René Vermeir holds a PhD degree in History from Ghent University, where he is now a professor. His main research interest is in early modern political and diplomatic history, with a special focus on the Low Countries and the Spanish empire in the 16th and 17th centuries. He is the author of Sous le signe du progrès. La loge maçonnique gantoise La Liberté (1866-1966) (with J. Tyssens, 2016, Recueil des ordonnances des Pays-Bas, deuxième série. Règne de Philippe IV (1621-1665) (2022).