On This Day

Duke of Brabant John II signs the Charter of Kortenberg creating a Parliament of Kortenberg (The Lords of Kortenberg)

The Charter of Kortenberg (Dutch: Keure van Kortenberg) is an agreement signed and sealed on September 27, 1312, in the abbey of Kortenberg by John II, Duke of Brabant and representatives of the...

The Charter of Kortenberg (Dutch: Keure van Kortenberg) is an agreement signed and sealed on September 27, 1312, in the abbey of Kortenberg by John II, Duke of Brabant and representatives of the cities of Brussels, Antwerp, 's-Hertogenbosch, Tienen and Zoutleeuw. Creation of the document is of historical and political importance because it retains agreements between inhabitants of a territory with a ruler who had absolute power. This reflected the start of a current that would later be labeled by historians as Brabant's Constitutionalism because residents without control had claimed rights and powers, and had them recorded in writing, which are somewhat comparable to what have come to be called civil and political rights centuries later.

Historical Significance

The Charter of Kortenberg (Dutch: Keure van Kortenberg) is an agreement signed and sealed on September 27, 1312, in the abbey of Kortenberg by John II, Duke of Brabant and representatives of the cities of Brussels, Antwerp, 's-Hertogenbosch, Tienen and Zoutleeuw.

Events Before

  1. The Great Frost: in London the Thames river froze so thickly bonfires were lit on it

    The Great Frost: in London the Thames river froze so thickly bonfires were lit on it

  2. Fifty-four members of the Knights Templar are burned at the stake in France for being heretics

    Fifty-four members of the Knights Templar are burned at the stake in France for being heretics

  3. Battle of Halmyros: Catalan Company defeats the Frankish Duchy of Athens and its vassals led by Walter V of Brienne to t

    Battle of Halmyros: Catalan Company defeats the Frankish Duchy of Athens and its vassals led by Walter V of Brienne to take control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in Greece

  4. General Malik Kafur returns to Delhi after campaign in South India

    General Malik Kafur returns to Delhi after campaign in South India

  5. Council of Vienne (15th ecumenical council) opens

    Council of Vienne (15th ecumenical council) opens

Events After

  1. Peace of Angleur, Liège signed

    Peace of Angleur, Liège signed

  2. Louis the Bavarian defeats his cousin Frederick I of Austria at the Battle of Gammelsdorf

    The Battle of Gammelsdorf (German: Schlacht von Gammelsdorf) took place in November 1313. The cause of the skirmish was the guardianship of the underage duke of Lower Bavaria.

  3. Philippa of Hainault is born

    Philippa of Hainault is born

  4. Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake by King Philip IV of Fra

    Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake by King Philip IV of France

  5. Battle of Bannockburn: Scotland regains independence from England

    The Battle of Bannockburn (Scottish Gaelic: Blàr Allt nam Bànag or Blàr Allt a' Bhonnaich) was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King...

More from the 1310s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 27, 1312?
The Charter of Kortenberg (Dutch: Keure van Kortenberg) is an agreement signed and sealed on September 27, 1312, in the abbey of Kortenberg by John II, Duke of Brabant and representatives of the cities of Brussels, Antwerp, 's-Hertogenbosch, Tienen and Zoutleeuw. Creation of the document is of historical and political importance because it retains agreements between inhabitants of a territory with a ruler who had absolute power. This reflected the start of a current that would later be labeled by historians as Brabant's Constitutionalism because residents without control had claimed rights and powers, and had them recorded in writing, which are somewhat comparable to what have come to be called civil and political rights centuries later.
Why is Duke of Brabant John II signs the Charter of Kortenberg creating a Parliament... significant?
The Charter of Kortenberg (Dutch: Keure van Kortenberg) is an agreement signed and sealed on September 27, 1312, in the abbey of Kortenberg by John II, Duke of Brabant and representatives of the cities of Brussels, Antwerp, 's-Hertogenbosch, Tienen and Zoutleeuw.

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