Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2018
After decades of civil war, the archdukes Albert and Isabella drew on the princely hunt to consolidate their regime in the Habsburg Netherlands. In essence a performance of dominion, the hunt served to enact their exalted birth and the return to peace and order. Attempts to unify the hunting laws of their possessions were, however, frustrated by provincial liberties. As a result the archducal hunt had to derive its prestige from where it was held, rather than from the species that were hunted. Appropriating the cult of Saint Hubertus and patronizing artistic representations further enhanced the prestige of these locations.