People, Place, and Power in Eighteenth-Century Ghent

Personnages and Pathways 1

Charles VI, the guest of honor, never showed up to the grandiose party the town of Ghent organized for him in the Fall of 1717. However, local dignitaries and clergymen found prestige, fame, and a place in history simply by attending what was arguably the political event of 1717 in Ghent. In fact, the careful recording of who was present, at which point and in what place during the celebration, is the core of what the festival book records. Instead of celebrating solely the person for whom the book was written, the town of Ghent, as a collectivity was throwing a party. This figured heavily into this project's analysis of the various personnages found throughout the deluxe engraved memorialization of the event.

The festival book records the names of those who were present and those who were absent at each event as the narrative advances spatially through the town of Ghent. For these reasons, we have tracked both the personnages and pathways that festival book details. While individuals and groups of individuals matter as characters of the story, the festival book meticulously traces the position of attendants in space at each event, their position relative to others, as well as their movement from one venue to the next. By visualizing such social situations, the social standing and political powers at play in early 18th-century Flanders come to light. Furthermore, physical proximity and temporal pacing of the procession illuminates the enactment of power and public performance which took place over the course of three days in 1717 Ghent.  


One of the most vivid representations of Charles VI is, in fact, in the frontispiece. Afterwards, his role seems to become less relevant.  

RELATION
DE L'INAUGURATION SOLEMNELLE
DE SA SACREE MAJESTE
IMPERIALE ET CATHOLIQUE
CHARLES VI.
EMPEREUR DES ROMAINS,
TOUJOURS AUGUSTE,
ET TROISIEME DU NOM
ROY DES ESPAGNES,
COMME
COMTE DE FLANDRES
Celebrée à GAND Ville Capitale de la Province,
le XVIII Octobre 1717.


His role as an Emperor and Earl of Flanders is what brought him to the capital of the province, Ghent. However, as we argue, the presence of lower dignitaries than himself was celebrated instead, and featured greatly in the Festival Book. 

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