Published by Maney Publishing (c) W.S Maney & Son Limited bibliography. Werner Thomas,co-editorofthe 1998collection,alsocontributes tovanWyhe’s ‘Marriage, powerandpolitics’ to thecollection,whilevanWyhe’spublicationsarelistedinhis and havecontinuedtoshare their respectivespecialisms.Duerlooprovidesachapteron the book.Anumberofthosescholars assembledforthe1998exhibitionhavestayedincontact important menasAmbrogioSpinola, whoappearsinnolessthanthreedifferentportraits which notonlyfollowthelives oftheroyalhousehold,butalsoshowcareersuch Wyhe’s editionisparticularlyrichwithnumerouscolourfuland excellentlyreproducedimages set ofillustrations,mostlyportraitstheprotagonistsduringvarious phasesoftheirlives.Van Southern Netherlandsafterthedeathofherhusbandin1621. Bothbooksareadornedwitha premarital lives,and—inthecaseofIsabellaherroleaswidowed governor-generalofthe remit oftheexhibitioncataloguebysheddinglightoncouple’s respectivechildhoodsand provide amulti-facettedstudyofArchduchessIsabellaClara Eugenia. Bothbooksextendthe bled anumberofeminentscholarsfromSpain,Belgium,the Netherlands,andtheUSAto lously researchedmonographofnolessthan592pages.Cordula vanWyhehasagainassem- write abiographyofArchdukeAlbert,whichhasnowappeared asanimpressive,meticu- In hispreface,LucDuerloosetsouthow,inthewakeofexhibition, hewasencouragedto umes whichseparatelypresentthetwohalvesofroyalpartnership inKoudenbergPalace. seventeen provincesoftheLowCountries.Twothemhave nowproducedimportantvol- scholars andbytheirknowledgeofthewiderHabsburgworldwellbeyondconfi of theseventeenthcenturyisenrichedbyhighlyinternationaloutlookandexpertisethese study. ThisnewinterestinthepoliticsandcultureofSouthernNetherlandsfi remained oflastinginterestandhasresultedinnewresearchintoahithertoneglectedfi of theArchducalcouplein1598.Foranumberscholarsinvolvedthisproject,topic borrowed, refl introductory chapterbyWernerThomas,fromwhichthetitleofpresentreviewarticleis Reformation campaignonthefrontlinesofconfessionaldivideLowCountries.The Habsburg coupletoechotheBurgundiansplendourofpastandmountaCounter- politan courtinBrusselsanditsimpactonthefl Sovereignty intheCourtsofMadridandBrussels. of ReligiousWar. Dynasty andPiety.ArchdukeAlbert(1598–1621)HabsburgPoliticalCultureintheAge University ofGroningen,TheNetherlands Raingard Esser ‘Andromeda Unbound’Revisited REVIEW ARTICLE dutch crossing © W.S.Maney& SonLtd2013 illustrated catalogue. Southern Netherlands.Theexhibitionwasaccompaniedbyanimpressiveandbeautifully commemorating the400thanniversaryofreignArchdukesAlbertandIsabellain In autumn1998theRoyalMuseumsforArtandHistoryinBrusselsopenedamajorexhibition 2012. Paul HolbertonPublishinginassociationwithCentrodeEustudiosEuropaHispánica,Madrid. ects thehighexpectationsinSouthernNetherlandsexpressed atthearrival By , Vol.37No.2,July2013,188–90 1 Historians,arthistorians,andliteraryscholarsexaminedthecosmo- Luc Duerloo . Farnham:Ashgate.2012; ourishing artsandculturecreatedbythe Edited by DOI 10.1179/0309656413Z.00000000037 Cordula vanWyhe Isabel ClaraEugenia.Female nes ofthe . London: rst half rst eld of eld Published by Maney Publishing (c) W.S Maney & Son Limited Kleve the eveofThirtyYears’War— part ofthestudyfocusesonAlbert’sinvolvementinpoliticsAustrianHabsburgs the bookisconcernedwiththisrelationshipleadinguptoTwelveYears’Truce,second vre thanSpanish-centredhistoriographysofarhasconceded.Whilemuchofthefi the ground’.Withinthissymbiosis,accordingtoDuerloo,Alberthadmoreroomformanoeu- and PhilipIIIneededaloyalrepresentativeinthenorthwithanunderstandingofpolitics‘on