Ferdinand van Spoelberch (1596–1675), Knight of the Order of Christ, Lord of Lovenjoul, was an 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 ...

during the

Eighty Years' War 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 Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

Life

Van Spoelberch was born in Brussels on 13 August 1596, the son of Jan Baptist van Spoelberch and Maria Magdalena Garet. Herman Vander Linden, "Spoelberch, Ferdinand van"
vol. 23
(Brussels, 1924), 469-470. In April 1621 he accompanied Ferdinand van Boisschot on a diplomatic mission to France. On 12 January 1626 he married Anna de Grimaldi of Morazane (died 6 January 1634), daughter of Simon de Grimaldi, secretary to the

Privy Council of the Habsburg Netherlands The Privy Council or Secret Council (, ) was one of the three "collateral councils" (along with the Council of Finance and Council of State) that together formed the highest government institutions of the Habsburg Netherlands. Based in Brussels, i ...

. A portrait of the couple has been attributed to Gaspar de Crayer.Ferdinand van Spoelberch en Anna Grimaldi in geknielde houding
Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage. Accessed 8 July 2017. They had four children: Anna Maria (1627-1627), Maria Magdalena (1628-1635), Karel Frans (1630-1692) and Christoffel (1633-1707). Van Spoelberch became lord of Lovenjoel on 17 July 1630, and by letters patent of 23 February 1633 was appointed meier of the ten villages subject to the aldermen of

Lubbeek Lubbeek () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Binkom, Linden, Lubbeek proper and Pellenberg. On January 1, 2006, Lubbeek had a total population of 13,660. The total area ...

(now in

Flemish Brabant Flemish Brabant ( ; ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also ...

). Charles De Francquen, ''Recueil historique, généalogique, chronologique et nobiliaire des maisons et familles illustres et nobles du royaume, précédé de la généalogie historique de la maison royale des Pays-Bas'' (Brussels, 1826)
On Google Books
He played a significant part in the defence of Leuven (1635), in recognition of which

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV (, ; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the ...

on 31 March 1649 made him a lord in his own right. On 10 February 1662

Pope Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII (; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, and he held various d ...

appointed van Spoelberch a Knight of the Order of Christ. He was invested by Andreas Creusen,

Archbishop of Mechelen In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

, on 13 April 1662. Van Spoelberch died in Leuven on 8 February 1675, and was buried in the family vault in the church of the

Recollects The Franciscan Recollects () were a French reform branch of the Friars Minor, a Franciscan order. Denoted by their gray habits and pointed hoods, the Recollects devoted their lives to an extra emphasis on prayer, penance, and spiritual reflecti ...

. The work ''Brusselschen Blom-hof van Cupido'' (Brussels, 1641) was dedicated to him by the author, Willem van der Borcht.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spoelberch, Ferdinand 1596 births 1675 deaths

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 ...