Étienne Constantin, Baron de Gerlache (26 December 178510 February 1871) was a lawyer and politician in the

United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...

, and later became in 1831 the first

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

of the newly founded Belgian state. He was born as son of Francois de Gerlache and Margarethe de Groulart. He studied law in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and practised there for some time, but settled at Liège after the establishment of the kingdom of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. As member of the states-general he was an energetic member of the opposition, and, though he repudiated an

ultramontane Ultramontanism is a clerical political conception within the Catholic Church that places strong emphasis on the prerogatives and powers of the Pope. It contrasts with Gallicanism, the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by th ...

policy, he supported the alliance of the extreme Catholics with the

Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, which paved the way for the revolution of 1830. On the outbreak of disturbance in August 1830 he still, however, thought the Orange-Nassau dynasty and the union with the Dutch states essential; but his views changed, and, after holding various offices in the provisional government, he became president of congress, and brought forward the motion inviting

Leopold of Saxe-Coburg * nl, Leopold Joris Christiaan Frederik * en, Leopold George Christian Frederick , image = NICAISE Leopold ANV.jpg , caption = Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser, 1856 , reign = 21 July 1831 – , predecessor = Erasme Lou ...

to become king of the Belgians. In 1832 he was president of the chamber of representatives, and for thirty-five years he presided over the court of appeal. He presided over the Catholic congresses held at Mechelen between 1863 and 1867. That his early Liberal views underwent some modification is plain from the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

principles enunciated in his ''Essai sur le mouvement des partis en Belgique'' (

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, 1852). As an historian his work was strongly colored by his anti-Dutch prejudices and his Catholic predilections. His ''Histoire des Pays-Bas depuis 1814 jusquen 1830'' (Brussels, 2 vols., 1839), which reached a fourth edition in 1875, was a piece of special pleading against the Dutch domination. The most important of his other works were his ''Histoire de Liège'' (Brussels, 1843) and his ''Études sur Salluste et sur quelques-uns des principaux historiens de l'antiquité'' (Brussels, 1847). In 1831, he was elected in Liège for the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, of which he was president until 1832. Later on, he became the first 1st president of the Belgian Court of Cassation, a position he occupied until 1867. He died on 10 February 1871 in

Ixelles (French, ) or ( Dutch, ), is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Brussels' city centre, it is geographically bisected by the City of Brussels. It is also bordered by the munic ...

Honours

* : Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (Belgium).RD of 09.07.1856 * :

War Cross (Belgium) The ''Croix de guerre'' (French) or ''Oorlogskruis'' (Dutch), both literally translating as "Cross of War", is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Belgium established by royal decree on 25 October 1915. It was primarily awarded for bravery or ...

. * :

Officer of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. * Knight of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great.

References

External links

Étienne Constantin de Gerlache
i
ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:De Gerlache, Etienne Constantin 1785 births 1871 deaths Barons of Belgium 19th-century Belgian lawyers Catholic Party (Belgium) politicians Court of Cassation (Belgium) judges Members of the National Congress of Belgium People from Bertrix Presidents of the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Walloon people