on Spain’s(notalwaysforthcoming)fi is bestdescribedassymbiotic,withbothcentresinneedofeachother.Albertwasdependent streams, Duerloofi organizing principleofservicetoandsupporttheHouseHabsburg.Followingtwo literature, DuerlooreconstructsthecomplicatedlogicunderlyingAlbert’spolicy,basedon on impressiveinternationalarchivalresearchandanexcellentknowledgeofthesecondary focuses ontheArchduke’sforeignpolicybetweenpolesofMadridandVienna.Based politicians andeventswithintheEmpire.Duerloo’smeticulousnarrativeofAlbert’sreign while scholarsworkingontheHolyRomanEmpirewereandstillaremainlyinterestedin politics oftheSpanishNetherlandsforalongtimehasbeendominatedbyhistoriansSpain, tant playerinthepowerpoliticsofturbulent‘confessionalage’.Thehistoriography policies oftheHabsburgEmpire—thusfarhasbeenmuchoverlookedasaneminentlyimpor- II —brotheroftwoHolyRomanEmperorsand,therefore,deeplyinvolvedinthedynastic wife Maria,daughterofEmperorCharles V —asthehusbandofeldestdaughterPhilip dynastic families. international politicsofthetime,whilevanWyheaddressesquestionsfemaleagencywithin Duerloo isparticularlyinterestedintheoften-neglectedroleofso-calledmiddlingstates address particularlacunaeinthehistoriographyofearlymoderncourtsandpoliticalelites. and thepoliticalcultureoffi during Isabella’swidowhood).Apartfromfi (on accesstothecourtinBrussels)andBirgitHoubenladies-in-waitingtheirrole after thedeathofArchduke)andsodotheir(former)PhDstudentsDriesRaeymaekers edition (withanarticleonthemanagementofpoliticalfactionsduringtransitionpower a numberoftheauthorsargue, playedanimportantroleasaconfi favourite daughterofPhilip II, who,until herdeparturetotheSouthernNetherlands,as Maria ofInnerAustria. court atViennaintheseventeenth century—andhermorerecentstudyofArchduchess women, suchasKatrinKeller’s ‘Hofdamen’—astudyofladies-in-waitingattheHabsburg scholarly attentioninrecentyears. ItthusaddstoanemergingsetofrecentworksonHabsburg addresses questionsoffemaleagencyinelitefamilies—a topic whichhasreceivedmuch courtiers. Inthislight,CordulavanWyhe’scollectionprovides awelcomecomplement.She policies andinternationalrelationsinthefi monograph reintroducesamuch-overlookedpoliticalplayer intothepictureofdynastic dling power’,whichissetoutintheintroduction.Thesereservations aside,however,Duerloo’s dynastic policy,somewhatblurstheapproachoftreating SpanishNetherlandsasa‘mid- events. ThecentralargumentofAlbert’smainpolicyaim,namely thesupportofHabsburg’s enigmatic andmakeitdiffi which sometimeslosessightofthesubjectunderinvestigation. Chapterheadingsremainabit and maritalrelations,politicalconfessionalalliances. Thisislaidoutingreatdetail, Major andmiddlingdynasticpowerswereconnectedthrough a complicatedwebofhereditary There cannotbeonenarrativeofeventsleadinguptotheBattleWhiteMountain. his position,heactedasastrongadvocatefortheintegrityandunityofdynasticfamily. years ofhislife,whenithadbecomeapparentthathewouldnothaveanheirtosucceed between thedifferentclaimsofarchdukesjockeyingforpositions.Particularlyinlater Archduke Albert—theyoungersonofHolyRomanEmperorMaximilian II andhis Duerloo’s portrayalisverymuchamen’sworldofpoliticians anddiplomats,generals SuccessionCrisis,andtheO rst arguesthattherelationshipbetweenSpanishandBrusselscourts 2 Thereaderisintroducedtothe earlylifeoftheinfanta,eldestand cult for thereadertonavigatechronologyandgeographyof rst halfoftheseventeenthcentury,bothbookssetoutto ῆ ate Treatyof1617.Here,Albertemergesasamediator nancial supportforhiswareffortintheLowCountries, Bruderzwist rst