Jean de Gaverelles (1579—1645), knight of Christ, was a lawyer who held high military and civilian office in the

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the Ha ...

Early life

Gaverelles was born in

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,

in January 1579, the son of Jean de Gaverelles, clerk to the Antwerp

cloth hall A cloth hall or linen hall (german: Gewandhaus; pl, Sukiennice; french: Halle aux draps; nl, Lakenhal) is a historic building located in the centre of the main marketplace of a European town. Cloth halls were built from medieval times into the 18 ...

. After studying law at Leuven University, Gaverelles married Maria De Keyser but was soon widowed, and never remarried. René Vermeir
Gaverelles, Juan de
in '' Diccionario biográfico español'', vol. 22 (Madrid, 2011), pp. 626-7. In 1611 he became first a surveyor in Brussels, and then towards the end of the year one of the four secretaries to Antwerp city council. From 1617 to 1624 he served as

pensionary A pensionary was a name given to the leading functionary and legal adviser of the principal town corporations in the Low Countries because they received a salary or pension. History The office originated in Flanders. Initially, the role was refe ...

to the city of Antwerp. He supported Anne of Saint Bartholomew's foundation of a

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

convent in Antwerp in 1612, and from 1610 to 1615 was lay leader of the city's

Confraternity A confraternity ( es, cofradía; pt, confraria) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most c ...

of the

Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (also known as the Brown Scapular) belongs to the habit of both the Carmelite Order and the Discalced Carmelite Order, both of which have Our Lady of Mount Carmel as their patroness. In its small form, it ...

Career in royal service

In January 1624 he entered royal service as president of the Admiralty Council in Sint-Winoksbergen, and in April was given the rank of admiral and superintendent of the fleet, overseeing the discipline and adjudicating the prizes of

Dunkirkers During the Dutch Revolt (1568–1648), the Dunkirkers or Dunkirk Privateers were commerce raiders in the service of the Spanish monarchy. They were also part of the ''Dunkirk fleet'', which consequently was a part of the Spanish monarchy's ''Fl ...

. In 1629 he was transferred to the Council of the Admiralty in Brussels. He became a member of the

Brussels Privy Council The Privy Council or Secret Council ( nl, Geheime Raad, french: Conseil Privé) was one of the three "collateral councils" (along with the Council of Finance and Council of State) that together formed the highest government institutions of the Habs ...

in 1631. He held an appointment as a councillor on the

Supreme Council of Flanders The Supreme Council of Flanders and Burgundy (''Consejo Supremo de Flandes y Borgoña'' (i.e. Flanders and Burgundy), or simply ''Consejo de Flandes'') was a governing institution in the Spanish Empire responsible for advising the king of Spain ...

in Madrid from 1633 to 1645, but was largely absent from Spain on royal business after the first year, during which he became a knight of Christ. In 1634 he accompanied

Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand (also known as Don Fernando de Austria, Cardenal-Infante Fernando de España and as Ferdinand von Österreich; May 1609 or 1610 – 9 November 1641) was Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, Cardinal of the Holy Catholic ...

on his march through Germany, liaising with imperial forces and negotiating with the Emperor Ferdinand II's representatives at Regensburg. He was thereafter based in Brussels, giving significant support to the president of the Privy Council,

Pieter Roose Pieter Roose (1585 or 1586 – 27 February 1673), lord of Froidmont, Han and Jemeppe, was president of the Privy Council from 1632 to 1653, and a key actor in the government of the Habsburg Netherlands for over twenty years. Career He was born in ...

. He was appointed a councillor of state in 1641. In 1644 Gaverelles retired from all his positions in government to be ordained a priest. He died on 11 July 1645.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaverelles, Jean de 1579 births 1645 deaths