Click on any image for a larger version
You really never know what is going to catch your eye next when you ramble round Brugge (Bruges).
Suddenly, there he was, as large as life, Charles II.
Now, he played a not insignificant part in my own local history of Killiney Bay in Dublin.
By the time of the 1641 uprising, most of Killiney had been in the hands of the Goodman family for over a century. Although they were settlers, they were Catholics and they kept the faith alive in the area which remained largely Catholic after their demise.
In the redistribution of land, following the uprising and the dethroning of Charles I, much of Killiney was given to the Domville family, a decision endorsed, at the restoration, by the very Charles II I now saw before me.
You have to be very careful, even when abroad, as you never know who is looking over your shoulder.
I had no idea the British monarchy took refuge in Brugge during its period of exile, though the European perspective has never been far away in our history.
You can read about a little of what he was up to in the plaque above. Click on the image for a readable version.
This is the full ensemble of what caught my eye as I wandered along Hoogstraat.
This is the current use of this historic building.
I understand that the Flemish Parliament has informed Michel Barnier, who is conducting Brexit negotiations on behalf of the EU, that in the event of a no deal they will invoke a charter from Charles II in 1666 giving certain Bruges fishermen access to British waters in perpetuity.
ReplyDeleteAn attempt was made to test the charter in 1963 when a Bruges alderman ventured into British waters and deliberately had himself arrested in the hope of being taken to court.
Documents from the British archives later revealed that the advice was against taking the Belgian to court because of fears concerning the 1666 charter.
As I was unaware of this when I ran into Charles in 2018, above, I was not able to ascertain his view on the matter.