Philip
The Fair and his wife, Joan of Castile, had spent the winter months
in the
Prinsenhof. During the court’s St. Matthew’s Eve festivities,
the Duchess gave birth to a son. Cannons roared and the church bells
of Ghent rang out on that evening of February 24, 1500. They were
heralding the first male heir, a prince was born. He was christened
two weeks later and named after his great-grandfather Charles the Bold,
Duke of Burgundy.
In
the spring, the couple left for Brussels taking the prince with them.
Whilst the prince did not spend his early years in Ghent he would
return there often throughout his lifetime. Over the years, a mutual
affection developed between monarch and those in his place of his birth.
Charles
V faced considerable difficulty in his early years. Before he was
seven, his father died. His mother suffered such grief that she required
constant attention at the convent of Santa Clara in Tordessillas, on the
Castilian plateau. Her father, the Emperor Maximilian, appointed
Margaret of Austria Regent of the Low Countries and made her responsible
for the upbringing of the orphaned children of Philip the Fair, and Joan
of Castile.
Margaret
had a modern palace built at Mechelen and furnished it in a grand manner,
it was the first Renaissance building constructed in the Low Countries.
It was there that Charles and his sisters spent their youth with their
aunt.
As
a child, Charles suffered poor health and seemed to linger in his adolescence.
As a monarch, there was much about him that endeared him to his people,
yet there were times when he was a rather severe individual. He was
pious, thrifty, if not downright stingy, intelligent, and filled with energy.
No
one could have suspected at the time of his birth that before he was 20
years of age Charles would reign over an immense empire. In 1515,
Charles was declared of age for the succession in the Burgundian Netherlands.
A year later, he acquired the Spanish Crown, and with it, ruled over large
areas of Italy, and subsequently, large portions of the Americas.
In
1519, his possessions also included the Austrian Succession States of the
Habsburgs: Austria, Styria, Carinthia, and Tyrol. Charles was proclaimed
Emperor of Rome at 19, this meant he was Emperor of the German Reich as
well. In the same year, he acquired the Imperial Crown of the Holy
Roman Empire, by bribing the Electors with 850,000 golden guilders.
The
Charles V Memorial Year
This
month, Belgium embarks upon a year-long commemoration of Charles V, as
well as one of the most important eras of European history. While
communities throughout Belgium celebrate their associations with Charles
V, most of the memorial's activities will take place in Ghent, Mechelen,
and Brussels.
Ghent
If
the Charles V Memorial has a spiritual center it is surely his birthplace,
Ghent. Here one may stop for a night at the Inn where the Emperor
stayed on many occasions, or visit St. Bavo Cathedral where he was baptized.
And, in Ghent it was under his reign that works on the City Hall were continued,
and the craft of free skippers built a magnificent guildhall on the Graslei.
These
are just a few of the monuments dating from the time of Charles V that
are still in existence. The city of Ghent has planned no less
than 100 events ranging from exhibitions, theatre productions, musical
shows and others for the Charles V Memorial.
Mechelen
This
is the pleasant city where a youthful Charles V was raised by his aunt
who reigned over the Netherlands. Durer, Erasmus, Thomas More, Barend
of Orley and other great names of the period were welcome guests at the
court of Mechelen where Charles was raised.
To
this day, the streets of Mechelen offer memorials to the golden age
of Charles V. What was once the palace of Margaret of Austria, now
houses the court of justice, the Palace of Margaret of York is being restored
to its original glory and will become the municipal theatre. Sixteenth
century mansions dot the cityscape, whilst a splendid tapestry in City
Hall depicts the Battle of Tunis where Charles V was victorious over the
Turks.
Brussels
In
1530, Charles moved to Brussels, which became the new capital for
the Netherlands. Brussels was already established as the center
of social life, as every noble family of any importance held court there.
William of Orange was raised at the court of Charles V.
With
his arrival in Brussels, the tapestry industry flourished with orders from
kings and popes. But woodcutters, stained glass artisans, and
other crafts were also given international commissions. Every year,
Brussels commemorates the family parade of the emperor on the Grand Place,
in what is called the “Ommegang”.
Major
Events
CAROLUS.
Karel
V - Charles Quint – Karl V. – Carlos V - Charles V 1500 - 1558
November
6 1999 to January 30 2000
At
St. Peter’s Abbey, Ghent
This
exhibition provides the viewer with insight into the turbulent times of
Charles V and the first half of the 16th century. This era
with its passionate desire for change, clashed with traditional concepts,
comes to life again through the works of great artists of the time.
MISE-EN-SCENE
Charles
V and the representation of the 19th century
Musee
des Beaux Arts, Ghent
November
6 to February 2000
A
fascinating exhibition of monumental paintings, but also popular prints
and collectors items all contributed to the formation of a mythology surrounding
the figure of Charles V. This exhibition runs at approximately the
same time as the CAROLUS exhibition. Furthermore, the themes of both
exhibitions are highly compliment one, to the other. A combination
ticket is available for both exhibitions.
DERANGED
MONARCHS
Dr.
Guislain Museum, Ghent
In
all its projects, the Dr. Guislain Museum examines the thin line between
normality and abnormality. It is known that the politics of marriage
as practiced by the Habsburgs family, yielded them a great empire, but
in the course of time, also produces symptoms of degeneration. The
commemoration of the emperor's birthday is the motivating factor for this
slightly eccentric exhibition.
THE
TREASURY OF ALAMIRE
Music
and Miniatures from the Age of Charles V
Predikherenkerk,
Louvain
September
25th 1999 to December 1999
The
Treasury of Alamire looks at the flourishing Flemish Polyphony in the Low
Countries in all its aspects. As a world first, more than 58 manuscripts
of Petrus Alamire have been assembled for this exhibit. This Flemish
polyphonist and transcriber of musical scores was a remarkable figure.
Next to being composer and copyist, he was merchant in musicalia, minstrel,
ambassador, spy and counterspy, at the Burgundian - Habsburg court in Mechelen.
His
manuscripts were presented to Henry VIII of England as diplomatic gifts,
to Maxmilian of Austria in Vienna, and were found even in the papal chapel
of Leo X.
BEYOND
VERDURES
Oudenaarde
tapestries from the 16th – 18th centuries
City
Hall - Clothmaker’s Hall – St. Walburga’s Church – de Lalaing House,
Oudenaarde
102
tapestries made in Oudenaarde will return from museums and private collections
world-wide, for this exhibition. A unique opportunity as one-third
of the tapestries have never previously been on public display.
LOS
HONORES
Tapestry
Exhibition in Mechelen
Mechelen
Cultural Centre
May
26 to October 2000
This
exhibit presents nine tapestries commissioned by the household of Charles
V, from the famous Brussels workshops of Pieter van Aelst, to celebrate
the coronation of Charles V as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
This magnificent series, which is being restored at the Royal Manufacture
for Tapestries, forms part of the collection of the Spanish Patrimonio Nacional.
Other
Charles V events will be listed in SEASONS, and PROGRAMME in future issues
of LUXURY TRAVELER.
We
wish to thank the Belgian Tourist Office for
furnishing
information and graphics for this article. The
illustration above:
Emperor
Charles V as a child, Jan Van Beers, 1879
copyright
Koninklijk Museum voor Shone Kunsten
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