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Lamoraal, 4.Count van Egmond,
(1522-1568)
Born 18 November 1522 Chateau La Hamaide, Hainault
Died 5 June 1568 Bruxelles (beheaded)
Married 8 April 1544 Spiers
Pfalzgraefin Sabina von Simmern,
daughter of Johann II, Pfalzgraf von Simmern 1509-1557
and Markgraefin Beatrix von Baden
Born 13 June 1528
Died 19 June 1578 Antwerpen
Buried Sotteghem
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A Dutch general and statesman, he succeeded his brother in 1541 as
Count of Egmond, Lord of Purmerend, Hoogwoude, Aartswoude, Fiennes, Sotteghem,
Dondes, Armentieres and Auxy. Also in 1541 he accompanied Emperor Charles
V to Algiers and in all later campaigns. In 1546 he became a knight in
the order of the Golden Fleece and, in 1553, was made Prince of Gavre by
Emperor Charles V.
He achieved military fame for his role in the victories over the French
at St.Quentin (1557) and Grevelingen (1558) under Philip II of Spain. In
1557 he began to reclaim land from the rivers in the area near Spui and
Oude Maas, and which was named "Beijerland" in honour of his wife.
In 1559 he was appointed Governor of Flanders and Artois and a member
of the Council of State in The Netherlands. After 1559, Philip II's attempts
to strengthen Spanish control over The Netherlands aroused increased resentment
among the native nobility. Together with Prince William of Orange and the
Count of Hornes, Egmond took the lead in a League of Grandees, demanding
reforms that would make the Council of State a real governing body. They
also called for cancellation of Philip's plan to reorganise the bishoprics,
which would further diminish the nobility's influence. The League succeeded
in removing Cardinal Granvelle, Philip's advisor, from the Council of State
(1564), but Egmond's mission to Spain in 1565 failed to produce the desired
reforms.
Philip II's rigorous persecution of the Protestants in The Netherlands
had also become a political issue. Although none of the noblemen of the
League were Protestants, they demanded tolerance. Even so, they were religiously
conservative, a fact that became clear
when the more radical lesser nobility rebelled in 1566, secretly encouraged
by William of Orange. Egmond, himself a Roman Catholic, tried to quell
the rebellion in his provinces.
The revolt was crushed in 1567 and William of Orange fled the country.
But Egmond, despite the fact that his name had been implicated in the rebellion,
remained and was arrested by the new governor, the Duke of Alva, on September
9, 1567. During his trial,
his privileges as a nobleman were openly violated, and his execution
(in Bruxelles, on June 5, 1568) was judicial murder. He was buried in Sotteghem.
For a play on his life by Goethe, Beethoven wrote the overture, "Egmont"
(sic).
Source: Leo van de Pas |
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