Joyous Entry of 1356

The Joyous Entry of 1356 (Dutch: Blijde Intrede, Blijde Inkomst, or Blijde Intocht, French: Joyeuse Entrée) is the charter of liberties granted to the burghers of the Duchy of Brabant by the newly-ascended Duchess Joanna and her husband Duke Wenceslaus. The document is dated 3 January 1356, (NS) and it is seen as the equivalent of the Magna Carta for the Low Countries.

In 1354, Duke John III summoned representatives of the cities of the duchy to Leuven to announce the marriage of his oldest daughter and heiress Joanna to Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg, and offered them liberal concessions so as to secure their assent to the change of dynasty. John's death in 1355 sparked a succession crisis. In January 1356, Wenceslaus and Joanna signed the charter that had been drawn up and solemnly swore to uphold its provisions.

Louis II, Count of Flanders, had married Joanna's younger sister Margaret and claimed Brabant in her right. Louis invaded Brabant and quickly seized Brussels. By August 1356, the Brabantian document was a dead letter in practice, owing to the military occupation of Brabant by Louis. During the night of 24 October 1356, a group of Brabantian patriots led by Everard 't Serclaes scaled the city walls and drove the Flemings from the city. This enabled Joanna and Wenceslaus to make their joyous entry into Brussels, giving the document its name.

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