Maximilian de Berghes (–1570) was the first

archbishop of Cambrai The Archdiocese of Cambrai ( la, Archdiocesis Cameracensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Cambrai'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France, comprising the arrondissements of Avesnes-sur-Helpe ...

Life

Maximilian was born around 1512, the second son of privy councillor Dismas de Berghes, a recognised bastard of

John III of Glymes John III, Lord of Bergen op Zoom or John III of Glymes (1452 – 1532, in Brussels) was a noble from the Low Countries. He was the son of John II of Glymes and Margaret of Rouveroy and succeeded his father as Lord of Bergen op Zoom. In 1494 he ...

, Lord of Bergen op Zoom.

Alphonse Le Roy Alphonse Le Roy (1822–1896) was a professor at the University of Liège, in Belgium, who contributed over 150 entries to the ''Biographie Nationale de Belgique''. Life Le Roy was born in Liège on 28 July 1822, the only son of Louis-Nicolas Le R ...

, "Berghes (Maximilien de)", ''

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. 2
(Brussels, 1868), 218-221. Embarking on a clerical career, he became

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the Church of Saint Gummarus in Lier (

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg Neth ...

). He was elected bishop of Cambrai on 10 September 1556, thanks to the influence of Cardinal Granvelle, but

Pope Paul IV Pope Paul IV, born Gian Pietro Carafa, C.R. ( la, Paulus IV; it, Paolo IV; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death in August 1559. While serving as pa ...

refused to confirm his election until 1559. Berghes took formal possession of his see on 21 October that year. In the intervening time, the papal bull of 12 May 1559 establishing the new bishoprics in the Low Countries had made Cambrai an archdiocese, with Tournai, Arras,

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audoma ...

and Namur as

suffragan see A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, ...

s. On 6 January 1560 this was confirmed by Pope Pius IV, despite the protests of

Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine Charles de Lorraine (c. 1525 – 26 December 1574), Duke of Chevreuse, was a French Cardinal, a member of the powerful House of Guise. He was known at first as the Cardinal of Guise, and then as the second Cardinal of Lorraine, after the death o ...

archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese a ...

, to whom Cambrai, Tournai, Arras and Saint-Omer had previously been subject (Namur had been part of the

diocese of Liège In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

).André Le Glay, ''Cameracum Christianum ou histoire ecclésiastique du diocèse de Cambrai'' (Lille, Lefort, 1849), pp. 59-62
On Google Books
/ref> Maximilian was installed as archbishop on 22 March 1562. In 1565 he summoned a provincial council to promulgate the decrees of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...

in his archdiocese, which sat from 24 June to 15 July, followed by a diocesan synod in October 1567. Honoré Fisquet, ''La France pontificale (Gallia Christiana): Cambrai'' (Paris, 1864), pp. 238-247
On Google Books
/ref> In 1566 he took part in the

Diet of Augsburg The Diet of Augsburg were the meetings of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire held in the German city of Augsburg. Both an Imperial City and the residence of the Augsburg prince-bishops, the town had hosted the Estates in many such sessi ...

, where the Catholic princes of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

accepted the decrees. On 27 August 1570, while accompanying Anna of Austria on her journey to Spain to marry

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 ...

, he died suddenly at

Bergen op Zoom Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands. Etymology The city was built on a place where two types of soil meet: sandy soil and marine clay. The sandy soil ...

. His remains were transferred to Cambrai and buried in the cathedral on 29 October.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berghes, Maximilian de Year of birth uncertain 1570 deaths Archbishops of Cambrai

Maximilian Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name. The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names. List of people Monarchs *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459� ...