel who owned a regiment of Walloon infantry. The document provides a statement of the strengths and weaknesses of the fortresses in the Netherlands. The number of pieces of artillery, the stock of war munitions, pioneer tools, the cost of maintenance, the estimate of the amount of investments to be made in the place are given for each fortress.
G. Thewes has edited significant extracts from this huge manuscript: the general introduction, the reports relating to the fortresses in Luxembourg and Ostend, the citadel of Antwerp with its dependent forts, the “general summary” or summary table. The publication is enriched with a very useful glossary containing numerous technical terms and an index of names of people and places.
A.S. NAMAZOVA, Guide des documents relatifs à l’histoire de Belgique conservés dans les archives des institutions publiques de Moscou (1778-1940), p. 243-370
The text of this guide, which was entirely reviewed by Mrs. Françoise Thomas, scientific collaborator at the Royal Academy of Belgium, differs significantly from the limited edition version published in 2004, under the same title, in Russian and French, by Mrs. Namazova. The inventory gives an overview of the documents relating to Belgium kept in the main archives in Moscow: the archive collections relating to the foreign politics of the Russian Empire (AVPRI), the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GARF), the archives of the social-political history of the State of Russia (RGASPI), the military archives of the State of Russia (RGVA), the literary and art history archives of Russia (RGALI), the collections of the State Central Museum of Musical Culture, “M.I. Glinka" (TSMMKG) and the Manuscripts Department of Russia’s State Library. The contents are extremely varied, with observations by the Russian consul at Ostend on the rise of the Brabant revolution and archives from the “Parquet de l'Auditorat Militaire” from 1866 to 1940. Numerous collections concern Belgian companies in Russia before the Revolution, international or private organisations, the editorial staff of newspapers and reviews, masonic groups, individuals. The great wealth of these archives can be easily assessed from the index of names of people created by Françoise Thomas. Here, there are almost four hundred references relating to the worlds of politics, diplomacy and university life as well as to business, the arts and the press.

2004 (170)

Besides the administrative part (sessions held in 2003 and report on 2002), the volume includes three scientific contributions:

Rob WECKX, De Nederlandstalige schepenakten van Diest van 1306 tot 1325, berustend in het Stadsarchief te Diest, p. 5-168
is a continuation of the editing work by the same author, published in the 2002 Bulletin for the years 1265 to 1306. The series of 175 acts reflects the various facets of the activities of the aldermen in a small town in Brabant. It is also a precious source of material for the study of Middle Dutch. Indeed, the local government of Diest incorporated the use of popular language in its daily activities before the neighbouring towns. Consultation of the work is greatly facilitated thanks to an index of the names of people and places.
Julie VERSELE, Rapport de Gerónimo de Roda sur le fonctionnement du Conseil des Troubles aux Pays-Bas, suivi de suggestions pour sa réforme (s.d.-1571 ?), p. 169-191,
determines the likely author of two anonymous reports written in Spanish. It is clearly a member of the Council itself. The documents, addressed to Philip II, shed a significant light on the composition of the assembly. They also allow us to discover problems inherent to the functioning of this assembly as well as suggestions on how to resolve them.
Toon QUAGHEBEUR, Pastoorsbenoemingen na een vergelijkend examen in het aartsbisdom Mechelen tijdens de zeventiende en de achttiende eeuw. Parochie- en deelnemerslijsten, p. 193-319.
The first mention of candidates competing in an exam for a parish dates back to 1586. However, owing to the large gaps noted in the archiepiscopal archives, the present publication can only dwell on the tests organised from the 17th century onwards. It ends in 1786, the year when Joseph II imposed the reorganisation of this recruitment system.
A first table contains an alphabetical list of the parishes, by deanery, indicating the name of the patron, the number of parish priests nominated between 1586 and 1786 and, when the information is known, the mode of accession, examination, permutation, etc. A second global list is dedicated to those taking part in the competitive exam in 1770-1786 (position, age, studies, knowledge, results and grading). A third table, from 1745 to 1786, provides the number of parishes participating in the exam, as well as the number of participants. A fourth one lists the successive attempts of candidates promoted between 1770 and 1786. Lastly, for these same years, a final list reveals the candidates’ wishes and the fate reserved for their aspirations. This list therefore offers a mine of information not only for ecclesiastical history but also for regional and local studies. Consultation is greatly facilitated thanks to the index of the names of people and parishes.

Royal historical Commission