Occasions of State: Early Modern European Festivals and the Negotiation of Power (European Festival Studies: 1450-1700)

This sixth volume in the European Festival Studies series stems from a joint conference (Venice, 2013) between the Society for European Festivals Research and the European Science Foundation’s PALATIUM project. Drawing on up-to-date scholarship, a Europe-wide group of early-career and experienced academics provides a unique account of spectacular occasions of state which influenced the political, social and cultural lives of contemporary societies. International pan-European turbulence associated with post-Reformation religious conflict supplies the context within which the book explores how the period’s rulers and élite families competed for power – in a forecast of today’s divided world. About the Author J.R. Mulryne is Professor Emeritus at the University of Warwick, UK. Krista De Jonge is Professor of Architectural History at the University of Leuven. R.L.M. (Richard) Morris is a Supervisor in History at the University of Cambridge. Pieter Martens is Assistant Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. This sixth volume in the European Festival Studies series stems from a joint conference (Venice, 2013) between the Society for European Festivals Research and the European Science Foundation's PALATIUM project. Drawing on up-to-date scholarship, a Europe-wide group of early-career and experienced academics provides a unique account of spectacular occasions of state which influenced the political, social and cultural lives of contemporary societies. International pan-European turbulence associated with post-Reformation religious conflict supplies the context within which the book explores how the period's rulers and élite families competed for power - in a forecast of today's divided world. -- From publisher's website This sixth volume in the European Festival Studies series stems from a joint conference (Venice, 2013) between the Society for European Festivals Research and the European Science Foundation's PALATIUM project. Drawing on up-to-date scholarship, a Europe-wide group of early-career and experienced academics provides a unique account of spectacular occasions of state which influenced the political, social and cultural lives of contemporary societies. International pan-European turbulence associated with post-Reformation religious conflict supplies the context within which the book explores how the period's rulers and aelite families competed for power - in a forecast of today's divided world Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century court and civic festivals incorporated the political ambitions and aesthetic preoccupations of their day. This lavishly-illustrated volume will prove fascinating to readers interested in the political, social and cultural features of an earlier society, together with their echoes in today's equally complex world.