Appel à contribution – The Key to Power ? The Culture of Access in Early Modern Courts, 1400-1700

8–9 November 2012 Antwerp, Belgium
Organized by ESF Research Networking Programme PALATIUM
Co-Organized by University of Antwerp Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands The Society for Court Studies

This colloquium is part of the ESF Research Networking Programme PALATIUM: Court Residences as Places of Exchange in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe (1400–1700). The PALATIUM programme aims at creating a common forum for research on the late medieval and early modern European court residence or “palace” (palatium) with an interdisciplinary perspective. The world of the courts 1400–1700 constituted a network of truly European scale and international character, but its architecture is only rarely studied in its “connectivity”. Here the “palace” is seen as a place for cultural exchange. Human interaction in this space is regulated and codified by a set of rules, known as “ceremonial”. The interaction between palace architecture (tangible) and ceremonial (intangible, but known through a set of tangible testimonials of different types, written and visual) is one of the key questions the PALATIUM network aims to address.

The palace’s space and form carry multiple connotations. To the informed observer they represent power, lineage, and tradition versus innovation. The decoding of this system of signs necessitates input not only by architectural and art historians, but also by various other disciplines, such as archaeology, politics, literature, theatre and music. The PALATIUM programme wants to encourage theoretical and methodological debates in the field, and aims in particular at stimulating exchanges of knowledge and experience between historians, architectural historians, art historians, and researchers in related disciplines – thus building up a network of scholars, institutions and research groups across Europe which mirrors the international network of courts that is being examined.

The present colloquium belongs to section WPM1 of the PALATIUM programme: “‘Examples’, ‘Models’, ‘Influences’: the ‘Connectivity’ between the European Court Residences”. For further information on the various topics and working parties of PALATIUM, see http://www.courtresidences.eu.

The Aims of the Antwerp Colloquium

Over the past three decades, access to the monarch has emerged as an increasingly important theme in scholarship on early modern courts. In a society still highly dependent on the authority of a single ruler, and therefore subject to such volatile variables as princely favour and patronage, the ability to live, work or spend time in physical proximity to the monarch could become a vital asset in the struggle for individual and familial advancement and, in many cases, political power. In this perspective, different forms of access corresponded to different levels of political influence and favour. It is therefore scarcely surprising that the notion of access and its importance for our understanding of the court’s power system have been intensively debated. Control of access was long thought to have equated with control of power within the monarchy. More recently, others have contended that access was a lot more flexible, diffuse and transitory than is often accounted for. Although the notion has thus dominated historical writing on court politics, scholars have still not recovered the full meaning of access within court societies.

This colloquium aims to broaden the debate by consciously moving towards the more expansive notion of the culture of access. By taking into account palace architecture, spatial arrangements, court ceremonial, material culture and the arts, this approach enables us to achieve a much more nuanced and complete understanding of the ways in which access functioned in day‐to‐day court life. In this decidedly transdisciplinary perspective, the monarch’s accessibility is not merely interpreted as a set of ceremonial rules and conventions but as a constant interplay of spaces, strategies, personalities and events. Thus, one of the aims of this colloquium is to illuminate the relationship between the notion of access and the architecture (in the broadest possible sense of the term) of court residences. Another aim is to offer a comparative, transnational view that potentially covers the whole of Europe. We particularly welcome contributions that consider international exchanges between the various actors in Europe’s ‘network’ of courts. We also invite papers that discuss methodological issues involved in studying networks, including notions such as ‘examples’, ‘models’, and ‘influences’.

Contributions can address on one or more of the following themes :

I. Articulating Access
This theme aims to examine the ways in which the spatial arrangements of the princely residence contributed to the management of access. In most early modern courts, a sequence of entrances, courtyards, staircases, corridors and antechambers marked the walking route from the palace precincts into the ruler’s private apartments and served to pre‐sort visitors according to rank and status. How did palace architecture influence the accessibility or, by contrast, the isolation of the monarch? To what extent did court architects take these concerns into account when designing the palace? How were older residences adapted to new ideas about access, seclusion and/or openness? How was access articulated when rulers and their households were on the move because of warfare, hunting, or travel ?

