Everard t'Serclaes, Lord of Kruikenburg (c. 1320 – 31 March 1388) was a citizen of

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

who was made famous by his recovery of the city from the

Flemings Flemish people or Flemings ( ) are a Germanic ethnic group native to Flanders, Belgium, who speak Flemish Dutch. Flemish people make up the majority of Belgians, at about 60%. ''Flemish'' was historically a geographical term, as all inhabita ...

. His brother,

Jean Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

, was

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. After the death of John III of Brabant on 5 December 1355, his daughter

Joanna Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from . Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan, Jane, Janet, Janice, Jean, and Jeanne. The earliest recorded occurrence of th ...

and her husband,

Wenceslaus Wenceslaus, Wenceslas, Wenzeslaus and Wenzslaus (and other similar names) are Latinized forms of the Slavic names#In Slovakia and Czech_Republic, Czech name Václav. The other language versions of the name are , , , , , , among others. It origina ...

, succeeded him as rulers of the duchy. Their succession was disputed by the

count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the c ...

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. Louis invaded Brabant and quickly seized Brussels. On the night of 24 October 1356, Everard scaled the city walls leading a group of patriots and drove the Flemings from the city. This enabled Joanna and Wenceslaus to make their Joyous Entry into the city. Everard was later made ''

schepen A schepen (Dutch, ; . ') or échevin (French, , ) or Schöffe (German, ) is a municipal officer in Belgium and formerly the Netherlands, where it has been replaced by the (a municipal executive). In modern Belgium, the ''schepen'' or ''échevin'' ...

'' (

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

) of the city five times. As an old man he led the successful opposition to the selling of a section of crown land to Sweder of Abcoude, lord of Gaasbeek. A group led by Sweder's illegitimate son ambushed, beat, and mutilated Everard on the road from Lennik to Brussels. He died five days later as a result of the attack. In response, the citizens of Brussels, joined by allies from across Brabant, razed

Gaasbeek Castle Gaasbeek Castle (; ) is a castle located in Lennik, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. Nowadays, it serves as a national museum. It is surrounded by a park. History The fortified castle was erected around 1240 to defend the Duchy of Brabant against the ...

. Everard is commemorated by a monument sculpted by artist Julien Dillens (1849–1904), which is located on Charles Buls street in Brussels, just off the

Grand-Place The (French language, French, ; "Grand Square"; also used in English) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ; "Big Market") is the central Town square, square of Brussels, Belgium. It is surrounded by opulent Baroque architecture, Baroque guildhalls of ...

. It is said among locals that the statue of Everard t'Serclaes brings luck and grants the wishes of all who touch it. Many tourists touch (or rather rub) the statue, particularly the arm, because legend has it that

rubbing Rubbing is moving an object in contact with another object. Rub, RUB, rubs or rubbing may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Rub'' (album), by Peaches, 2015 * Rubbing (art), a method of recording and reproducing the texture of a surface ...

the arm will ensure one's return to Brussels. Other parts are also touched frequently by the tourists such as the face of an angel, a dog, and one of the shields. This constant polishing keeps the body shining compared to the rest of the sculpture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:tSerclaes, Everard 1320s births 1388 deaths People from Brussels

Everard Everard is a given name and surname which is the anglicised version of the old Germanic name Eberhard. Notable people with the name include: People First name * Everard Aloysius Lisle Phillipps (1835–1857), English East India officer awarded the ...

People from the Duchy of Brabant