De weddenschap van de kroon (The Wager of the Crown)

 Act 1: Schaduwen in de rechtbank (Shadows in the Court) 

• Koning Lodewijk wrestles with internal conflict: his daughter Liesbeth's secret marriage to Valentijn, a Belgian soldier.

• Koningin Maartje schemes to secure power by marrying her son Willem to Liesbeth. 

• Valentijn is banished, returning to Brussels under suspicion.

• Ruben, a suave Belgian nobleman, wagers with Valentijn that he can seduce Liesbeth to prove her unfaithful.

• Jan, Valentijn’s loyal servant, is secretly tasked to watch over Liesbeth.

Act 2: Maskers en verraad (Masks and Betrayal) 

• Ruben infiltrates Amsterdam disguised as a merchant, manipulating his way into Liesbeth's private chambers.

• He steals tokens of her intimacy to deceive Valentijn.

• Maartje advances her plan to have Liesbeth wed Willem, threatening her with accusations of treason.

• Valentijn, convinced of Liesbeth's betrayal, secretly orders Jan to kill her.

• Jan spares her and helps her flee in disguise to the countryside. 

Act 3: Ballingschap en ontdekking (Exile and Discovery) 

• In the forests beyond Amsterdam, Liesbeth is taken in by Bastiaan and his two "sons", Joris and Dirk.

• The exiled noble Bastiaan suspects her noble birth but says nothing.

• Meanwhile, Willem sets off in pursuit of Liesbeth, determined to claim her.

• Hans returns from war, discovering the political unrest and Koningin Maartje's machinations.

• Ruben gloats over his deception, but Geert grows suspicious.

Act 4: Oorlog en Openbaring (War and Revelation) 

• Brussels and Amsterdam slide toward war, tensions fueled by Maartje’s ambitions.

• Valentijn joins Koning Lodewijk's forces to redeem his honor.

• Willem confronts Joris and is slain in combat.

• Bastiaan reveals the true identities of Joris and Dirk—heir princes of Lodewijk.

• Liesbeth's identity is uncovered; the forest becomes a place of reunions and recognition.

Act 5: Rechtvaardigheid en vergeving (Justice and Forgiveness) 

• On the battlefield outside Amsterdam, the disguised sons fight valiantly for their father.

• Ruben’s lies are exposed; he begs forgiveness.

• Maartje is arrested, her plot unraveled.

• Valentijn and Liesbeth are reunited.

• Lodewijk restores peace, acknowledges his sons, and reconciles with Bastiaan.

• The play ends in harmony, with the realm united and truth prevailing over deception.

Characters:

• Koning Lodewijk – The King of the Dutch realm, caught between personal desires and political realities.

• Liesbeth – Koning Lodewijk's daughter, a noblewoman caught in a storm of political betrayal, love, and identity.

• Valentijn – A Belgian soldier, deeply in love with Liesbeth, yet caught in a fateful wager that shapes the tragedy.

• Koningin Maartje – The ambitious and cunning queen, whose machinations drive much of the conflict.

• Willem – Koningin Maartje's brutish, overconfident son, whom she desires to marry off to Liesbeth.

• Ruben – A manipulative, smooth-talking Belgian nobleman who makes a dark wager with Valentijn, leading to tragedy.

• Bastiaan – A former court noble, now in exile, who raises Koning Lodewijk's sons in hiding.

• Joris – The noble son of Koning Lodewijk, raised in secrecy by Bastiaan.

• Dirk – The other noble son, also raised by Bastiaan.

• Hans – A loyal soldier in the service of Koning Lodewijk, recently returning from a foreign campaign.

• Jan – A loyal servant to Valentijn, caught between serving his master and the dangerous political situation.

• Geert – A nobleman and ally of Valentijn, who becomes entangled in the play’s complex schemes and betrayals.

Setting: Amsterdam, Netherlands | Brussels, Belgium

Period: 17th century