Pieter Bladelin (born ''Pieter de Leestemakere'' in or before 1408,

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

- 8 April 1472) was an important financial advisor and civil servant to the

Burgundian State The Burgundian StateB. Schnerb, ''L'État bourguignon'', 1999 (french: État bourguignon; nl, Bourgondische Rijk) is a concept coined by historians to describe the vast complex of territories that is also referred to as Valois Burgundy. It de ...

. He was lord of

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 c ...

and built the Hof Bladelin in Bruges.

Life

Early life

He was the son of the crane-operator Pieter de Leestemakere (died 1433) and Elizabeth Hugheleins (died before 1418). His father worked as a crane-operator in Bruges, although the family was from

Veurne Veurne (; french: Furnes, italic=no, ) is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Veurne proper and the settlements of , , , , , Houtem, , , Wulveringem, and . History Origins up ...

. In 1430 Bladelin was recorded as the eleventh member of Bruges' city council and four years later he had risen to its fifth member. In or around 1435 he married Margaretha van de Vagheviere (1414, Bruges - 5 May 1476, Middelburg), daughter of Jan van de Vagheviere and Margareta de Vrient - the marriage proved childless. He built Hof Bladelin on Naaldenstraat in Bruges from 1435 onwards. From 1436 to 1438 he was Bruges' city treasurer, but in 1436 he also acted as an intermediary between the city and

Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...

after it revolted against the Duke. In 1438, towards the end of the revolt, he was granted ''gros briefs'' by the Duke and on 1 January 1441 he was recorded as his general recipient of finance. In 1444 he is recorded as the duchy's treasurer and governor of finance - he was now also on the Grote Raad as a financial advisor. In 1447 he was named the next treasurer of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...

and took on the role four years later on the death of its previous holder, Guy de Guilbert.

Burgundy

The Duke often appointed him as a commissioner to chair committees on legal reform in the cities. He also maintained his diplomatic skills, mediating between the Duke and

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

when it rebelled in 1452-1453 and between Bruges and

Brugse Vrije The Brugse Vrije was a castellany in the county of Flanders, often called in English "the Franc of Bruges". It included the area around Bruges, and was bordered by the North Sea, the Westerschelde and the Yser river. The city of Bruges was separa ...

. He was also sent to England and France on diplomatic business and became a major patron of the arts. His sister Margareta (died 1449) was married to Colaard de Fever, who was from a family of wealthy money changers and royal officials and who bought properties and lands belonging to

Middelburg Abbey Middelburg Abbey (''The Abbey of our Lady'') is a former Premonstratensian abbey in Middelburg, the Netherlands. At one time it was the centre of a large monastic complex.Aardenburg Aardenburg is a small city close to the Dutch border with Belgium. It is part of the Sluis Municipality, located in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. Its medieval name was Rodenburgh (Red Castle). In the Sint-Baafskerk, (Saint Bavo's C ...

. Bladelin bought these from Colaard in 1440 and also expanded them by buying adjacent plots. In 1444 Philip the Good promoted Bladelin's lands into a lordship and Bladelin built a castle, which became his summer residence from 1450 onwards and appeared in the background of the 1460 triptych he commissioned from

Rogier van der Weyden Rogier van der Weyden () or Roger de la Pasture (1399 or 140018 June 1464) was an early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commissioned single and diptych portraits. He was highly ...

. He also began construction on the new town of

in 1452, which was largely completed by 1465. He built it a collegiate church, dedicated in 1460, to which he donated a relic of the

True Cross The True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was said to have been crucified, particularly as an object of religious veneration. There are no early accounts that the apostles or early Christians preserved the physical cross themselves, althoug ...

he had obtained from Wouter Utenhove, hoping to turn the church into a pilgrimage site. He also built the town a monastery, guesthouse, rampart and drainage canal to the and in 1458 was authorised to appoint a town council of seven aldermen and a mayor, followed by permission to hold a free annual market seven years later. He even hosted

Charles the Bold Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

Margaret of York Margaret of York (3 May 1446 – 23 November 1503)—also by marriage known as Margaret of Burgundy—was Duchess of Burgundy as the third wife of Charles the Bold and acted as a protector of the Burgundian State after his death. She was a daught ...

and

Mary of Burgundy Mary (french: Marie; nl, Maria; 13 February 1457 – 27 March 1482), nicknamed the Rich, was a member of the House of Valois-Burgundy who ruled a collection of states that included the duchies of Limburg, Brabant, Luxembourg, the counties of ...

in the town for a few weeks in June 1470.

