Willem Bloys van Treslong 1529-1594 Erfgoedcentrum Rozet 300 191 d 2 A-39

Willem Bloys van Treslong (1529 – 17 July 1594) was a nobleman from the

Southern Netherlands The Southern Netherlands, also called the Catholic Netherlands, were the parts of the Low Countries belonging to the Holy Roman Empire which were at first largely controlled by Habsburg Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1556–1714) and later by the A ...

and military leader during the Dutch war of Independence. He was best known as one of the leaders of the

Sea Beggars Geuzen (; ; french: Les Gueux) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called Watergeuzen (; ; frenc ...

who captured Den Briel on 1 April 1572.

Biography

The family Bloys van Treslong had lands in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

, Hainaut and

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

; they are descended from John of Beaumont. His was the

bailiff A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offi ...

of Voorne. Bloys van Treslong left Spanish service in 1558, and in 1567, joined other high nobles of the Netherlands in refusing to pledge allegiance to

Margaret of Parma Margaret of Parma (; 5 July 1522 – 18 January 1586) was Governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1578 to 1582. She was the illegitimate daughter of the then 22-year-old Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Johanna Maria van der G ...

, the governor of the Netherlands, and was part of the

Compromise of Nobles The Compromise of Nobles ( nl, Eedverbond der Edelen; french: Compromis des Nobles) was a covenant of members of the nobility in the Habsburg Netherlands who came together to submit a petition to the Regent Margaret of Parma on 5 April 1566, wi ...

. He fought in the battle of Heiligerlee in 1568. In 1571,

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 ...

provided him with letters of marque and equipped two ships to join the Sea Beggars. In March 1572, Bloys van Treslong's ships were trapped by ice at

Wieringen Wieringen () is part of the municipality of Hollands Kroon, established in 2012 in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It is a former municipality in this province, with its name appearing in records of the late 9th and early 10th ...

and are attacked by four Spanish companies of infantry. Bloys escaped from the Spaniards but lost his sword which at present hangs in the Michaëlskerk church in Oosterland. In April 1572, the Sea Beggars under the command of William van der Marck, Lord of Lumey and his captain

Lenaert Jansz de Graeff Lenaert Jansz de Graeff (Amsterdam, – in Exile, ) belonged to the powerful Amsterdam patriciate. He was one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation at Amsterdam, vice-general-captain of Amsterdam, friend of Henry, Count of Bréderode, the ...

and Bloys van Treslong captured Briel,De Opstand 1568-1648: De strijd in de Zuidelijke en Noordelijke Nederlanden, by Arnout van Cruyningen
/ref> which became a rebel base. Later, in 1572, the rebels captured

Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushing ...

. Bloys van Treslong was appointed Admiral of Holland in 1573, followed by the appointment as Admiral of Zealand in 1576. After a dispute over the strategy for the relief of Antwerp in 1585, he went out of favour and ended up in jail, believed to have been under the custody of Count Steijn. In his last years he became bailiff of Voorne and grand-falconer of Holland and lived in relative peace. Bloys van Treslong was married to Adriana van Egmond and Wilhelmina Kaarl. By Adriana van Egmond, he had a son, Jasper. The Dutch warship was named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloys van Treslong, Willem 16th-century pirates 1529 births 1594 deaths Dutch people of the Eighty Years' War (United Provinces) Dutch pirates Flemish nobility People from Brielle