Charles I de Croÿ (1455–1527), Count and later 1st Prince of Chimay, was a nobleman and politician from the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

in the service of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

Early life

Charles was born into the

House of Croÿ The House of Croÿ () is an old European noble family of princely and historically sovereignty, sovereign rank, which held a seat in the Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire), Imperial Diet from 1486, and was elevated to the rank of Princes of the Holy Ro ...

as the eldest son of Philip I of Croÿ-Chimay and Walburga of Moers.

Career

He was knighted by Maximilian of Austria on the eve of the

Battle of Guinegate (1479) The First Battle of Guinegate took place on 7 August 1479. King Louis XI's French troops, led by Philippe de Crèvecœur d'Esquerdes (who had been a commander under Charles the Bold but defected to the French side after the latter's death in 147 ...

. In this battle, he was almost killed when his stirrup broke and he was thrown to the ground. He was saved by Maximilian, Josse de Lalaing and a few Germans who came to his rescue, risking being enveloped themselves. His loyalty to Maximilian and Philip the Fair was appreciated by the Habsburgs. In 1486, Maximilian raised Charles's County of Chimay to a Principality. Charles was from then on a

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (, , cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors of the princely title bore it as immediate vassal ...

. Furthermore, in 1491 he became a Knight in the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

. In 1500, Charles had the honor of being the godfather at the baptism of

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

. He became the tutor of the young Charles, but because of frictions with the prince's aunt

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

, he resigned in 1509 in favour of his cousin William de Croÿ. Charles was in 1519 one of the negotiators during the talks which led to a military alliance with

John II, Duke of Cleves John II, "The Babymaker", Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark, ( German: Johann II. "der Kindermacher", Herzog von Kleve, Graf von Mark) (13 April 1458 – 15 March 1521) was a son of John I, Duke of Cleves and Elizabeth of Nevers. He ruled Cleve ...

. He was also

stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

of the

County of Hainaut The County of Hainaut ( ; ; ; ), sometimes spelled Hainault, was a territorial lordship within the medieval Holy Roman Empire that straddled the present-day border of Belgium and France. Its most important towns included Mons, Belgium, Mons (), n ...

and governor of

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

, but he resigned in 1521 in favour of his son-in-law, Philippe II de Croÿ.

Personal life

Charles married Louise d'Albret, daughter of Alain I of Albret. Together, they had eight children of which only two daughters survived: * Anne de Croÿ (1501–1539), who married Philippe II de Croÿ,

Duke of Aarschot The Duke of Aarschot (or ''Aerschot'') was one of the most important aristocratic titles in the Low Countries, named after the Brabantian city of Aarschot. The title was held by the House of Croÿ and the House of Arenberg. The present Duke is Leo ...

and ''

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title '' suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could beco ...

'' next Prince of Chimay. * Margaret de Croÿ (1508–1549), who married Charles II de Lalaing, 2nd Count of Lalaing, in 1528. The Prince de Chimay died in 1527.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Croy 01 de Croy 1455 births 1527 deaths Knights of the Golden Fleece Princes of Chimay Stadtholders of Hainaut House of Croÿ