Building the Presence of the Prince. The Institutions Responsible for the Construction and Management of the Buildings of European Courts (14th-17th centuries)

Abstract

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. Obviously, castles and fortresses defended the territory, while urban and rural residences served the itinerant court during its proceedings, but their possessions also comprised a wider network of estates that included infrastructure and agricultural, commercial, industrial, and administrative buildings. 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 have not yet been systematically studied, and it remains unclear to what extent such centralised institutions developed autonomously, responding to local conditions and requirements, or were part of international developments facilitated by the close networks of the European courts. 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. It aims to explore the relationships between the local specificities of these organisations and their shared characteristics. 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.