V. Soen, ‘The Chièvres Legacy, the Croÿ Family and Litigation in Paris. Dynastic Identities between the Low Countries and France (1519-1559)’, in: L. Geevers and M. Marini (eds.), Dynastic Identity in Early Modern Europe: Rulers, Aristocrats and the Formation of Identities (Politics and Culture in Europe, 1650-1750), Ashgate, Farnham, 2015, 87-102.

Abstract:

Guillaume de Croÿ, Lord of Chièvres, passed away at the renowned Diet of Worms in 1521. The marriage of this chief councillor to Emperor Charles V had remained childless. In early modern noble families, this generally proved to be a good guarantee for endless legal proceedings on inheritance. In the case of Chièvres, the dispute on his legacy would end up even more hazardous than usual. About two years before his death, the Habsburg advisor had purchased and received a significant series of lands in the enemy kingdom of France. These lordships were scattered over regions as varied as Champagne, Normandy, Gascony and Languedoc. This contribution shows how the Croÿ family dealt with cross-border patrimony in the remainder of the sixteenth century. It deals particularly with the litigation of younger members of the dynasty, trying to obtain property rights from the Parlement de Paris.

Link to text via KU Leuven: https://lirias.kuleuven.be/handle/123456789/519173