Markies van Prié en het Brusselse oproer in 1717-1719: over de repressie en de slagkracht van het centrale gouvernement in de Zuidelijke Nederlanden

This article focuses on the historiography of the Brussels’ revolt of 1717-1719. It analyses how this episode and the central figures (guild dean Anneessens and Minister Plenipotentiary Prié) were packaged in a Belgian-nationalistic discourse in the nineteenth century in which Anneessens was praised to the skies, and Prié was demonized. The black legend that grew up around Prié, is at the forefront of the discussion. Subsequently, this historiographic myth is compared with archival sources that help to modify the image of Prié. He was not the vindictive tyrant as was long asserted. Although he had authoritarian proclivities, in real terms he turns out to have been a pragmatist. Moreover, the analysis developed in this article makes clear that for an adequate evaluation of the curbing of the disorders, the perspective needs to be enlarged. More (f)actors have to be taken into account than has long been the case.