Jacob van Artevelde
Jacob van Artevelde (* around 1290 in Ghent ; † July 17 or July 24, 1345 there ) was de facto ruler of Flanders from 1340 to 1345 . His son Philipp van Artevelde was the leader of the Ghent uprising in 1382.
Life
Nothing is known about Artevelde's youth. He was the son of the respected, wealthy cloth merchant Johann van Artevelde and a wealthy landowner himself. In 1326 and 1327 he was registered as a tax collector for the taxes imposed on the Ghent weavers . He probably wasn't a craftsman himself. According to a French chronicle , he was enrolled in the powerful brewers' guild. His second marriage was to Katharina de Coster, who came from an influential Ghent family. Two of his children from his first marriage were married to nobles.
In 1337, at the beginning of the Hundred Years' War , Artevelde first appeared in public when he promised the gentlemen to take action against the oppression of Count Ludwig I of Flanders . Ludwig I had by his support of the claim of Philip VI. on the French throne the boycott of the export of English wool to Flanders and the importation of Flemish cloth to England, which had a catastrophic effect on the economy of his country. On January 3, 1338, the largest parish of Ghent chose Artevelde as the first of the five captains ( Hooftmannen ) or captains of the city. First he negotiated with France and England for neutrality and confirmation of trade privileges . He managed to win over Bruges and Ypres for this cause and to form a union with Johann III. close from Brabant . They asked Ludwig to choose only Flemish advisers and to govern together with the three cities. In 1339, however, Count Ludwig fled to Paris. From 1342 the three cities together formed a permanent state committee under Artevelde's chairmanship, which in fact took over the reign of Flanders.
Because after Ludwig's flight the neutrality could no longer be maintained, Artevelde persuaded the Flanders to join Eduard III. from England. He moved into Ghent at the beginning of 1340 and was recognized there as King of France and thus also as overlord of Flanders. Edward III. Flanders confirmed numerous privileges for the wool trade and received military support from Flanders, which secured him the victory in the naval battle of Sluis on June 24, 1340. The fact that the English Queen Philippa of Hainaut became the godmother of Artevelde's youngest son, Philipp, underscores his high reputation with the English king. But the close connection with England made Artevelde's reputation in Flanders decline and provoked bloody disputes within Ghent. Because only the merchants of the three cities benefited from the English trade privileges, while the peasants and the nobility suffered from the clashes with the Count and France. The lack of grain imports from Picardy led to rising prices and thus to dissatisfaction. In the winter of 1342/1343 Artevelde was able to experience a famine only through personal intervention with Edward III. turn away who imported grain from England. At the beginning of 1343 the Ghent merchant Jan van Steenbeke formally accused Artevelde of breaking his oath. This led to bloody arguments between Arteveldes and Steenbeke's supporters. Thanks to the support of his supporters in Bruges and Ypres, Artevelde managed to secure its power for the time being and to unite all parties in the city.
In 1345 there were bloody clashes between the weavers' guilds and the walkers in Ghent, who accused each other of cheating. Artevelde was forced to take sides for one group and had to accept that the other party sought support from Count Ludwig. In this situation he reverted to his close relationship with Edward III. back. He met the English king on July 13, 1345 in Sluis . Meanwhile, rumors arose in Ghent that Artevelde wanted to replace the expelled Count Ludwig with the English Crown Prince Edward . It was even suspected that he was coming to Ghent with a troop of English archers. His supporters, who feared unrest, called him back. But shortly after his return he was murdered on July 17th (or 24th) 1345. The same fate met about 70 of his friends and followers. His family was expelled and moved to England. They were only allowed to return in 1360.
His son Philipp van Artevelde became the head of the citizenship of Ghent in December 1381, after Bruges and Ypres had again submitted to Count Ludwig von Male . He had twelve of the main instigators of the murder committed on his father executed, rejected the terms of peace agreed by the Count at a meeting with twelve members of the Harelbeke Citizenship in February 1382, proposed the Count before Bruges on May 3, conquered the city and brought about that almost all of Flanders joined him. He fell in the battle of Roosebeke against the French on November 27, 1382.
reception
In the nationalist aspirations of the 19th century, Artevelde was considered a freedom hero. His story has been worked on several times in dramas (e.g. Otto Roquette ) and novels (e.g. by Hendrik Conscience ). In 1863 a colossal ore statue (by Devigne-Guyo) was erected for him in Ghent, depicting the demagogue in full armor, giving a speech to the people. Later in the 19th century van Artevelde became a symbol of the Flemish socialists who wanted to recognize in him their own struggle for workers' rights.
The Catholic Arteveldehogeschool in Ghent, founded in 2000, is named after Jacob van Artevelde .
literature
- Thijm Alberdingk: Artevelde, Jakob van . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 1, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1875, pp. 610-612.
- David Nicholas: Artevelde, Jacob van . In: Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek. Deel 5th Paleis der Academiën, Brussels 1972, Sp. 22-36.
- Walter Zöllner in Biographies on World History , VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin 1989, p. 48ff
- Victor Joly: Jacques Artevelde, drame en trois actes et en sept tableaux , précédé d'une chronique sur Jacques Artevelde et les troubles des Flandres au XIVe siècle. Brussels: Ad. Elections, 1835.
- Joseph Kervyn de Lettenhove , La Flandre durant la Guerre de Cent Ans , à l'époque des Artevelde .
- Joseph Kervyn de Lettenhove: Jacques d'Artevelde , Gent: IS Van Doosselaere, 1863.
- Napoléon de Pauw: Cartulaire historique et généalogique des Artevelde . Brussels: Hayez, imprimeur de l'Académie Royal de Belgique, 1920. Digitized
- Hans van Werveke: Jacques Van Artevelde , Collection "Notre passé". Brussels: La renaissance du livre, 1942
- Patricia Carson: James van Artevelde: The man from Ghent . Gent: Story-Scientia, 1980.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Or Willem (So Nicholas: Artevelde, Jacob van , Sp. 22).
- ↑ Nicholas: Artevelde, Jacob van , Col. 31.
- ^ Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, Volume 1. Leipzig 1905, p. 826
- ^ Christoph Driessen: History of Belgium. The divided nation. Regensburg 2018, p. 25.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Artevelde, Jacob van |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Flemish patriot |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1290 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ghent |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 17, 1345 or July 24, 1345 |
| Place of death | Ghent |