ABSTRACT
The Ghent case of 1433 demonstrates that the arsenal deployed by unwilling grooms and brides to resist their parents’ will included not only refusal and clandestine marriage but also judicial strategies. The urban setting in itself is also an important factor, because the customs and bylaws of Ghent gave citizens the rights and judicial means to bring such cases to court. A respected jurist and doctor of the law, Simon began his career in city administration in 1400 as a pensionaris, an official responsible for judicial affairs, one of the most important offices in the city. The city of Ghent had been in revolt against Duke Philip the Good since 1449. The city of Ghent had two benches of aldermen who recorded the final verdicts they pronounced in cases brought before them. Tension grew in the city, leading to an open clash between different factions later in 1451.
