Gilles de Berlaymont

Gilles de Berlaymont, Baron von Hierges (* around 1540 ; † June 18, 1579 in Maastricht ) was a Dutch officer in the Spanish service and was governor of several provinces.

Life

He was the son of Charles de Berlaymont . Among other things, he was governor of Hainaut . The mother was Adrienne de Ligne. His siblings include the Prince Archbishop of Cambrai Ludwig von Berlaymont .

The governor Margarethe of Parma commissioned him in 1566 to recruit and lead a regiment in Wallonia . He took part in the siege of Valenciennes in 1567 and in the battle of Jemgum in 1568 . After taking the side of Philip II , he was appointed governor in Friesland , Groningen and Geldern in 1572 . In numerous sources, all of which go back to the biography Nationale de Belgique of 1868, it is mentioned that Gilles de Berlaymont was also accepted into the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1572 . However, this cannot be confirmed on the basis of the official list of members published by the Order's Chancellery. He served under the Duke of Alba and took part in his campaigns. He took part in the siege of Haarlem . The battle on the Mooker Heide , where two high-ranking members of the House of Nassau were killed in 1574 , was decided by him.

Because his predecessor was captured, he was also appointed governor in Holland , Zeeland and Utrecht , but these were in the hands of the rebels. After attempts at peace had failed, he was charged with the occupation of the northern provinces. He occupied different cities and places. In Oudewater , on August 7, 1575, a large part of the population was killed and the city was destroyed. Due to an illness he had to retire to Utrecht.

At times he approached the Patriot Party, but when Juan de Austria arrived he joined it and became the commander of his bodyguards. When the war against the insurgents began again, he was appointed general of the artillery and Walloon troops. In 1576 he wrote a letter to the Council of State about the bad situation in his province. In 1577 he himself became a member of the State Council. In 1577/1578 he took several cities such as Charlemont , Fumal or Bouvines . After the death of his father he was also appointed governor of Namur and Artois . He was also given responsibility for finance.

He served under the Duke of Parma in the siege of Maastricht . He commanded the artillery as well as Walloon and German soldiers. He fell by a bullet during the siege.

literature

Alberdingk Thijm: Berlaymont, Karl Graf von . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 2, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1875, p. 400 f.
Général Guillaume: Berlaymont, Gilles de. In: Biography Nationale de Belgique . Volume 2: Bauwens - Brequin. Publiée par L'Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique. Thiry-van Buggenhoudt, Brussels 1868, ISSN 0770-7150 , pp. 257-266, entry on fr.wikisource

Web links

Short biography on dutchrevolt.leiden.edu

Individual evidence

^ List nominal des chevaliers de l'ordre de la Toison d'or, depuis son institution jusqu'à nos jours , in: The House of Austria and the Order of the Golden Fleece . Edited by the Ordenskanzlei. Leopold Stocker Verlag, Graz / Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-7020-1172-7 , pp. 161-198. (Current printed list of members kept by the Order of the Golden Fleece.)

personal data
SURNAME	Berlaymont, Gilles de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Dutch military and politician
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1540
DATE OF DEATH	June 18, 1579
Place of death	Maastricht

[1] List nominal des chevaliers de l'ordre de la Toison d'or, depuis son institution jusqu'à nos jours , in: The House of Austria and the Order of the Golden Fleece . Edited by the Ordenskanzlei. Leopold Stocker Verlag, Graz / Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-7020-1172-7 , pp. 161-198. (Current printed list of members kept by the Order of the Golden Fleece.)