Author:

Keywords:

Brabant, codicology, court culture (vs. bourgeois culture, literary patronage, multilinguism, Arts & Humanities, Medieval & Renaissance Studies, Arts & Humanities - Other Topics, court culture (vs. bourgeois culture), PROSE, 2103 Historical Studies

Abstract:

To what extent did the aristocracy of Brabant contribute to the blossoming of literature in Dutch during the first half of the 14(th) Century? In an attempt to answer this question, the article first of all examines the form and content of some 50 manuscripts (the list of which is provided in an annex) written in the Duchy during that period. Moreover, new texts were being composed in Brabant at that time. The circumstances of their drafting demonstrate that from then on all strata of the nobility in Brabant regarded Dutch as a literary language. Dutch literature was actively encouraged by the bourgeoisie, but also by aristocratic circles. Because of the Duchy's growing political isolation, the influence of French literature declined while interest for local history was aroused.