The double marriage between the Habsburg and Spanish dynasties organised in the creation of the Holy League in 1495 was part of a larger plan driven by the Spanish monarchs to create a general European-wide alliance against the French. To further these aims, Ferdinand and Isabella also arranged for their other children to marry into the Portuguese and English royal families as well. Such good family planning, however, was not to yield anywhere near the results that Ferdinand and Isabella sought. In this episode we will track the tumultuous journeys leading up to the weddings which brought Spain and the Low Countries together, the devastating repercussions the Spanish monarchs’ religiosity would have for the Jews of the Iberian peninsula, as well as a series of untimely deaths which would see the Spanish succession repeatedly shuffle down the line. When the music stopped in this dynastic game of musical chairs, Philip the Handsome and Joanna of Castile’s five month old baby son, Charles, would found himself perched on the stool which held possession of a ridiculous amount of Spanish, Imperial and Burgundian titles, all of which would eventually make him the most powerful person in Europe.

With thanks to Mary Teresa Howell, ericb3234, Bill van Loo, Wazdr and Roni Rivera for their Patreon support.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/episode-49-the-willing-bride

PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthenetherlands

TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/historyofNL

Verse 1

Tonight we celebrate, for some maid of the court

Will bind herself to man, for the second time, the young tart

Tonight we humiliate, have fun, eat well, be drunk, make noise

As the tradition dictates, for the twice wed goose

Chorus

The king rules surrounded by fools

They came to the feast in the guise of a beast

Madness reigns as they’re bound in chains

Let the dames shield you from the flames

It’s the Ball of the Burning Men !

Verse 2

The almighty Church frowns upon these pagan rites

They might be kingmakers but did they really think they could change our ways ?

We will pray to the One God and chant with the priests at dawn

But we’ll still dance past the noon and sing the old tunes

Verse 3

Lights out, foul creatures burst into the room suddenly

Exotic monsters to amuse, really the king’s bunch in disguise

Some lesser count has devised this brilliant surprise

Dancers covered in pitch and feathers, which come alight so easily

And so the guessing game begins, among them hides our king

Under which of these grotesque suits is our crown ?

His brother in the crowd can’t wait to find out

Can’t help himself to break the one rule - No fire inside !

For lack of light he grabs a flame - No. Fire. Inside!! No!

Chorus

The king rules surrounded by fools

They came to the feast in the guise of a beast

Madness reigns as they’re bound in chains

Let the dames shield you from the flames

It’s the Ball of the Burning Men !

The king rules surrounded by fools

They came to the feast in the guise of a beast

Madness reigns as they’re bound in chains

Let the dames shield you from the flames

It’s the Ball of the Burning Men !

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices