Baron Francis van Aarssens or Baron François van Aerssen (27 September 1572 - 27 December 1641), from 1611 on lord of
Sommelsdijk
Sommelsdijk is a village on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee, South Holland, the Netherlands, and part of the municipality of the same name. Sommelsdijk has (1 January 2022) 7,195 inhabitants which makes it the second largest settlement after Midd ...
, was a
diplomat
A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
and statesman of the
United Provinces.
Biography
He was born in
Brussels, the son of
Cornelis van Aarsens, also a statesman. His talents commended him to the notice of Advocate
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, who sent him, at the age of 26 years, as a diplomatic agent of the states-general to the court of
France. He took a considerable part in the negotiations of the
Twelve Years' Truce in 1609.
His conduct of affairs having displeased the French king, he was recalled from his post by Oldenbarneveldt in 1614, after the French ambassador
Benjamin Aubery du Maurier Benjamin Aubery du Maurier (La Fontaine-Saint-Martin, August 1566 — La Fontaine-Saint-Martin 1636) was a French huguenot statesman and ambassador of his country to the States General of the Dutch Republic during the "Truce Quarrels". He tried ...
had demanded Aarsens recall. Such was the hatred he henceforth conceived against his former benefactor, that he did his very utmost to effect Oldebarneveldt's ruin. However, he was not a member of the court that convicted Oldenbarnevelt in the
Trial of Oldenbarnevelt, Grotius and Hogerbeets as Chisholm mistakenly reports.
He afterwards became the confidential counselor of
Maurice, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Orange ( nl, Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince o ...
, and afterwards of
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, in their conduct of the foreign affairs of the republic. He was sent on special embassies to
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
,
Germany and
England, and displayed so much diplomatic skill and finesse that
Cardinal Richelieu
Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...
ranked him among the three greatest politicians of his time. He died, aged 69, in
The Hague.
Notes
References
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*
External links
Van Aerssen family archive inventory*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aarssens, Francis Van
1572 births
1641 deaths
17th-century Dutch diplomats
Dutch people of the Eighty Years' War (United Provinces)
Politicians from Brussels
Landlords