Exhibition: the Peace of Fexhe

For more than 800 years, Liège was the capital of an independent principality that was headed by a prince-bishop. All states have significant texts. The former principality of Liège was no exception to this rule. Presented by some historians as the "constitution" of this principality, the Peace of Fexhe played a determining role in the history of Liège, as it attempted to define the limits of the powers of the prince-bishop, especially as they related to matters of justice, and those of his subjects.

Proclaimed in the early fourteenth century, in a context that was characterised by significant social tension, it is a reflection of the different forces that came into conflict with each other: the prince-bishop, canons, great merchants and artisans. The latter also played an increasingly important political role in this emerging 14th century.

Today, the Peace of Fexhe is still present in the collective unconscious, though it no longer has any legal value. It is the history – the “life” – of this document that you are invited to discover in the Peace of Fexhe exhibition.