William De Croÿ
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William II de Croÿ, Lord of Chièvres (1458 – 28 May 1521) (also known as: Guillaume II de Croÿ, sieur de Chièvres in French; Guillermo II de Croÿ, señor de Chièvres, Xevres or Xebres in Spanish; Willem II van Croÿ, heer van Chièvres in Dutch) was the chief tutor and First Chamberlain to Charles V. He was from the House of Croÿ.


Biography

William was the second son of Philippe de Croÿ, Lord of Aarschot and Jacqueline 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 This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th century !Year of induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , 1467, , Founde ...
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 Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
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 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 ...
, as well as being supreme commander. He was confirmed in his tasks by Emperor Maximilian in 1510. In 1509 William 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 Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...
, 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 The Duchy of Sora was a Historical states of Italy, semi-independent state in Italy, created in 1443 by King Alfonso V of Aragon, Alfonso I of Naples and dissolved in 1796. It occupied the south-eastern part of what is today Lazio, bordering what i ...
and Arce, and Rocca Guglielma in 1516. It was on William's advice that Charles sent his brother
Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...
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 The Archdiocese of Toledo () is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Spain.
. 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 The Revolt of the Comuneros (, "War of the Communities of Castile") was an uprising by citizens of Crown of Castile, Castile against the rule of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its hei ...
. 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 ( ) was an Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire), imperial diet (a formal deliberative assembly) of the Holy Roman Empire called by Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V and conducted in the Imperial Free City o ...
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, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
and his followers. Charles broke with his advisors and went to war against
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. 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, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
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.


Titles

William was also later titled Duke of Sora and Arce between 1516 and 1528,
Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
of Roccaguglielma (all three in
Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially 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 established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...
, now in the Province of Frosinone), 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 (; ) 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 with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wid ...
of Aarschot and Lord of
Temse Temse (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in East Flanders, Belgium. The name Temse is derived from the Gallo-Roman/Gaul Tamisiacum or Tamasiacum. This is also reflected in the French name for the town, Tamise. The main sights in ...
. Charles raised Beaumont to a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
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, 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
Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...
(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)


References


Sources

*84 * * 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 from the Habsburg Netherlands Stadtholders of Namur Dukes of Sora