Articles

De beeldcultuur en het stedelijke briefverkeer in de late middeleeuwen

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Abstract

By interpreting the handing over of a letter as a small ritual imbued with a whole range
of (symbolic) signs, this article wants to examine the role of urban correspondence in the
creation of political networks. First, the messenger was dressed in the colours of the city
adorned with a silver badge. Second, the letter itself bore a seal illustrated with important
elements of urbanity. Finally, the layout of late medieval letters revealed a great deal
about the internal relationship between sender and addressee. By using this formal
aspects, medieval cities created a hierarchic urban network.

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How to Cite: Lowagie, H. (2012) “De beeldcultuur en het stedelijke briefverkeer in de late middeleeuwen”, Handelingen - Koninklijke Zuid-Nederlandse maatschappij voor taal- en letterkunde en geschiedenis. 66(0). doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/kzm.v66i0.17611