Filip Willem van Steenhuys or Filips Willem van Steenhuys (27 September 1593 – 1 May 1668), 1st baron of Poederlee and lord of Flers, Heerle, Gierle, Moerbeke, etc., was an office-holder in the
Spanish Netherlands
The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...
who served on the
Great Council of Mechelen
From the 15th century onwards, the Great Council of the Netherlands at Mechelen (Dutch: ; French: ; German: ) was the highest court in the Burgundian Netherlands. It was responsible for the Dutch-, French- and German-speaking areas. In Luxembourg ...
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 ...
.
Family
Filip Willem van Steenhuys was born, in Mechelen on 27 September 1593, only son of
Great Council of Mechelen
From the 15th century onwards, the Great Council of the Netherlands at Mechelen (Dutch: ; French: ; German: ) was the highest court in the Burgundian Netherlands. It was responsible for the Dutch-, French- and German-speaking areas. In Luxembourg ...
. In 1620 and 1622, he accompanied his father on diplomatic journeys to Germany. On 22 May 1623, he was named to the Council of Guelders, and on 9 August 1627, exchanged this position for one on the Great Council of Mechelen.
On 8 July 1648, he was appointed president of the Council of Flanders, but not having been born in the
county of Flanders
The County of Flanders was one of the most powerful political entities in the medieval Low Countries, located on the North Sea coast of modern-day Belgium and north-eastern France. Unlike the neighbouring states of Duchy of Brabant, Brabant and ...
his appointment was not legally secure. On 17 January 1650, he returned to Brussels as a privy councillor. On 24 March 1653, he became a baron, and Poederlee a barony. On 23 April 1657, he was also appointed to the Admiralty Council.
He was invested as assistant
chancellor of Brabant
The Chancellor of Brabant was the head of the civilian government of the late medieval and early-modern Duchy of Brabant as president of the Council of Brabant.
List of chancellors Late Middle Ages
16th century
17th century
18th centu ...
with right of succession to Robert van Asseliers, but because he had not been born in the
duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant, a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire, was established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant of 1085–1183, and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries. The Duchy comprised part of the Bu ...
this appointment too proved controversial, with the
States of Brabant
The States of Brabant were the representation of the three estates (nobility, clergy and commons) to the court of the Duke of Brabant. The three estates were also called the States. Supported by the economic strength of the cities Antwerp, Bruss ...
refusing to accept his oath of office. After Asseliers' death in 1661, it was not until 1663, that he was able to succeed him.
Van Steenhuys died in Brussels on 1 May 1668 and was buried in the Dominican church there.