Privy Councillors Engelbert Maes, Guillaume de Grysperre, Ferdinand de Boisschot, Jean Grivel and Guillaume de Steenhuys in the funeral cortege of Archduke Albert (1622)

The Privy Council or Secret Council (Dutch: Geheime Raad, French: Conseil Privé) was one of the three "collateral councils" (along with the Council of Finance and Council of State) that together formed the highest government institutions of the Habsburg Netherlands.[1] Based in Brussels, it was particularly charged with legal and administrative questions.[2]

History

The Council was founded on 1 October 1531 by Emperor Charles V.[3] He prescribed a president, eight councillors, and a secretary.

Philip V of Spain abolished the council in 1702, but it was later restored by the archduchess-governess Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen and finally abolished by the Brabant Revolution.

Personnel

Presidents

Councillors

Secretary

See also

References

  1. ^ Paul F. State, Historical Dictionary of Brussels (2015), p. 393.
  2. ^ Georges Martyn, "How 'Sovereign' were the Southern Netherlands under the Archdukes?", in The Twelve Years Truce (1609): Peace, Truce, War and Law in the Low Countries at the Turn of the 17th Century, edited by Randall Lesaffer (Leiden and Boston, 2014), p. 201.
  3. ^ Geheime Raad (1531-1578), Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands. Accessed 3 April 2017.
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