Book presentation: Building the Presence of the Prince. The Institutions Responsible for the Construction and Management of the Buildings of European Courts (14th-17th centuries)
https://www.brepols.net/products/IS-9782503593364-1
José Eloy Hortal Muñoz, -University Rey Juan Carlos
Merlijn Hurx, KU Leuven
By the late Middle Ages, architecture became an increasingly important means of representation of princely rule and institutions. In addition to their symbolic significance, the ruler’s buildings served a host of practical purposes. Together, these networks of sites became a significant means of consolidating the sovereigns’ power and served as key instruments for promoting their rule. To tighten the control over their possessions and to ensure their upkeep, rulers set up Offices of Works, permanent administrative bodies entrusted with their management.
These building administrations had not yet been systematically studied and, this volume, with contributions from architectural historians, administrative historians, and court historians, represents a first attempt to compare these institutions on a pan-European scale from the late Middle Ages up to the end of the seventeenth century. From a multidisciplinary perspective, it addresses questions concerning the nature of such administrations, their purpose, organisational structure, and judicial powers, as well as their role in the formation of the state.
