Viglius
Encyclopedia
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
statesman and jurist, a Frisian
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
by birth.
He studied at various universities—Louvain
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
, Dole
Dole, Jura
Dole is a commune in the Jura department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France, of which it is a subprefecture ....
and Bourges
Bourges
Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...
among others—devoting himself mainly to the study of jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
, and afterwards visited many of the principal seats of learning in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. His great abilities attracted the notice of Erasmus and other celebrated men, and his renown was soon wide and general.
Having lectured on law at the universities of Bourges and Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
, he accepted a judicial position under the bishop of Münster which he resigned in 1535 to become assessor of the imperial court of justice (Reichskammergericht). He would not, however, undertake the post of tutor to Philip
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....
, son of Emperor Charles V
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...
; nor would he accept any of the many lucrative and honorable positions offered him by various European princes, preferring instead to remain at the University of Ingolstadt
University of Ingolstadt
The University of Ingolstadt was founded in 1472 by Louis the Rich, the Duke of Bavaria at the time, and its first Chancellor was the Bishop of Eichstätt. It consisted of five faculties: humanities, sciences, theology, law and medicine, all of which were contained in the Hoheschule...
, where for five years he occupied a professorial chair.
In 1542 the official connection of Viglius with the Netherlands began. At the emperor's invitation he became a member of the council of Mechlin, and some years later president of that body. Other responsible positions were entrusted to him, and he was soon one of the most trusted of the ministers of Charles V, whom he accompanied during the War of the League of Schmalkalden
Schmalkaldic League
The Schmalkaldic League was a defensive alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although originally started for religious motives soon after the start of the Protestant Reformation, its members eventually intended for the League to replace the Holy...
in 1546. His rapid rise in the emperor's favor was probably due to his immense store of learning, which was useful in asserting the imperial rights where disputes arose between the empire and the estates.
He was generally regarded as the author of the edict against toleration issued in 1550; a charge which he denied, maintaining, on the contrary, that he had vainly tried to induce Charles to modify its rigour. When the emperor abdicated in 1555 Viglius was anxious to retire also, but at the instance of King Philip II he remained at his post and was rewarded by being made coadjutor abbot of St. Bavon
Saint Bavo Cathedral
thumb|right|225px|Sint-Baafs CathedralThe Saint Bavo Cathedral is the seat of the diocese of Ghent. It is named for Saint Bavo of Ghent....
, and in other ways.
In 1559, when Margaret, Duchess of Parma became regent of the Netherlands, Viglius was an important member of the small circle who assisted her in the work of government. He was president of the privy council, member, and subsequently president, of the state council, and a member of the committee of the state council called the consulta. But his desire to resign soon returned. In 1565 he was allowed to give up the presidency of the state council, but was persuaded to retain his other posts. However, he had lost favor with Margaret, who accused him to Philip of dishonesty and simony
Simony
Simony is the act of paying for sacraments and consequently for holy offices or for positions in the hierarchy of a church, named after Simon Magus , who appears in the Acts of the Apostles 8:9-24...
, while his orthodoxy was suspected. When the Duke of Alva arrived in the Netherlands Viglius at first assisted him; but he subsequently opposed the duke's scheme of extortion, and sought to induce Philip himself to visit the Low Countries. His health was now impaired and his work was nearly over. Having suffered a short imprisonment with the other members of the state council in 1576, he died at Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on the May 5, 1577, and was buried in the abbey of St. Bavon.
Viglius was an advocate of peace and moderation, and as such could not expect support or sympathy from hardliners from either side of the dispute and his moderate position became untenable. He was undoubtedly avaricious, and accumulated great wealth, part of which he left to found a hospital at his native place, Swichum
Swichum
Swichum is a small village in Leeuwarden in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around the 60 citizens .-References:...
, and a college at the University of Louvain. He married a rich lady, Jacqueline Damant, but had no children.
He wrote a Tagebuch des Schmalkaldischen Donaukriegs, edited by A. von Drullel (Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, 1877), and some of his lectures were published under the title Cornmentarii in decem Instilutionum i1ulos (Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, 1564). His Vita et opera historica are given in the Analecta Belgica of C. P. Hoynck van Papend recht (The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, 1743). See L. P. Gachard, (Brussels, 184879) ; and (Brussels, 1867-81); and E. Poullet, (Brussels, 1877-81).