Joyeuse Entrée

1356, Brabant

Also known as: Joyeuse Entrée de Brabant

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June 29, 2026

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The Joyeuse Entrée (French for "Joyous Entry") was a ceremonial event in the Middle Ages and the ancien régime where a prince would make his first visit to his country, often confirming or granting privileges. The most famous instance occurred on January 3, 1356, in the duchy of Brabant.12

This charter of liberties was presented to Brabant by Johanna, the heiress of Duke John III, and her husband Wenceslas of Luxembourg. It was granted out of fear that Wenceslas, a foreigner, might disregard Brabant's traditional rights. The charter stipulated that Brabant could not be divided, that public offices were reserved for Brabanters, and that Brabant's consent was required for matters of coinage, foreign alliances, and declarations of war. This charter became a model for other provinces in the Low Countries and a cornerstone of their liberties.1

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Joyeuse Entrée
3, 1356, and called the Joyeuse Entrée, which was presented to the duchy of Brabant (in the Low Countries) by Johanna, daughter and heiress of Brabant’s Duke John III (d. 1355), and her husband Wenceslas, duke of Luxembourg, brother of the Holy Roman emperor Charles IV. The occasion was the…
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3, 1356, and called the Joyeuse Entrée, which was presented to the duchy of Brabant (in the Low Countries) by Johanna, daughter and heiress of Brabant’s Duke John III (d. 1355), and her husband Wenceslas, duke of Luxembourg, brother of the Holy Roman emperor Charles IV. The occasion was the…
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Brabant Revolution
…and local liberties, including Brabant’s Joyeuse Entrée, which was abrogated by the emperor in 1789. The revolutionaries were at first successful in driving the Austrian forces out of the provinces. The revolutionary vanguard, which consisted of two groups—the conservative Statists, led by Henri van der Noot, and the progressive Vonckists,…
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…and local liberties, including Brabant’s Joyeuse Entrée, which was abrogated by the emperor in 1789. The revolutionaries were at first successful in driving the Austrian forces out of the provinces. The revolutionary vanguard, which consisted of two groups—the conservative Statists, led by Henri van der Noot, and the progressive Vonckists,…
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Brabant
…of rights known as the Joyeuse Entrée (q.v.; Jan. 3, 1356). This great constitutional charter gave Brabant an exceptional position among the feudal states of the Low Countries and allowed it to play an eminent role in later centuries in the resistance against absolutist rulers.
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…of rights known as the Joyeuse Entrée (q.v.; Jan. 3, 1356). This great constitutional charter gave Brabant an exceptional position among the feudal states of the Low Countries and allowed it to play an eminent role in later centuries in the resistance against absolutist rulers.
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