Charles de Lannoy ( – 23 September 1527) was a soldier and statesman from the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

in service of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

Emperors Maximilian I and

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

Early life

He was a member of the noble House of Lannoy. Charles de Lannoy was born the younger son of Jean IV de Lannoy, Lord of

Mingoval Mingoval () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France northwest of Arras. Population See also *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 887 communes of the Pas ...

, himself nephew of Jean III de Lannoy. His mother was Philipotte de Lalaing (c. 1487).

Career

In 1526, he became the first count of Lannoy and Mayordomo mayor to the Emperor. He took service with the

Emperor Maximilian I Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death in 1519. He was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed hi ...

and won distinction for bravery and leadership. He was appointed member to the council of Charles of Burgundy; later

Emperor Charles V Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) fr ...

and his Caballerizo mayor in 1515. He was appointed knight of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

in 1516. He became governor of

Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...

in 1521. He served as

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

from 1522 to 1523. He became chief of Imperial armies in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

upon the death of

Prospero Colonna Prospero Colonna (1452–1523), sometimes referred to as Prosper Colonna, was an Italian condottiero. He was active during the Italian wars and served France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and various Italian states. His military career spanned ...

at the end of 1523. His main experience was that of Imperial lieutenant during the Italian war of 1521-1525 and the

War of the League of Cognac The War of the League of Cognac (1526–1530) was fought between the Habsburg dominions of Charles V—primarily the Holy Roman Empire and Spain—and the League of Cognac, an alliance including the Kingdom of France, Pope Clement VII, the Re ...

. He commanded the Battle of the Sesia (1524), and the siege of Marseille (1524) and

Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...

(1525).

Personal life

In 1509, he married Francoise de Montbel (d. ), a daughter of Jacques de Montbel, Count d'Entrémont and Jeanne de Saint-Maur. Together, they had several children, including: * Philip de Lannoy, 2nd Prince of Sulmona (1514–1553), who married Isabella Colonna, widow of Louis "Rodomonte" Gonzaga, in 1534. * Ferdinand de Lannoy, Count de La Roche (1520–1579), who married Marguerite Perrenot de Granvelle, a daughter of Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle (a close adviser to

). * Georges de Lannoy, 2nd Duke of Boiano, who married Julia Diaz Carlon, a daughter of Antonio Diaz Carlon, 3rd Count of Alife, and Cornelia Piccolomini. * Clemente de Lannoy, Baron of Prata, who married Ippolita Branai Castriota Scanderbegh, a daughter of Ferrante Castriota, Marquess of Città Sant'Angelo and Camilla Branai Castriota Scanderbegh. He died of a sudden illness in

on 23 September 1527. He was succeeded by his son

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lannoy, Charles De 1480s births 1527 deaths People from Valenciennes Knights of the Golden Fleece Military leaders of the Italian Wars Viceroys of Naples Generals of the Holy Roman Empire Ch People of the War of the League of Cognac