Érasme-Louis Surlet de Chokier (; 27 November 1769 – 7 August 1839), born in

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

, was a Belgian politician and, before the accession of Leopold I to the Belgian throne, was the first

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. During the

Liège Revolution The Liège Revolution, sometimes known as the Happy Revolution (; ), against the reigning prince-bishop of Liège, started on 18 August 1789 and lasted until the destruction of the Republic of Liège and re-establishment of the Prince-Bishopri ...

of 1789, when a crowd followed the example of the French Revolution and drove off

Prince-Bishop of Liège A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to '' Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the B ...

César-Constantin-François, Surlet de Chokier served in the patriotic army. When the following year this army was defeated by the Austrians at

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. As of 1 August 2023, Hasselt had a total population of 80,846. The old ...

and

Zutendaal Zutendaal (; ; in English sometimes also referred to as "Sweet Valley") is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On 1 January 2017 Zutendaal had a total population of 7,269. The total area is 32.07 km2, giving a populat ...

, Surlet de Chokier was forced to flee to

Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...

, not being able to return to his estate at

Gingelom Gingelom () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On 1 January 2006 Gingelom had a total population of 7,847. The total area is which gives a population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disam ...

until 1792. After the French annexation of

, Surlet de Chokier became a devoted follower of the French revolution and of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. In 1800, Surlet de Chokier was elected mayor of Gingelom and member of the départemental council of

Meuse-Inférieure Meuse-Inférieure (; ; ; "Lower Meuse") was a department of the French First Republic and French First Empire in present-day Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. It was named after the river Meuse. Its territory corresponded largely with the presen ...

. In 1812, he became a member of the French parliament. After the fall of Napoleon, Surlet de Chokier entered the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

of the

Staten-Generaal The States General of the Netherlands ( ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The States General originated in ...

as leader of the Southern opposition, where his opposition to the government gave him the nickname ''Surlet de Choquant''. Although he was made a baron by the king in 1816, his opposition had angered King

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

so much that the monarch personally made sure that Surlet de Chokier was not re-elected in 1828. After the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

started, Surlet de Chokier was sent by the

Arrondissement of Hasselt The Arrondissement of Hasselt (; ) is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Limburg, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement. However, the Judicial Arrondissement of Hasselt also compri ...

as a deputy to the

National Congress National Congress is a term used in the names of various political parties and legislatures. Political parties *Ethiopia: Oromo National Congress, original name of the Oromo People's Congress *Guyana: People's National Congress Reform *India: **In ...

. Elected Chairman of the Congress, Surlet de Chokier was active in the creation of the

Belgian Constitution The Constitution of Belgium (; ; ) dates back to 1831. Since then Belgium has been a parliamentary monarchy that applies the principles of ministerial responsibility for the government policy and the separation of powers. The most recent majo ...

. After the

Duke of Nemours Duke of Nemours was a title in the Peerage of France. The name refers to Nemours in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. History In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Lordship of Nemours, in the Gâtinais, France, was a possession of th ...

refused the Belgian crown that had been offered to him, Surlet de Chokier was appointed Regent of Belgium on 24 February 1831. He served as Regent until Leopold I took the oath as King of the Belgians on 21 July 1831. Surlet de Chokier died in 1839 in Gingelom.

Heraldry

External links

Erasme, Louis Surlet De Chokier (1769–1839)
(French National Assembly) {{DEFAULTSORT:Surlet De Chokier, Erasme Louis 1769 births 1839 deaths 19th-century Belgian politicians 19th-century regents Belgian barons Dutch barons Members of the National Congress of Belgium People from Limburg (Belgium) People of the Belgian Revolution Regents of Belgium Politicians from Liège People of the Liège Revolution