Frédéric Perrenot (1536–1600), lord of Champagney, baron of Renaix, was a soldier and diplomat in Habsburg service.

Life

Perrenot was born in Barcelona on 3 April 1536, the fifth and youngest son of Nicole Bonvalot and

Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle (1486–1550) was a Franc-Comtois politician who served as a close trusted adviser to Emperor Charles V. He was made suzerain of the imperial city of Besançon and held an influential position in the Netherlands. Fro ...

, a close adviser to

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...

. His studies at the

University of Padua The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...

were cut short by his father's death in 1550. He served at the

Battle of Renty The Battle of Renty was fought on 12 August 1554, between France and the Holy Roman Empire at Renty, a northern French secondary theatre of the Italian Wars. The French were led by Francis, Duke of Guise, while the Imperial forces were led by Emp ...

(1554). Ernest Gossart, "Perrenot (Frédéric)", ''

Biographie Nationale de Belgique The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' ( French; "National Biography of Belgium") is a biographical dictionary of Belgium. It was published by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 44 volumes between 1866 and 1986. A continuation series, entitled the ' ...

''
vol. 17
(Brussels, 1903), 46-59. In 1559 he accompanied

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

to Spain, then returned to the Low Countries, where he was aligned with his oldest brother,

Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle (20 August 151721 September 1586), Comte de La Baume Saint Amour, was a Bisontin ( Free Imperial City of Besançon) statesman, made a cardinal, who followed his father as a leading minister of the Spanish Habsb ...

. He served against the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) (Historiography of the Eighty Years' War#Name and periodisation, c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and t ...

under the command of Fadrique de Toledo, before returning to Burgundy to command the garrison at

Besançon Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerl ...

. In 1571 he was appointed Governor of Antwerp. In a memorandum to the

Duke of Medinaceli Duke of Medinaceli () is an hereditary title in the peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee. The Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, created the title and awarded it on 31 October 1479 to Lui ...

in 1573 he criticised the policy of terror that had been pursued by the

Duke of Alva Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

, the arrogance and tyranny of Spanish soldiery, and the infringement of ancient customs and liberties. Between 1574 and 1576 he was much away from Antwerp on diplomatic missions. Returning to Antwerp in the summer of 1576, he several times wrote to the Council of State warning of the mounting dangers of the situation there. At the

Sack of Antwerp The Sack of Antwerp, often known as the Spanish Fury at Antwerp, was an episode of the Eighty Years' War. It is the greatest massacre in the history of the Low Countries. On 4 November 1576, mutinying Spain, Spanish tercios of the Army of Flande ...

in November 1576 he sought refuge in

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...

. His house in Antwerp was looted by the mutineers. He was a supporter of the

Pacification of Ghent The Pacification of Ghent, signed on 8 November 1576, was an alliance between the provinces of the Habsburg Netherlands. The main objectives were to remove Habsburg Spain, Spanish mercenaries who had made themselves hated by all sides due to their ...

, agreed later the same month, but while criticising royal policy he remained loyal to the king. In 1578 he was imprisoned in Ghent by the rebels, and several times threatened with death. In June 1579 he briefly escaped but was recaptured. While in captivity, he wrote pamphlets against the rebels, including ''Advis d'ung bon bourgois de la ville de Gand'', clandestinely printed in 1583, which elicited a reply from Marnix of Saint-Aldegonde. After the reconciliation of Ghent on 17 September 1584, Perrenot was liberated through a prisoner exchange. He was appointed commander of Ghent citadel, with a garrison of Walloon troops. In September 1585 he was again appointed governor of Antwerp, where he negotiated the rebuilding of

Antwerp Citadel Antwerp Citadel ( es, Castillo de Amberes, nl, Kasteel van Antwerpen) was a pentagonal bastion fort built to defend and dominate the city of Antwerp in the early stages of the Dutch Revolt. It has been described as "doubtlesse the most matchlesse ...

with the city council, but was removed from office the following year. He became a vocal critic of

Alexander Farnese Alessandro Farnese may refer to: * Pope Paul III (1468–1549), Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome *Alessandro Farnese (cardinal) (1520–1589), Paul's grandson, Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal-nephew * Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (1545–1592), ...

, who on 14 October 1592 ordered him to leave Brussels and return to his native Burgundy. He settled in

Dole Dole may refer to: Places * Dole, Ceredigion, Wales * Dole, Idrija, Slovenia * Dole, Jura, France ** Arrondissement of Dole * Dole (Kladanj), a village at the entity line of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Republika Srpska * Dole, Ljubušk ...

, dying there in 1600.

Writings

* ''Recueils contenans par quels moyens les gens de guerre Espaignols ammenez es Pays Bas par le duc d'Alve, s'estans mutinez en iceux diverses fois, entrerent en Anvers'' (Lyon, 1578). * ''Advis d'ung bon bourgois de la ville de Gand'' (1583).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perrenot, Frederic 1536 births 1600 deaths People of the Eighty Years' War