Death

He was usually entitled a 'high and mighty lord', a title used only by members of the high nobility, but his lack of children meant he had nobody to pass his lordship onto. He was buried in front of the high altar in the church he had built in Middelburg, joined a few years later by his widow, who had been allowed to continue ruling the lordship by Charles the Bold. On her death Bladelin's will of 13 March 1472 came into effect, passing the estates in Middelburg to the descendants of Margareta and Colaard. Margareta had two daughters, Margaretha, who was married to Jan III de Baenst, and Elisabeth, who was married to Joos I van Varsenare. Joos I's son Joos II and Jan III could not agree how to divide the property and took the dispute to law. However, the dispute became so desperate that immediately after the death of Margareta the elder they agreed to sell Middelburg to William Hugonet, chancellor of Burgundy. Nothing remains of the town of Middelburg except the church, which contains a copy of the van der Weiden altarpiece by

Jan Ryckx Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

- the original is now in the

Gemäldegalerie, Berlin The Gemäldegalerie (, ''Painting Gallery'') is an art museum in Berlin, Germany, and the museum where the main selection of paintings belonging to the Berlin State Museums (''Staatliche Museen zu Berlin'') is displayed. It was first opened in ...

. Baron Philippe de Merode later gave the church's relic to

Albert VII, Archduke of Austria 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 * Albert ...

and his wife

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 unincorpora ...

, who thanked him by making him Count of Middelburg. Isabella left it in her will to St Gudula, Brussels, which eventually sent a tiny sliver back to Middelburg. Hof Bladelin in Bruges was sold to the Florentine

Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...

family, who set up a branch there under the management of

Tommaso Portinari Tommaso Portinari (c.1424? – 1501) was an Italian banker for the Medici bank in Bruges. He was a member of a prominent Florentine family, coming from Portico di Romagna, near Forlì; that family had included Dante's muse, Beatrice Portinari. ...

and put in medallions showing family busts.

Bibliography

* K. VERSCHELDE, ''Geschiedenis van Middelburg in Vlaanderen'', Brugge, 1867. * K. VERSCHELDE, ''Testament de Pierre Bladelin (...)'', in : Handelingen Genootschap voor geschiedenis te Brugge, 1879, blz.1-32 * G. MILIS-PROOST, ''Pieter Bladelin'', in: Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, Deel 2, Brussel, 1966, col. 61-63. * Gabrielle CLAEYS, ''Het Hof Bladelin te Brugge'', Brugge, 1988 * M. MARTENS, Pieter Bladelin en Middelburg in Vlaanderen, Middelburg, 1994 * Jan DUMOLYN, ''De Brugse opstand van 1436-1438'', Heule, 1997 * M. MARTENS, ''Nieuwe biografische gegevens over Pieter Bladelin'', in: Jaarboek van de heemkundige kring Het Ambacht van Maldegem, 1999, blz. 244-250. * Pieter A. DONCHE, ''De familie Bladelin in de kasselrij Veurne van 1230 tot de 16e eeuw'', in: Vlaamse Stam, 2000, blz. 353-382 * Jan DUMOLYN, ''Het hogere personeel van de hertogen van Bourgondië in het graafschap Vlaanderen (1419-1477)'', doctoraatsverhandeling (onuitgegeven), Universiteit Gent, 2001 * Jan DUMOLYN, ''Staatsvorming en vorstelijke ambtenaren in het graafschap Vlaanderen (1419-1477)'', Antwerpen, 2003 * M. MARTENS, ''Aanvullingen bij de biografie van Pieter Bladelin'', in: Jaarboek van de heemkundige kringHet Ambacht van Maldegem, 2004. * Pieter A. DONCHE, ''De familie Bladelin te Brugge'', in: Vlaamse Stam, 2007, blz. 433-447. * W. DE CLERCK, Jan DUMOLYN & Jelle HAEMERS, ''"Vivre noblement": material culture and elite identity in Late Medieval Flanders. The case of Peter Bladelin and William Hugonet'', in: Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 2007, blz. 1-31. * Jan DUMOLYN, ''Pouvoir d'État et enrichissement personnel: investissements et stratégies d'accumulation mis en oeuvre par les officiers des ducs de Bourgogne en Flandre'', in: Le Moyen Age, 2008, blz. 67-92. * Frederic BUYLAERT, ''Eeuwen van ambitie. De adel in laatmiddeleeuws Vlaanderen'', Brussel, 2010 * Frederik BUYLAERT, ''Repertorium van de Vlaamse Adel, (ca. 1350-ca.1500)'', Gent, 2011 * Pieter A. DONCHE, ''Edelen, leenmannen en vorstelijk ambtenaren van Vlaanderen, 1464 - 1481 - 1495'', uitg. Donche, 2012 * Jonas BRAEKEVELT, ''Pieter Bladelin, de Rijselse Rekenkamer en de stichting van Middelburg-in-Vlaanderen (ca. 1444-1472): de ambities van een opgeklommen hofambtenaar versus de bescherming van het vorstelijke domein'', Brussel, 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bladelin, P History of Bruges 1472 deaths Officers of the Order of Golden Fleece Year of birth uncertain