Seven Noble Houses of Brussels

The Seven noble houses of Brussels is the name for the seven families of Brussels, whose descendants formed the patriciate this city. So they had special rights that were granted them by the end of the Ancien Régime.

History

The Seven noble houses of Brussels were set down in a document from the year 1306 by John II Duke of Brabant after the seven families had called for citizen participation in the government of the city. The families that are mentioned in the document:

• Sleeus
• Sweerts
• Serhuyghs
• Steenweeghs
• Coudenbergh
• Serroelofs and
• Roodenbeke.

All members of the City Council were recruited and selected exclusively from among these families, they had a patrilineal or matrilineal descent from these seven families can prove.

Although the guilds of artisans were after violent, sometimes bloody clashes in 1421 granted some rights of participation in the government, was the rule of the seven houses stand until the end of the Ancien Régime. The abolition of privileges then meant the end of the oligarchic system of seven noble houses of Brussels.

Today is dedicated to the seven noble houses cultural tasks.