Willem Bloys van Treslong
Willem Bloys van Treslong (* 1529 in Den Briel , † July 17, 1594 in Leiden ) was a Dutch admiral.
He came from the noble family Bloys van Treslong with possessions in Flanders, Hainaut and Holland. His father was a bailiff (Baljuw) in Voorne .
He served in the Spanish fleet from 1558, but in 1566 was one of the rebellious nobles who presented Margarethe of Parma with a petition (Compromis des Nobles), which eventually became the beginning of the uprising. He also took part in the Battle of Heiligerlee at the beginning of the Eighty Years War in 1568 and the Battle of Jemgum (1568) . With a letter of piracy from William I (Orange) , he equipped two ships and joined the Wassergeusen . In March 1572 he was lying on the island of Wieringen with his frozen ships and was attacked by four companies of Spanish soldiers. He narrowly escaped and lost his sword, which then hung in the Michaelskerk in Oosterland . Soon afterwards in April he conquered, united with Wilhelm II von der Mark Brielle (Den Briel). Originally they were on their way to Texel where they suspected the Spanish fleet and heard on the way that Den Briel was not protected by Spanish troops. In the same year the conquest of Veere , Steenbergen and Vlissingen followed (in the latter city they did not encounter any resistance). In 1573 he became Admiral of Holland and in 1576 of Zeeland. In 1585 there was a conflict with the Admiralty of Zeeland over the relief of besieged Antwerp and he was released and even spent some time in prison in Middelburg . In 1591 he was dismissed by the Earl of Leicester . He spent his last years in peace as bailiff of Voorne and great falconer of Holland.
He was married to Adriana van Egmond (around 1540–1587), with whom he had a son.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Treslong, Willem Bloys van |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch admiral |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1529 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brielle |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 17, 1594 |
| Place of death | Leiden (city) |