William II de
Croÿ, Lord of
Chièvres (1458 – 28 May 1521) (also known as: Guillaume II de Croÿ, sieur de Chièvres in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
; Guillermo II de Croÿ, señor de Chièvres, Xevres or Xebres in
Spanish; Willem II van Croÿ, heer van Chièvres in
Dutch) (later
Duke of Sora and
Arce,
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or kn ...
of Roccaguglielma (all three in
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
, now in Frosinone province), 1st
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...
of
Beaumont, 1st
Marquess
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...
of
Aarschot
Aarschot () is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Aarschot proper and the towns of Gelrode, Langdorp and Rillaar. On January 1, 2019, Aarschot had a total pop ...
, Lord of
Temse) was the chief tutor and First Chamberlain to
Charles V.
William was the second son of
Philippe de Croÿ, Lord of Aarschot and Jacoba of Luxembourg. William married Maria-Magdalena of Hamal, widow of Adolf van der Marck. William bought the lordships of Beaumont and Chièvres from his father in 1485. In 1489 he was one of the lords who tried to reason with
Philip of Cleves during his
rebellion against Maximilian of Austria. William was also elected a
Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1491. He became part of the court of
Philip the Handsome in 1494, but did not accompany Philip on his first voyage to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
in 1501–03. After Philip's death in 1506, William became part of the regency council and held chief responsibility for the finances of the
Low Countries
The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
, as well as being supreme commander. He was confirmed in his tasks by Emperor Maximilian in 1510.
In 1509 he also became chief tutor of young
Archduke Charles as a replacement for
Charles de Croÿ, prince of Chimay. William helped engineer Charles taking the title of
Duke of Burgundy, and moved the nine-year-old Charles away from the court of
Margaret of Austria so that he could better influence Charles.
[Haliczer, p. 138.] The young man was dependent on William—who plotted to have Charles declared to be of age at fifteen and appointed Grand Chamberlain—for advice. Charles named William part of his first council in 1515 and rewarded him with the
Duchy of Sora and
Arce, and Rocca Guglielma in 1516. Charles raised Beaumont to a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
and Aarschot (which William inherited from his father in 1511) to a
margraviate between 1517 and 1519. Other functions William acquired were:
*
Grand-Bailli of
Hainaut (1497–1503)
*
Stadtholder
In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...
of
Namur
Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Na ...
(since 1503)
* Admiral of the Kingdom of Naples and Chief Admiral of all countries (in 1516)
* Chief of the Spanish treasury (''contador mayor'') (since 1517, though later sold to Alvaro de Zúñiga, duke of Béjar, for 30,000 ducats)
It was on William's advice that Charles sent his brother
Ferdinand away from Spain. Ferdinand was loved by the people and Spanish-born, while Charles was distrusted as a foreigner. The fear was that Ferdinand might be used as a figurehead for a revolt.
William arranged for his
namesake twenty-year-old nephew to be appointed
Archbishop of Toledo. He was thus able to enjoy the immense revenues the see generated from afar.
[Seaver, p. 61.] This appointment landed Charles in trouble later, as the appointment of an unqualified young foreigner offended the sensibilities of the Spanish and helped provoke the
Revolt of the Comuneros.
William insisted that Charles become a candidate for the Imperial election in 1519 and was present at the
Diet of Worms
The Diet of Worms of 1521 (german: Reichstag zu Worms ) was an imperial diet (a formal deliberative assembly) of the Holy Roman Empire called by Emperor Charles V and conducted in the Imperial Free City of Worms. Martin Luther was summoned t ...
in 1521, where he was opposed to the violent persecution of
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
and his
followers. Charles broke with his advisors and went to war against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. William died in 1521 with the cause recorded as poison. Protestant followers of
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
were blamed for this purported reprisal for the
Edict of Worms which had been issued three days earlier on 25 May 1521.
William was married to Marie de Hamal, but the marriage was childless. He was succeeded by his other nephew
Philippe II de Croÿ
Philip II de Croÿ (1496–1549) was Seigneur de Croÿ, Count of Porcéan and first Duke of Aarschot.
Philip belonged to the powerful House of Croÿ. He was the eldest son of Henry de Croy, and Charlotte de Châteaubriand. His grandfather was ...
.
Cultural depiction
In television, William de Croÿ was portrayed by Helio Pedregal in the Spanish fictional historical series ''
Carlos, rey emperador'' (''Carlos, King Emperor'')
References
Citations
Sources
* Hans Cools, ''Mannen met Macht'' (Walburg Pers, Zutphen, 2001)
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croy, William de
1458 births
1521 deaths
William de Croy
Knights of the Golden Fleece
People of the Habsburg Netherlands