The first European Summit in The Hague
The Order of the Golden Fleece enabled Philip the Good to get his hooks in all the districts that he controlled. But, of course, the Golden Fleece knights also had to keep in touch with each other. So, Philip the Good organized gatherings, named Chapters, in various cities throughout his Burgundy empire.[**break**]The choice of city depended on the political circumstances at the time. The First Chapter was held one year after the Order had been established in Lille in 1431. The Ninth Chapter was organized by the Duke in The Hague, in the year 1456.
The meetings were the most important element of a Chapter. The nobles would discuss important political business and the conduct of the Golden Fleece knights. Misconduct was punished and heroic acts praised. Furthermore, knights who had passed away were remembered and new knights elected. For the religious ceremonies the knights gathered at a church. In 1456 in the parish church of the Hague, the Grote Kerk.
Did you know:
that the National Library of the Netherlands in The Hague preserves the fifteenth-century Statutes and Armorial of the Order of the Golden Fleece? The book opens with one of the oldest scenes of a meeting of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
The Golden Fleece knights came from all over Europe, from County Holland to the Kingdom of Aragon, and all the Burgundy territories in between. So, a Chapter was really a kind of political summit on European level.
Reinoud van Brederode, A rebellious knight in the northern Low Countries
The immediate reason for Philip the Good to organize the Chapter in The Hague was the appointment of a bishop in Utrecht. Against the Duke's wishes, Gijsbrecht van Brederode was chosen over Philip's illegitimate son David of Burgundy.[**break**] The Duke wanted to call the nobles to order in The Hague. And particularly Reinoud van Brederode, Golden Fleece knight and brother of the newly chosen bishop. The Van Brederodes were from a noble family in Holland that was generally regarded anti-Burgundy. That had to do with the Hook and Cod Wars, a power struggle between nobles and cities that had gone on for decades. The Hooks were led by Reinoud van Brederode, while the Cods traditionally leaned more towards Philip the Good.
Did you know:
that initially Reinoud van Brederode was not coming to the Chapter in The Hague? He was forced to attend and eventually arrived on the eleventh day.
When in 1455 the negotiations on the bishop matter failed, Philip the Good decided to convene all the powerful Golden Fleece knights in The Hague. Close to the bishop's city of Utrecht and from the impressive count's Inner Courtyard, the monarch wanted to impress and put pressure on the nobles from Holland. That way, a bigger uprising was to be prevented.
Of course, the Golden Fleece knights extensively discussed the position of Reinoud van Brederode. Reinoud did not arrive in The Hague until 11 May. He swore on his knees that the dispute with Philip's illegitimate son David was a personal matter. He had never intended to plot a riot against Philip the Good. Eventually Reinoud officially accepted David of Burgundy as the new Bishop of Utrecht. And that was the end of the Chapter.
The Chapter at the Grote Kerk in The Hague
On Saturday, 1 May 1456, the Chapter started with Mass at the Great Church. The knights were sitting in the choir, the most holy place of the church surrounding the high altar. This part of the church was not accessible or visible for everyone.[**break**]
Over the knights' heads were the coats of arms showing each knight's arm.Sixteen of the thirty-one Golden Fleece knights attended Mass in The Hague.Philip the Good sat facing the high altar. The other knights sat on either side of him. The most important and most loyal knights positioned themselves closest to the Duke.
Did you know:
that Philip the Good deliberately chose the parish church over the court chapel? A recent renovation had made the Grote Kerk even greater and more impressive.
The church services alternated with meetings and dinners at the Great Hall in the Binnenhof, known today as the Ridderzaal.
The 1456 Chapter. Listen what happened.
Dining in style
The knights did not just have their meetings in the Binnenhof. Nowadays called de Ridderzaal - Hall of Knights. There was also extensive dining and partying at the Great Hall. For sharing food and drinks was a major element of a Chapter.[**break**] Long tables and benches were set up at the Great Hall. Philip the Good, as the sovereign of the Order, most likely sat at the centre, with the other knights sitting on either side of him, and the guests at other tables. The tables were set with gold and silverware: gold for the knights and silver for the other guests. Expensive dishes were put on display. Among the most important objects were the salt cellar and the table ship.
Did you know:
that hardly anything has remained of all that gold and silverware? Sooner or later the objects were re-melted into coins to pay for wars.
The menu in Holland mainly featured fish, game and poultry. Wild boars, swans and peacocks were real treats. The produce came either from the farms at the Binnenhof itself, the surrounding forests, the court pond and the sea, or were imported. For example, wine and beer were brought in from Germany, France and Spain.
Food and drinks were kept and prepared in the kitchens, the bakery, the meat house (lardier), the pantry (tredsoer), and the bottling room (buttelarye) in the Inner Courtyard.
Glitter and Glamour in the Middle Ages
Philip the Good had the Great Hall richly decorated with beautiful carpets and expensive works of art that travelled along with the Duke. The guests and the Golden Fleece knights stayed around the Binnenhof.[**break**] Beds and other utensils were borrowed from neighbouring residencies. And when the Golden Fleece knights left the Inner Courtyard with their horses to go to the Great Church, they went with great pomp and circumstance: a huge parade of banners, trumpeters, bell chiming, decked out horses, and knights dressed in the most splendid gowns and jewellery.
Did you know:
that the Burgundy court was known for its rich court culture? For example, Jan van Eyck was among Philip the Good's court artists.
In this type of parade, the nobles were followed by an entourage of footmen. In their retinue were the households of the nobles: the more extensive and the richer adorned, the more prestige the monarch had. The spectacle would be lustred by court fools and musicians playing wind instruments like trumpets, pipe flutes and shawms. The embroidered and painted coats of arms of the Golden Fleece knights on the horse cloths, banners, pennants and trumpet flags showed who the people in Holland were dealing with.
Did you know:
that in the Great Hall, today known as the Knights' Hall, were famous and impressive carpets that together measured over 100 metres long?
The Golden Fleece knights themselves wore red, long, wide coats, with gold-thread embroidered edges during the Chapter. This was the typical dress for a Golden Fleece knight, also called robes. With it came a hat, called a chaperon, and, of course, the Golden Fleece chain.Knights were to wear the Golden Fleece at all times.
The Chapter was such an extraordinary event that spectators travelled from France, England, Spain, Italy and Germany to what was otherwise the sleepy town of The Hague to witness the festivities. Philip the Good had good reason to save no trouble or expense for the Chapter. Rumour had it that the monarch did not have the money to go to war against Utrecht to decide the bishop issue. To prove everybody wrong, the Duke wanted to make an overwhelming impression, both in The Hague and all over County Holland.
