MÉAN (François Antoine, 1756-1831, the last Prince-Bishop of Liège 1792-1801, as Archbishop of Mechelen (Malines) the first Primate of Belgium from 1817, Comte de)

Letter signed, in French with translation, to the late Administrators of the Fabric of his Cathedral (St. Rombout's), the Archbishop had obtained from King Willem I a decree dissolving the Council for the Fabric, he is at pains to explain that he is not prejudging any inquiry into the late Administrators, but only raised an intermediate point with the King, namely that where the late Administrators had claimed that Napoleon's Concordat with the Church (of 15th August 1801) had reduced the Chapter to singers of the divine offices, with no power to interfere over the fabric, the Archbishop had failed to convince them that the powers of the new chapter were the same as the old, "such is the application I laid at his Majesty's feet, and since it in no wise touches your honour or probity, you would be wrong to consider His Majesty's decree as casting a slur on you", 3 sides folio, Malines, 22nd May three short tears in blank margins

From 1801 to 1814 Napoleon had kept the Roman Catholic Church in the Low Countries firmly under his control. Things seemed no better when the Protestant-Calvinist Prince of Orange, Willem I, was made King of what is now both Belgium and the Netherlands, and proclaimed the 'Fundamental Law' of their political unity, with equal representation although Belgium had nearly twice the population. Only two of the five (Belgian) bishops subscribed the oath, and Méan was made primate. At first he referred all major decisions to the king, but in 1825 showed resistance over education, and in the revolution of 1830, that created modern Belgium, Méan recognized the new government.

Item Date:  1819

Stock No:  14579      £150

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