II. Regulating Access
This theme seeks to explain how ceremonial culture facilitated or hampered the accessibility of the monarch. As a rule, spatial barriers in the palace were complemented by a sophisticated court ceremonial that served to regulate access. A detailed set of rules prescribed who was

allowed to approach the monarch and who was not. What were the ‘normal’ procedures concerning access (audiences, interviews, ambassadorial visits and receptions, etc.)? How could they be circumvented, and by whom? What about the security of the monarch and unanticipated, possibly even hostile, infiltrations ?

III. Visualizing Access
This theme aims to interpret the concept of access by looking at the way it was represented in visual and material culture. Whilst passing through the palace corridors, visitors were made visually aware of the privilege of gaining access to increasingly private spaces. How did works of art (paintings, murals, tapestries, etc.) and other objects (keys, halberds, doorknobs, etc.) contribute to the representation of access and/or accessibility? What was the aim of the visual messages conveyed across the enfilade of palace spaces? If certain symbolic schemes can be discerned, for whom were they intended, and how were they understood ?

IV. Theorizing Access
This theme seeks to address the correlation between a monarch’s style of government and his accessibility, as it was discussed in contemporary treatises. Some monarchs governed in ‘splendid isolation’, which made it virtually impossible for anyone but their closest confidants to see or talk to them. Others preferred a more open approach and deliberately invited their subjects to see them and engage in conversation. How was the notion of access discussed and theorized in treatises, histories and pamphlets? To what extent did monarchs take these ideas into account when presenting themselves to the public? What role did the residences play in affirming this image? Did this image correspond to reality ?

V. Monopolizing Access
This theme aims to study the ways in which certain individuals monopolized access to the ruler. To a number of people, access was unrestricted and assured (family members, favourites, secretaries, etc.). Their privileged status often enabled them to act as a screen for the ruler and to control the access of others. Which individuals enjoyed unlimited access, and how did they accomplish this? Which methods did they use to prevent others from doing the same? How did access relate to the establishment of friendship or intimacy with the monarch? What were the political consequences thereof? Where did the favourites themselves reside, in relation to the ruler ?

How to Apply ?

Abstracts are invited by 31 May 2012. We welcome proposals that are comparative and synthetic, as well as detailed studies of particular cases. Abstracts should be limited to 300 words, and are to be headed with the applicant’s name, professional affiliation, and title of the paper. All abstracts must be in English, which will be the working language of the colloquium. Submit with the abstract a one‐page curriculum vitae, with your full contact details.

Submit your proposal by e‐mail to the two conference chairs, Dries Raeymaekers (dries.raeymaekers@ua.ac.be) and Sebastiaan Derks (sebastiaan.derks@huygens.knaw.nl), with a copy to the PALATIUM coordinator Pieter Martens (pieter.martens@asro.kuleuven.be).

Abstracts should define the subject and summarize the questions to be raised in the proposed paper. All abstracts will be held in confidence during the selection process. Only one submission per author will be accepted. All applicants will be notified of the acceptance or rejection of their proposal by 1 July 2012.

Grants for Young Scholars

PALATIUM offers travel grants to junior researchers who want to participate in this event and briefly present their work in progress. The number of available grants is limited. The deadline for grant applications is 31 August 2012. All grant applications must be made online. See the PALATIUM website for more information (http://www.courtresidences.eu/index.php/grants/).

Convenors:

Dries RAEYMAEKERS (University of Antwerp)

Sebastiaan DERKS (Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands)

Scientific Committee:

Monique CHATENET (Centre André Chastel, INHA, Paris)

Krista DE JONGE (University of Leuven), PALATIUM Chair
Luc DUERLOO (University of Antwerp)

Bernardo J. GARCÍA (Fundación Carlos de Amberes), PALATIUM co‐Chair

Pieter MARTENS (University of Leuven), PALATIUM Coordinator

Fabian PERSSON (Linneus University, Kalmar)

Coordination:

Dries RAEYMAEKERS University of Antwerp, Department of History
Prinsstraat 13 / D.323 B–2000 Antwerp, Belgium

E: dries.raeymaekers@ua.ac.be