The Council of Brabant was the highest

law court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordanc ...

in the historic

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg Neth ...

. It was presided over by the

Chancellor of Brabant The Chancellor of Brabant was the head of the civilian government of the late medieval and early-modern Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant ...

. One of its functions was to determine that new legislation was not contrary to the rights and liberties established in the

Joyous Entry A Joyous Entry ( nl, Blijde Intrede, Blijde Inkomst, or ; ) is the official name used for the ceremonial royal entry, the first official peaceable visit of a reigning monarch, prince, duke or governor into a city, mainly in the Duchy of Braban ...

. The

Belgian Federal Parliament The Federal Parliament is the bicameral parliament of Belgium. It consists of the Chamber of Representatives ( Dutch: , french: Chambre des Représentants, german: Abgeordnetenkammer) and the Senate ( Dutch: , french: Sénat, german: Senat). ...

now sits in the building that was designed in the late 18th century by

Gilles-Barnabé Guimard Gilles-Barnabé Guimard (also Gilles Barnabé Guymard de Larabe or Barnabé Guimard) (1734–1805) was a French architect. He spent his entire career in the Habsburg Netherlands (present-day Belgium) where he led important architectural and ...

as the Palace of the Council of Brabant.

Abolition

On 1 January 1787,

Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...

, decreed the abolition of the Council of Brabant, which had resisted his reforming measures as conflicting with the established liberties of the duchy, and ordered that it be replaced with a number of tribunals to be newly instituted. On 20 April the Council nullified this decree as contrary to the liberties of the duchy and ordered its members to give no heed to it. At the end of May 1787 the government in Brussels postponed the implementation of judicial innovations, and in September abolished the decree. On 18 June 1789 Joseph II's representative in Brussels,

Ferdinand von Trauttmansdorff Prince Ferdinand von Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg (1749–1827) was an Austrian diplomat and statesman. From 1787 to 1789 he was Minister plenipotentiary of the Austrian Netherlands, ruling on behalf of Emperor Joseph II. By birth he was a member of ...

, declared that the powers of the Council of Brabant would henceforth be exercised by the

Great Council of Mechelen From the 15th century onwards, the Great Council of the Netherlands at Mechelen (Dutch: ''De Grote Raad der Nederlanden te Mechelen''; French: ''le grand conseil des Pays-Bas à Malines''; German: ''der Grosse Rat der Niederlände zu Mecheln'') w ...

. This government coup was one of the direct causes of the

Brabant Revolution The Brabant Revolution or Brabantine Revolution (french: Révolution brabançonne, nl, Brabantse Omwenteling), sometimes referred to as the Belgian Revolution of 1789–1790 in older writing, was an armed insurrection that occurred in the Aust ...

.D. De Stobbeleir, "Verzet tegen de hervormingen van Jozef II en de staatsgreep van 18 juni 1789", tr. M. Erkens, in ''Doorheen de nationale geschiedenis'' (State Archives in Belgium, Brussels, 1980), pp. 262–267. The Council was finally abolished under the French occupation of 1794–1814.

Notable members

* Willem Van der Tanerijen (died 1499) * Cornelius Wytfliet (1555–1597) *

Petrus Peckius the Younger Petrus Peckius the Younger, also known as Petrus Pecquius or Pierre Peckius (born Pieter Peck; 1562 – 28 July 1625), was a diplomat and chancellor of Brabant for the Sovereign Archdukes Albert and Isabella. He is best known for a failed at ...

(1562–1625) *

Ferdinand van Boisschot Ferdinand van Boisschot or Ferdinand de Boisschot (1560s

(died 1649) *

Guillaume Wittouck Guillaume Wittouck (1749 - 1829) was a Belgian lawyer and High Magistrate. He was the Grandfather of industrialist Paul Wittouck and of Belgian navigator Guillaume Delcourt. Biography Guillaume Wittouck, born in Drogenbos on 30 October 174 ...

(1749–1829)

Abolition

Notable members

See also

References

Further reading