decadesoftheseventeenthcentury. lling agapinourknowledgeofthesetworulers ‘ANDROMEDA UNBOUND’REVISITED of theHouseHabsburg, dante oftheking,who rst partof Jülich- 189 Published by Maney Publishing (c) W.S Maney & Son Limited 2 1 Notes Archdukes survivedaftertheendofanera. ences toasecondgoldenageoftheSouthernNetherlandsassociatedwithrule of theDiscalcedCarmelitesinAntwerp,readerisleftwonderingforhowlongrefer- to governmentfromMadrid.Giventheomnipresenceofherimage,forinstanceinconvent of governor-general,providedaperiodcontinuitywhichcouldbeusedtosoftenthereturn death ofArchdukeAlbert.However,thestrongpresenceIsabella,whowasgiventitle would reverttothedirectruleofSpanishcrown,afactthatwaslegallyconfi ple andthedeclininghopeofalegitimateheir,itbecameclearthatSouthernNetherlands Isabella’s memoryplayedinthepoliticsofhersuccessors.Withadvancingagecou- this pointisnotfurtherdeveloped.Itwouldhavebeenusefultolearnmoreabouttherolethat references totheArchduchess’safterlifeinmemoriesofpeopleLowCountries, is abitdisappointing.WhileCordulavanWyhestartsherveryelegantintroductionwith tion, whichwereimportantaspectsofthepoliticalculturetime,endingbook motherly fi a passionateandmuch-lovedadvocateoftheSouthernNetherlands,admiredasdevout, rienced womansuchasIsabella,whosepoliticalsensitivitiesallowedhertostyleherself tively usedtohighlighttheroomformanoeuvreopenawell-educatedandpoliticallyexpe- wider HabsburgfamilyinBrusselsandMadrid,withtheelitestheirservice,areeffec- two rulers,thenduringIsabella’swidowhood.Relationsbetweentheseveralmembersof essays thenaddressthearrangementsatcourtsinSpanishNetherlands,fi represented throughportraitureandthecourtlypracticesofcollectinggift-giving.Several Prieto outlineimportantfacetsoftheroyalhouseholdinMadridandroleinfantas Santiago MartínezHernández,AlmudelaPérezdeTudela,CordulavanWyhe,andElisaGarcía remains arecurrentthemeinthecollection,but,thesereservationsaside,chaptersby apparently hadatalentforlisteninganddiscussingpoliticswithhim.Herlatemarriage and partlybecausePhilip II founditincreasinglydiffi the chosencandidate,EmperorRudolph II, remainedindecisivebeforeeventuallywithdrawing, thirties, partlybecausethenumberofacceptablemarriagepartnerswaslimited, very highprizeinthedynasticpoliticsoftime.Sheremainedunmarrieduntilwellintoher tions againsthersex,IsabellawastheclosestaspiranttoSpanishcrown,andtherefore,a brother, thelaterPhilip III, emergedfromthedangersofearlychildhood,despitereserva- Habsburgs and,consequently,intheEuropeandynasticmarriagemarket.Beforeheryounger some repetition,forinstanceaboutherspecialpositioninthedynastichierarchyofSpanish of articlesisconcernedwithIsabella’schildhoodandpremaritallife,whichinevitablyleadsto introduced hertotheintricaciesofinternationalpoliticsatanearlyage.Asubstantialnumber Netherlands. [email protected]. University ofGroningen,Oude Kijkin‘tJatstraat26,Groningen9712EK,The Raingard Esser Notes oncontributor 190 Wiener Hofstaatdes17. Jahrhunderts Katrin Keller, Thomas andLucDuerloo(Brepols,1998). Albert &Isabella,1598–1621 Cologne, &Weimar:Böhlau,2005);KatrinKeller, Correspondence to:Raingard Esser,FacultyofArts,EarlyModernHistory, RAINGARD ESSER gure, deeplycaringforhersubjects.Giventheemphasisonimageandrepresenta- Hofdamen: Amtsträgerinnenim , ed.byWerner (Vienna, Zwischen HabsburgundWittelsbach Erzherzogin MariavonInnerösterreich(1551–1608). Marie Legaré,andWimM.Hüsken(Brepols,2010). Burgundian Court Cologne, &Weimar:Böhlau,2012); cult topartwithhisdaughter,who , ed.byDagmarEichberger,Anne rmed afterthe rst underthe Women atthe (Vienna,