Charles de Brimeu was the last count of Megen

Megen

Megen or Meghem is a small city in the southern part of the Netherlands, in the province North Brabant, close to the river Maas. It is part of the Oss municipality. The number of inhabitants is approximately 1700....

, lord of Humbercourt

Humbercourt

Humbercourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Humbercourt is situated on the D127 road, some southwest of Arras and on the border with the Pas-de-Calais département formed by the Grouches valley...

, of Houdain

Houdain

Houdain is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A former coalmining, now a light industrial and farming town, situated some south of Béthune at the junction of the D86, D301 and the D341 roads...

 and "Éperlecques

Éperlecques

Éperlecques is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:It is a farming commune comprising eight hamlets, all found within the regional nature reserve of the Caps et Marais d'Opale, situated 6 miles northwest of Saint-Omer, at the D222 and...

, stadtholder

Stadtholder

A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...

 of Gelderland

Gelderland

Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...

 (from 1556) and Order of the Golden Fleece

Order of the Golden Fleece

The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...

, opposed the centralizing policy of Philip II of Spain

Philip II of Spain

Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....

.

During the Dutch Revolt, however, he remained loyal to the crown of Spain, in June 1568 and defended Groningen successfully against Louis of Nassau

Louis of Nassau

Louis of Nassau was the third son of William, Count of Nassau and Juliana of Stolberg, and the younger brother of Prince William of Orange Nassau....

. Dying without direct descendents, his titles passed on to the uncle of Marie Brimeu (born in 1550, † in Liege on 18 April 1605), wife of Lancelot of Berlaymont then (from 1580) of Charles de Croy

Charles de Croÿ

Charles de Croÿ was a bishop of the See of Tournai in present-day Belgium from 1524 until 1564.Charles was born in 1506 as a member of the House of Croÿ. He was a nephew of William de Croÿ, Lord of Chièvres and a brother of William de Croÿ, Archbishop of Toledo . He matriculated at the University...

. The latter, a convinced Calvinist, had a decisive influence on her second husband, until their separation in 1584.

External links

• Charles de Brimeu, graaf van Megen by Anton van der Lem, includes many references