Dynastieke transfer in de Republiek. De politieke en religieuze betekenis van de stadhouderlijke begrafenisstoet

Abstract

Dynastic transfer in the Dutch Republic. The political and religious meaning of the Stadholders' funeral processionsThis article argues that the programme of the funeral processions of the Stadholders in the Dutch Republic can be read as a response to political and religious tensions in Dutch society after the Revolt. Basing themselves partly on the burial ceremonies of the former Habsburg sovereign, the directors of these processions created a separation between the private and public identities of the deceased. This separation between identities and institutional spheres was essential since the sovereignty of the Dutch state was no longer involved in the symbolic transfer of dynastic powers to a new heir. The first division of the parade was therefore marked by heraldic symbols referring to the princely household as a private institution and to family possessions. In the second, public section of the procession members of republican institutions participated. Religiously, the funeral processions reveal a programme which was consciously a-confessional. The Stadholders’ funerals were thus used to transcend confessional divisions in Dutch society and to create a unifying bond between participants and spectators.