The Joyeuse Entrée was a famous charter of civic liberties originally granted by Duke John III of Brabant in 1354. John summoned representatives of the cities of the duchy to Leuven to announce the marriage of his oldest daughter and heiress Jeanne of Brabant to Wenceslaus, duke of Luxemburg, and offered them liberal concessions so as to secure their assent to the change of dynasty. John III died in 1355. On the occasion of their state entry into Brussels in January 1356, Wenceslaus and Jeanne signed the charter that had been drawn up and solemnly swore to uphold its provisions.
From the occasion on which it was first proclaimed this charter has been known in history as La Joyeuse Entrée (the "joyous entry"). With this instrument the dukes of Brabant undertook to maintain the indivisibility of the duchy, and not to wage war, make treaties, or impose taxes without the consent of their subjects, as represented by the municipalities. All members of the duke's council were to be native-born Brabanters. The charter became a model for other provinces and the bulwark of the liberties of the Netherlands. Its provisions were modified from time to time, but remained practically unchanged from the reign of Charles V onwards. The ill-advised attempt of the emperor Joseph II in his reforming zeal to abrogate the Joyeuse Entrée caused a revolt in Brabant, before which he had to yield.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
