Adolf van Meetkercke (1528–1591) ( la, Adolphus Mekerchus) was a Flemish diplomat and humanist.

Life

He was born in Bruges, into a wealthy family of the nobility. s:de:ADB:Meetkercke, Adolf van In 1577, after the Pacification of Ghent, he travelled to England on a diplomatic mission concerned with the

First Union of Brussels There were two Unions of Brussels, both formed in the end of the 1570s, in the opening stages of the Eighty Years' War, the war of secession from Spanish control, which lasted from 1568 to 1648. Brussels was at that time the capital of the Spanis ...

, with the Marquis of Havrech (Havré), Charles Philippe de Croÿ (1549–1613). In 1580, he became a Protestant convert. He accompanied

Philip Marnix of St. Aldegonde Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde, Lord of West-Souburg (Dutch: Filips van Marnix, heer van Sint-Aldegonde, heer van West-Souburg, French: Philippe de Marnix, seigneur de Sainte-Aldegonde; 7 March/20 July 1540 – 15 December 1598) was a ...

to France, to negotiate the Treaty of Plessis-les-Tours with

François of Alençon ''Monsieur'' Francis, Duke of Anjou and Alençon (french: Hercule François; 18 March 1555 – 10 June 1584) was the youngest son of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici. Early years He was scarred by smallpox at age eight, a ...

. He was then appointed as chairman of the Flemish governing council. His support for

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. Dudley's youth was ov ...

in 1587 led to his becoming an exile in England, leaving with

Hadrian Saravia Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

. This followed a failed plot to mount a coup in Leiden on behalf of Leicester. He died in London.

Works

Hubert Goltzius published his translations of Moschus and Bion of Smyrna in 1565. *''De veteri et recta pronuntiatione linguae Graecae commentarius'' He wrote a

commendatory poem The epideictic oratory, also called ceremonial oratory, or praise-and-blame rhetoric, is one of the three branches, or "species" (eidē), of rhetoric as outlined in Aristotle's ''Rhetoric'', to be used to praise or blame during ceremonies. Origin ...

for the ''

Theatrum Orbis Terrarum ''Theatrum Orbis Terrarum'' (, "Theatre of the Orb of the World") is considered to be the first true modern atlas. Written by Abraham Ortelius, strongly encouraged by Gillis Hooftman and originally printed on 20 May 1570 in Antwerp, it consist ...

'' of

Abraham Ortelius Abraham Ortelius (; also Ortels, Orthellius, Wortels; 4 or 14 April 152728 June 1598) was a Brabantian cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer, conventionally recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the ''Theatrum Orbis Terraru ...

Family

He married the widow of Jean Wijts of Bruges. With Jacoba Cerbina he had four sons: Adolf, Nicolaas, Anthony, and Baldwin. Nicolaas and Baldwin were killed at the siege of Deventer, Anthony at Zutphen. Margaret, daughter of John Lichtervelde, was his second wife;

Edward Meetkerke Edward Meetkerke (1590 – August 1657) was an English clergyman and academic, Regius Professor of Hebrew at Oxford from 1620. Life He was born in the parish of St Botolph, Aldersgate, London, and baptized in the Dutch Church, Austin Friars, on 29 ...

, an English clergyman, was his son with her. His daughter Elizabeth married Thomas Westfield. There was another daughter of this marriage, Salome.

Notes

References

External links

WorldCat pageCERL page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meetkercke, Adolf van 1528 births 1591 deaths 16th-century Dutch diplomats Dutch Renaissance humanists Nobility from Bruges