Anthony van Stralen (1521 -

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

Vilvoorde Vilvoorde (, french: Vilvorde ; historically known as ''Filford'' in English) is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the city of Vilvoorde proper with its two outlying quarters of Koningslo ...

, 24 September 1568), Lord of Merksem, Lord of Dambrugghe was a Mayor of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. Although he was Roman Catholic, he became a famous victim of the terror of the Duke of Alva.

Family

He was the son of Goswin von Straelen, born in Cologne and Anna Draeck, Lady of Merksem. His grandfather was the major Willem Draeck, Lord of Merksem. His wife's sister, Mathilde, was married to

Melchior I Schetz Melchior is the name traditionally given to one of the biblical Magi appearing in the Gospel of Matthew. There are many notable people with this name, or close variations. As a first name * Melchior Anderegg (1828–1914), Swiss mountain guide * ...

, lord of Rumpst and treasurer of Antwerp. He was related to Isabella van Stralen (1577-1660), known as Isabel de Jesús Christo.

Career

He became Lord of Merksem on 23 September 1561. Van Stralen was mayor of Antwerp from 1555 to 1557, in 1561 and in 1565. After the Iconoclastic Fury he became a refugee in Germany. The Duke of Alva ordered his arrest. He was a friend and correspondent of

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

, and the Spanish government suspected him of treason. His letters were confiscated by the Count of Lodron. In 1565 he acquired his main residence, ''Huysinge de Groote Robijn''. After his execution his complete fortune, 400,000 guilders and the lordship, were forfeited to the Spanish Crown.

Execution

The duke of Alba waited with his

arrest An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...

until Horne was back in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. Van Stralen never left Antwerpen, he was convinced that his contact with Oranje was official on request of the City. Lord van Stralen was arrested in 1567 during a "fake" dinner with Don Ferdinand, Alba's son. Alba ordered his arrest and Lord van Stralen stood trial; afterward, with permission from Alba he was subject to extreme torture.file://sw-pmiocc-dc110.ids.ads.thomascook.com/Users-PMIOCC$/T9900167/Downloads/BURG_ANTOON_VANSTRALEN.pdf The city of Antwerp protested his execution, in panic many merchants left the city in fear of the duke of Alva. An official delegation went to the duke to beg for the freedom of Lord van Stralen. He was executed after a trial before the

Council of Troubles The Council of Troubles (usual English translation of nl, Raad van Beroerten, or es, Tribunal de los Tumultos, or french: Conseil des Troubles) was the special tribunal instituted on 9 September 1567 by Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of ...

. After being tortured he was beheaded on 24 September 1568 in

, together with John of Casembroodt, Lord of Backerzele, and Alfons de La Loi, secretary to the Count of Horne. In 1885 a painting of him by

Auguste Delfosse Auguste may refer to: People Surname * Arsène Auguste (born 1951), Haitian footballer * Donna Auguste (born 1958), African-American businesswoman * Georges Auguste (born 1933), Haitian painter * Henri Auguste (1759–1816), Parisian gold and ...

was hung in the mayor's office.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stralen, Anthony Van Mayors of Antwerp, Belgium Nobility of the Habsburg Netherlands Art collectors from Antwerp People executed by Spain by decapitation 1521 births 1568 deaths Politicians of the Habsburg Netherlands