The place of warfare in the history of Brabant

The reign of Joan covers half a century. This period was troubled by a series of major conflicts and various military operations of lesser importance. If we include only the most important conflicts, twenty years of Joan's reign were disturbed by war. If we also count the minor operations, a state of war existed for more then two-thirds of the period. Wenceslas (1356–83), as duke of Brabant and Limburg, as duke of Luxemburg, or in a private capacity, took part in a military expedition almost every year. During Joan's reign as a widow (1384–1406), the situation was scarcely different. Although she undertook no offensive operation, the duchy was nevertheless at war during ten years out of twenty-two, or almost one year in two. Warfare was thus an endemic phenomenon in fourteenth-century Brabant and we cannot neglect its influence on society.

We must however keep this state of ‘permanent warfare’ in perspective. With the exception of the levying of extraordinary aids and of general mobilizations, the nature of these conflicts was such that the whole of the duchy did not suffer at the same time. They were limited both in space and in time. The border areas such as the mairie of 's Hertogenbosch, the towns situated around the borders of the principality of Liège, the duchy of Limburg and the lands of Outre-Meuse were most often subject to the ravages of war.