Philip of Noircarmes
Encyclopedia
Philip of Noircarmes, whose full name was: Philippe René Nivelon Louis de Sainte-Aldegonde, Lord of Noircarmes (c. 1530 — Utrecht
, 5 March 1574) was a statesman and soldier from the Habsburg Netherlands
in the service of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
and Philip II of Spain
. He gained notoriety during the suppression of Calvinist insurrections, especially at Valenciennes
in 1566-7, and as a member of the Council of Troubles
at the start of the Eighty Years' War. He was stadtholder
of Hainaut
from 1566, and of Holland, Zeeland
and Utrecht
from 1573 until his death.
and Marie de Rubempré. His father (d. 1538) had been a chamberlain
of Charles V and he himself is mentioned as a page of Charles in 1547.
Noircarmes married Bonne de Lannoy on 7 September, 1554. They had a son, Maximilien-Lamoral, and a daughter.
in the early 1560s. As such he opposed Orange
, Egmont
, and Horne
who counseled caution to the Regent after the upheaval of the Compromise of Nobles
in 1566. When in August, 1566 social unrest broke out in connection with open-air sermons of Calvinists and subsequently the Iconoclastic Fury
, he argued for repression. He was made acting-stadtholder and grand baillie
of Hainaut in July, 1566, and at the same time put in charge of the royal forces in that area. Margaret charged him with the suppression of a Calvinist revolt in Valenciennes, led by Guido de Bres
, among others, in December, 1566. He laid siege to the city and captured it on March 24, 1567. De Bres was executed along with many other citizens of Valenciennes. Noircarmes by that time had already captured rebellious Tournai
and executed many Calvinists there. He next went to 's-Hertogenbosch and Maastricht
and forced them to take in royal garrisons. Finally, he went to Holland and punished in short order Gouda
, Schoonhoven
and Amsterdam
in May.
Meanwhile, king Philip had sent Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
to the Netherlands with an army to restore order. Noircarmes went to meet him and made an immediate good impression. When Alba formed his Council of Troubles
in September, 1567, he made Noircarmes its vice-president. Noircarmes next convinced the Count of Egmont not to evade arrest by Alba. (Egmont later was executed).
As a member of the Council of State, Noircarmes advised against Alba's plans to institute new taxes (the Tenth Penny), but Alba ignored this advice.
After the siege of the fortress of Mons
(that had been captured by Louis of Nassau
in May, 1572), Noircarmes was entrusted with the punishment of the citizens for their rebellion. Next he accompanied Alba to Mechelen
and encouraged the Spanish soldiers to sack
that city in September, 1572. Then he accompanied Alba's son Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Duke of Alba
on his punitive expedition to Holland. He took part in the Siege of Haarlem
in 1573.
When Maximilien de Hénin-Liétard
, the royal stadtholder of Holland, was taken prisoner of war by the rebels in October, 1573, Noircarmes was appointed his successor. However, at the Siege of Alkmaar
he was wounded. He died of these wounds in Utrecht on 5 March, 1574.
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, 5 March 1574) was a statesman and soldier from the Habsburg Netherlands
Habsburg Netherlands
The Habsburg Netherlands was a geo-political entity covering the whole of the Low Countries from 1482 to 1556/1581 and solely the Southern Netherlands from 1581 to 1794...
in the service of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
and 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....
. He gained notoriety during the suppression of Calvinist insurrections, especially at Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
in 1566-7, and as a member of the Council of Troubles
Council of Troubles
The Council of Troubles was the special tribunal instituted on September 9, 1567 by Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, governor-general of the Habsburg Netherlands on the orders of Philip II of Spain to punish the ringleaders of the recent political and religious "troubles" in the...
at the start of the Eighty Years' War. He was 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 Hainaut
County of Hainaut
The County of Hainaut was a historical region in the Low Countries with its capital at Mons . In English sources it is often given the archaic spelling Hainault....
from 1566, and of Holland, Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
and Utrecht
Utrecht (province)
Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...
from 1573 until his death.
Early life
Noircarmes (as he is usually called in historiography) was the son of Jean de Sainte-Aldegonde, a scion of an old aristocratic family from Saint-OmerSaint-Omer
Saint-Omer , a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais. The town is named after Saint Audomar, who brought Christianity to the area....
and Marie de Rubempré. His father (d. 1538) had been a chamberlain
Chamberlain (office)
A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
of Charles V and he himself is mentioned as a page of Charles in 1547.
Noircarmes married Bonne de Lannoy on 7 September, 1554. They had a son, Maximilien-Lamoral, and a daughter.
Role in the early phase of the Dutch Revolt
Noircarmes was a member of the Council of State of Margaret of ParmaMargaret of Parma
Margaret, Duchess of Parma , Governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1578 to 1582, was the illegitimate daughter of Charles V and Johanna Maria van der Gheynst...
in the early 1560s. As such he opposed Orange
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
, Egmont
Lamoral, Count of Egmont
Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere was a general and statesman in the Habsburg Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Years' War, whose execution helped spark the national uprising that eventually led to the independence of the Netherlands.The Count of Egmont headed one of the...
