Great Council of Mechelen

The Great Council of Malines was between the 15th century and the French Revolution, the highest court in the Habsburg and later the Spanish Netherlands. In the local language, he was named Grand Conseil des Pays -Bas à Malines or Grote Raad der Nederlanden. Colloquially meant to go his last trump card to play off to Mechelen.

The Great Council of the meetings were held in Schepenhuis, from 1616 at the Palace of Margaret of Austria ( 1480-1530 ).

History

In the Middle Ages had the princes consultants who together formed a council, which was often called Consilium or Curia. Over time, the councils were split and specialized in judiciary, politics, finance, etc.

The Burgundian duke Charles the Bold in 1473 established its Judicial Council in Mechelen, the Parliament of Mechelen, which was abolished in 1477 by his daughter Mary of Burgundy in connection with the great privilege again. Some decades later, in 1504, Philip the Handsome taught the Great Council ( which was now no longer called Parliament) in Mechelen again.

In the 16th century the office area of ​​the Great Council as the property of the emperor Charles V grew so grew: Tournai, Utrecht, Friesland, Overijssel and the duchy of Guelders were added, so that he was now sitting over the whole of the territory of the Seventeen Provinces in judgment.

After the Eighty Years' War, the Great Council had lost jurisdiction over the northern Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (in this case, the High Council of Holland, Zeeland and West Friesland in 1582 set up). The southern provinces were in turn with time from France annexed ( Artois and parts of Flanders, Hainaut and Luxembourg ) or declared by and by its independence from Mechelen: first, the Duchy of Brabant, then Hainaut and in 1782 finally Tournai and Luxembourg, so that the District consisted only of Flanders, Mechelen, Namur and upper funds.

In the French Revolution, the Great Council went under. In 1792, he was still able to dodge to Roermond (but where he just sat on the Austrian part of Geldern last unoccupied area in judgment ), in 1794, after the second invasion of the French revolutionary troops and the connection of the Catholic Netherlands to France, he was resolved. Some of the council members went on imperial territory to Regensburg and Augsburg, part submitted to the new government.

Composition

Over the centuries, the composition of the High Council has hardly changed. There was a president and 15 or 16 " Conseillers " ( wearing the traditional red robes and had to demonstrate a licentiate or doctorate in law, which was acquired at a university, which was in the sphere of power of the prince ), a " Procureur général " and his deputy, a tax lawyer, a dozen salaried secretaries, two or three clerks, lawyers and bailiffs. From the " Conseillers " quarter were at first spiritually, and later their number was reduced to two. They were based on a list submitted to the Great Council him, appointed by the sovereign.

Tasks

Although the role of the Great Council changed with time, so he was mostly first and last instance for people and institutions that were under the protection of the sovereign. He was also the Court of Appeal for the high courts of the provinces.

• Court
• Mechelen
• History ( Flanders)