Don Pedro Coloma (

Nájera Nájera () is a small town, former bishopric and now Latin Catholic titular see, former capital of the Kingdom of Najera-Pamplona, located in the "Rioja Alta" region of La Rioja, northern Spain, on the river Najerilla. Nájera is a stopping poi ...

, 16 August 1556 -

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 ...

, 27 December 1622), Baron of Bornhem (currently

Bornem Bornem (; old spelling: ''Bornhem'') is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises the village of Bornem proper, Hingene, and Weert, Antwerp, Weer ...

) and Lord of Bobadilla, was a Spanish officer in the

Army of Flanders The Army of Flanders (; ) was a field army of the Spanish Army based in the Spanish Netherlands between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was one of the longest-serving field armies of the early modern era, being founded in 1567 and disbanded in 170 ...

who established a noble line in the

Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands were the parts of the Low Countries that were ruled by sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. This rule began in 1482 and ended for the Northern Netherlands in 1581 and for the Southern Netherlands in 1797. ...

, a branch of the famous House of Coloma.

Family

Coloma was the son of Juan Coloma, a knight in the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...

, and Doña Maria Fernandez, Lady of Bobadilla.

Jean Charles Joseph de Vegiano Jean Charles Joseph de Vegiano (1724–1794), lord of Hovel, was a genealogist and heraldist of the nobility of the Low Countries and the County of Burgundy The Free County of Burgundy (; ) was a medieval and early modern feudal polity ruled by ...

, ''Nobiliaire des Pays-Bas et du comté de Bourgogne'', edited by J.S.F.J.L. de Herckenrode
vol. 1, part 1
(Ghent, 1865), pp. 501-502. In 1585 he married Jeanne l'Escuyer, Viscountess of Dourlens (currently

Doullens Doullens (; ; former ) is a commune in the Somme department, Hauts-de-France, France. Its inhabitants are called ''Doullennais'' and ''Doullennaises''. Geography Doullens is situated on the N25 road, in the northern part of the department, st ...

), with whom he had three sons: Alexander, a captain of light cavalry, who succeeded him but died childless in 1625; Diego, who served as a gentleman in the household of

Philip III of Spain Philip III (; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain and King of Portugal, Portugal (where he is known as Philip II of Portugal) during the Iberian Union. His reign lasted from 1598 until his death in 1621. He held dominion over the S ...

; and

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, who continued the line.

Career

Coloma arrived in the Low Countries in 1577, to fight against the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exc ...

, and in 1586 bought the lordship of Bornhem in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-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, la ...

. He built a manor house on the site of

Bornem Castle Bornem Castle, also known as the Marnix de Sainte-Aldegonde Castle (, or ''Kasteel Marnix de Sainte-Aldegonde''), is a country house, formerly a castle, located in Bornem, province of Antwerp, Belgium. Bornem Castle is situated at an elevation of 1 ...

. He also restored and improved the medieval duck decoy on the estate, and in 1603 founded a religious community that is now

Bornem Abbey Bornem Abbey is the only Cistercian abbey of Common Observance in the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. The current abbey is the successor of the former St. Bernard's Abbey, Hemiksem, destroyed in the French Revolution. Both are built in honou ...

References

1621 deaths Coloma family People from Bornem Military personnel of the Spanish Netherlands {{Europe-noble-stub