, and Horne
Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn
Philip de Montmorency was also known as Count of Horn or Hoorne or Hoorn.-Biography:De Montmorency was born, between 1518 and 1526, possibly at the Ooidonk Castle, as the son of Jozef van Montmorency, Count of Nevele and Anna van Egmont...
who counseled caution to the Regent after the upheaval of the Compromise of Nobles
Compromise of Nobles
The Compromise'of Nobles was a covenant of members of the lesser nobility in the Habsburg Netherlands who came together to submit a petition to the Regent Margaret of Parma on 5 April 1566, with the objective of obtaining a moderation of the placards against heresy in the Netherlands...
in 1566. When in August, 1566 social unrest broke out in connection with open-air sermons of Calvinists and subsequently the Iconoclastic Fury
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
, he argued for repression. He was made acting-stadtholder and grand baillie
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
of Hainaut in July, 1566, and at the same time put in charge of the royal forces in that area. Margaret charged him with the suppression of a Calvinist revolt in Valenciennes, led by Guido de Bres
Guido de Bres
Guido de Bres was a Walloon pastor and theologian, a student of John Calvin and Theodore Beza in Geneva. He was born in Mons, County of Hainaut, Southern Netherlands, and martyred at Valenciennes, aged 45...
, among others, in December, 1566. He laid siege to the city and captured it on March 24, 1567. De Bres was executed along with many other citizens of Valenciennes. Noircarmes by that time had already captured rebellious Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
and executed many Calvinists there. He next went to 's-Hertogenbosch and Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
and forced them to take in royal garrisons. Finally, he went to Holland and punished in short order Gouda
Gouda
Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....
, Schoonhoven
Schoonhoven
Schoonhoven is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality has a population of 12,195 , and covers an area of 6.96 km²...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in May.
Meanwhile, king Philip had sent Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba
Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba was a Spanish general and governor of the Spanish Netherlands , nicknamed "the Iron Duke" in the Low Countries because of his harsh and cruel rule there and his role in the execution of his political opponents and the massacre of several...
to the Netherlands with an army to restore order. Noircarmes went to meet him and made an immediate good impression. When Alba formed his Council of Troubles
Council of Troubles
The Council of Troubles was the special tribunal instituted on September 9, 1567 by Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, governor-general of the Habsburg Netherlands on the orders of Philip II of Spain to punish the ringleaders of the recent political and religious "troubles" in the...
in September, 1567, he made Noircarmes its vice-president. Noircarmes next convinced the Count of Egmont not to evade arrest by Alba. (Egmont later was executed).
As a member of the Council of State, Noircarmes advised against Alba's plans to institute new taxes (the Tenth Penny), but Alba ignored this advice.
After the siege of the fortress of Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
(that had been captured by 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....
in May, 1572), Noircarmes was entrusted with the punishment of the citizens for their rebellion. Next he accompanied Alba to Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
and encouraged the Spanish soldiers to sack
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
that city in September, 1572. Then he accompanied Alba's son Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Duke of Alba
Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Duke of Alba
Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Enríquez de Guzmán, 4th Duke of Alba, Grandee of Spain, , , was a commander in the Spanish army during the Eighty Years' War....
on his punitive expedition to Holland. He took part in the Siege of Haarlem
Siege of Haarlem
The siege of Haarlem was an episode of the Eighty Years' War. From December 11, 1572 to July 13, 1573 an army of Philip II of Spain laid bloody siege to the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands, whose loyalties had begun wavering during the previous summer...
in 1573.
When Maximilien de Hénin-Liétard
Maximilien de Hénin-Liétard
Maximilien de Hénin-Liétard, Count of Boussu was a soldier and statesman from the Habsburg Netherlands. During the Eighty Years' War he was the royalist stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht from 1567 until he was made a prisoner of war during the Battle on the Zuiderzee in 1573...
, the royal stadtholder of Holland, was taken prisoner of war by the rebels in October, 1573, Noircarmes was appointed his successor. However, at the Siege of Alkmaar
Siege of Alkmaar
The Siege of Alkmaar was a turning point in the Eighty Years' War. The burghers of the Dutch city of Alkmaar fought the Spanish with boiling tar and burning branches from their renewed city walls...
he was wounded. He died of these wounds in Utrecht on 5 March, 1574.
Sources
- "Philippe de Sainte-Aldegonde de Noircarmes" in: (1888) Mémoires et publications de la Société des sciences, des arts et des lettres du Hainaut, Maison Léon Lasseau, pp. 136-137http://books.google.com/books?id=WioEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA136&dq=Philippe++Aldegonde+Noircarmes&lr=&client=firefox-a#PPA136,M1