Mathieu Moulart (1536–1600), alternatively Moullart or Moulard, was an abbot and bishop in the

Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands was the Renaissance period fiefs in the Low Countries held by the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. The rule began in 1482, when the last House of Valois-Burgundy, Valois-Burgundy ruler of the Netherlands, Mary of Burgu ...

Life

Moulart was born in the village of

Saint-Martin-sur-Cojeul Saint-Martin-sur-Cojeul (; pcd, Saint-Martin-su-Cojeul) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Saint-Martin-sur-Cojeul lies southeast of Arras, on the D33 road. The A1 autoroute passes ...

in 1536, the son of the labourers Jean and Antoinette Pronnier. He entered

Saint-Ghislain Abbey Saint-Ghislain Abbey (''Abbaye de Saint-Ghislain'') was a monastery founded by Saint Ghislain around 650, located in Wallonia on the Haine ( Hainaut, Belgium). It became a Benedictine monastery around 940, when reformed by Gérard of Brogne, and ...

around 1553 and made his final vows in 1557. In 1559 he was sent to Leuven University where he graduated Licentiate and then

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church, ...

. He returned to his monastery on 3 February 1564 and was enthroned as its new abbot on 14 January 1565. As abbot he took steps to identify and punish heretics and sorcerers in

Dour Dour (; pcd, Doû) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 16,810 inhabitants. The total area is 33.32 km2, giving a population density of 505 inhabitants per km2. ...

. Ch. Piot, "Moulart (Mathieu)", ''

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. 15
(Brussels, 1899), 306-311. In 1566, as gangs of iconoclasts were moving through the county, he armed the citizens of

Saint-Ghislain Saint-Ghislain (; pcd, Saint-Guilagne; wa, Sint-Guilin) is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2018 the municipality had 23,335 inhabitants. ...

to resist them. Warned of these preparations, the image-breakers stayed away from the town. Moulart also founded a school for the citizens' children. He was closely involved in

Christopher Plantin Christophe Plantin ( nl, Christoffel Plantijn; – 1 July 1589) was a French Renaissance humanist and book printer and publisher who resided and worked in Antwerp. Life Plantin was born in France, probably in Saint-Avertin, near the city of ...

's plan to print portable breviaries for Catholic clergy. As a representative of the clergy in the States of Hainaut, he was deputized to petition 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 ...

to modify his plans for unconstitutional innovations, and in 1572 he travelled to Rome and to Madrid to inform

Pope Pius V Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...

and

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

of events in the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, being absent from his monastery from 22 February to 2 November. After

Robert de Melun Robert de Melun (died 1585), viscount of Ghent and marquis of Roubaix, was a nobleman from the Low Countries who fought in the Eighty Years' War. Life Melun was the son of Hugues d'Epinoy and Yoldande de Warchin, lady of Roubaix, and was probably ...

, governor of Artois, killed Philippe de Mansfeld in a quarrel, Moulart mediated a reconciliation between Melun and Mansfeld's family. As a member of the

First Estate The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and ...

in the States of Hainaut, he took part in the Estates General of 1576 and the negotiation 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 ...

. On 12 October 1576 the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

of Arras elected him

bishop of Arras The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Atrebatensis (–Bononiena–Audomarensis)''; French: ''Diocèse d'Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer)'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church i ...

in succession to

François Richardot François Richardot (Franciscus) (1507-1574), was a celebrated Burgundian-French Catholic preacher, and confessor to Margaret of Parma. He was Bishop of Arras from 1561 to 1574. He was an Augustinian Hermit, and became titular bishop of Nicopoli ...

, and his appointment was confirmed by the consistory of 4 May 1577. Reluctant to leave his monastery, he was not enthroned as bishop until 1 October 1577, and was not able to reside in his see until 1578, due to the opposition of the supporters 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 ...

. In the meantime, he lived in

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

. In May 1579 he was one of the signatories of the Treaty of Arras by which the provinces that had formed the

Union of Arras The Union of Arras (Dutch: ''Unie van Atrecht'', French: ''Union d'Arras'', Spanish: ''Unión de Arrás'') was an alliance between the County of Artois, the County of Hainaut and the city of Douai in the Habsburg Netherlands in early 1579 during ...

recognised royal sovereignty. Jacques Bernard, ''Recueil des traitez de paix, de trêve, de neutralité, de suspension d'armes, de confédération, d'alliance, de commerce, de garantie, et d'autres actes publics'' (The Hague, 1700), p. 421
On Google Books
/ref> On 15 February 1600 he greeted the new joint sovereigns of the Habsburg Netherlands,

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

and

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

, when they made their solemn entry into Arras, and in the same year he sat in the Estates General of 1600 as the first member of the First Estate for the

County of Artois The County of Artois (, ) was a historic province of the Kingdom of France, held by the Dukes of Burgundy from 1384 until 1477/82, and a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 until 1659. Present Artois lies in northern France, on the border ...

. He died in Brussels on 2 July 1600. His will, drawn up on 13 January 1596, left a house and his library to found a college at the

University of Douai The University of Douai (french: Université de Douai) ( nl, Universiteit van Dowaai) is a former university in Douai, France. With a medieval heritage of scholarly activities in Douai, the university was established in 1559 and lectures started ...

. He had a reputation for generosity to the sick, prisoners, widows and orphans, and to clerical refugees from the Dutch Revolt, but as a fierce opponent of heresy and superstition.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moulart, Mathieu 1530s births 1600 deaths Bishops of Arras Benedictine abbots People of the Eighty Years' War

Life

Further reading

References