Simon de Fierlant ( – 15 August 1686), Lord of Bodegem, was a jurist and holder of high 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 ...

Family

De Fierlant was born in

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

around 1602, the son of Martin Fierlants, royal receiver of domains, and Catherine van Eyck.Catherine Thomas, "de Fierlant, Simon", '' Nouvelle Biographie Nationale'', 9 (Brussels, 2007), pp. 114-115. In 1629 his family fled 's-Hertogenbosch when it fell to the Dutch. On 10 December 1642 he married Anne-Marie de Reynegom (1625–1681), daughter of Thierry, lord of Eeklo, the Prince-Bishop of Liège's agent at the Brussels court, and Claire-Régine Mechelman, lady of Buzet. Together they had eight children. Two of their sons also held public office: Philippe-Ignace, lord of Bodeghem and Eeklo, became a member of the Sovereign Council of Brabant, and François-Simon, baron Fierlant, alderman of Brussels.

Career

De Fierlant graduated

Licentiate of Laws Bachelor of Civil Law (abbreviated BCL, or B.C.L.; la, Baccalaureus Civilis Legis) is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. The BCL originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and Camb ...

from

Leuven University KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

and on 18 August 1627 was called to the bar at the

Council of Brabant The Council of Brabant was the highest law court in the historic Duchy of Brabant. It was presided over by the Chancellor of Brabant. One of its functions was to determine that new legislation was not contrary to the rights and liberties establis ...

. He was ennobled by letters patent of 16 April 1657, as lord of Heetvelde and Bodeghem, and on 25 April the same year was appointed councillor and

master of requests Master of Requests, from the Latin Requestarum Magister, is an office that developed in several European systems of law and government in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. Holders of the title had the responsibility of presenting pe ...

of the Great Council of Mechelen, being sworn in on 4 May. In 1663 he was appointed to the Supreme Council of Flanders in Madrid, returning to Brussels in 1668 as

Chancellor of Brabant The Chancellor of Brabant was the head of the civilian government of the late medieval and early-modern Duchy of Brabant as president of the Council of Brabant The Council of Brabant was the highest law court in the historic Duchy of Brabant. It ...

, a post he held for the next 18 years. He died in Brussels on 15 August 1686.

Works

* ''Christianissimi regis in Brabantiae ducatum praetentio refutata'' (Cologne, 1667) * ''Tractatus de imperio ac dignitatibus'' (Cologne, 1675) * ''Austriacae domus ac gentis dilucidum jus in Burgundiae ducatum'' (Cologne, 1680)

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fierlants, Simon 1600s births 1686 deaths Chancellors of Brabant Jurists of the Spanish Netherlands Politicians from Brussels