Joyous Entry, Antwerp and More in Episode 210

It is no surprise that author Eddie Louise packs a lot of Historical information into the final episode of the year. As our characters travel back to the Renaissance, they do so at a very special time, the Joyous Entry of the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand into Antwerp 1635.  But she doesn’t stop there. Episode 210 also includes details about the famous painter Peter Paul Rubens, mirrors (and their importance to painters, quarantine practices during the Renaissance era, the counter-reformation, Dutch Revolt and philosophical ramifications of time travel.


View of the Meir in AntwerpCardinal-Infante Ferdinand, also known as Don Fernando de Austria, Cardenal-Infante Fernando de España and as Ferdinand von Österreich, was Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Infante of Spain, Infante of Portugal (until 1640), Archduke of Austria, Archbishop of Toledo (1619–41), and military commander during the Thirty Years’ War.[1]

A Joyous Entry was a local name used for the royal entry — the first official peaceable visit of a reigning monarch, prince, duke or governor into a city — mainly in the Duchy of Brabant or the County of Flanders and occasionally in France, Luxembourg or Hungary, usually coinciding with recognition by the monarch of the rights or privileges to the city, and sometimes accompanied by an extension of them.[2]

Antwerp was a major metropolitan area during the Renaissance, flourishing during the Dutch Golden Era.[3][4]

Peter Paul RubensPeter Paul Rubens was a Flemish artist. He is considered the most influential artist of Flemish Baroque tradition.[5]

In his “Notebooks,” Leonardo da Vinci called the mirror “the master of painters,” essential for depicting the power, relief, and vividness which objects and scenes actually possess. “When you wish to see whether your whole picture accords with what you have portrayed from nature,” he wrote, “take a mirror and reflect the actual object in it. Compare what is reflected with your painting.”[6]

The practice of quarantine, as we know it, began during the 14th century in an effort to protect coastal cities from plague epidemics. Ships arriving in Venice from infected ports were required to sit at anchor for 40 days before landing. This practice, called quarantine, was derived from the Italian words quaranta giorni which mean 40 days.[7]

The Counter-Reformation, also called the Catholic Reformation or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation, beginning with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) and ending at the close of the Thirty Years’ War (1648).[8]

1 – World Heritage Encyclopedia Edition
2 – World Heritage Encyclopedia Edition
3 – Antwerp in the 16th, Reformation Era and the Dutch Revolt
4 – Dutch Golden Era
5 – Peter Paul Rubens
6 – Mirrors
7 – History of Quarantine
8 – Counter-Reformation

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.