Gilles II of Busleyden (; ) was a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

, and a correspondent of

Desiderius Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...

Biography

Gilles II de Busleyden was born in

Arlon Arlon (; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Luxembourg (Belgium), province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. With a population of just over 28,000, it ...

into an old

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

family from Bauschleyden. His father was Gilles I, and his mother was Jeanne Elisabeth de Mussey of

Marville, Meuse Marville () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. An airbase built by NATO hosted fighter squadrons from the RCAF from 1952 to 1967. Geography The village lies on the left bank of the Othain, which for ...

.Contemporaries of Erasmus: A Biographical Register of the Renaissance and Reformation. (2003). Germany: University of Toronto Press. His brothers were

François François () is a French language, French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis (given name), Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * Voltaire, Fran ...

, Valérien, and

Jérôme de Busleyden Hieronymus van Busleyden (Dutch: Jeroen van Busleyden; French: Jérôme de Busleyden) (c.1470 – 27 August 1517) was a patron of learning and a humanist from the Habsburg Netherlands. His name is usually partially Latinized in English, and c ...

. Gilles II married Adrienne de Goudeval (or Gondeval),

Viscountess A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is so ...

Grimbergen Grimbergen () is a Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium, north of the capital Brussels. The municipality comprises the towns of Beigem, Grimbergen, Hu ...

, and had around five children. His father brought him to the court of

Philip the Handsome Philip the Handsome (22 June/July 1478 – 25 September 1506), also called the Fair, was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506, as well as the first Habsburg King of Castile (as Philip I) for a brief ...

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...

, where he was appointed receiver for

, and

Thionville Thionville (; ; ) is a city in the northeastern French Departments of France, department of Moselle (department), Moselle. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle (river), Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz. History Thionvi ...

on 20 March 1490. He resigned in 1498 in favor of his brother Valérien de Busleyden and became the first master of the Chamber of Accounts in Brabant, rising to president by 1510.De Vegiano, J., de Herckenrode, J. S. F. J. L. (1870). Nobiliaire des Pays-Bas et du Comté de Bourgogne: AA. (n.p.): Gyselynck. His wife Adrienne came into possession of the

Horst Castle Horst Castle (German: Schloss Horst), located in the Horst district of Gelsenkirchen, is recognized as one of Westphalia, Westphalia's oldest and most significant Renaissance buildings.E. Alshut, H.-W. Peine: ''Schloss Horst in Gelsenkirchen'', 2 ...

in 1521 until 1554. Giles held the title of Viscount of

and was the Lord of

Guirsch Guirsch (; ; ) is a sub-municipality of the city of Arlon located in the province of Luxembourg, Wallonia, Belgium. It was a separate municipality until 1977. On 1 January 1977, it was merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transac ...

, Horst, Sint-Pieters-Rode,

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...

, and Thommen. He inherited properties from his father in Bauschleyden. Gilles II represented the Busleyden family as an executor of the will of his brother

.Neyen, A. (1860). Biographie Luxembourgeoise: histoire des hommes distingués originaires de ce pays considéré à l'époque de sa plus grande étendue, ou qui se sont rendus remarquables pendant le séjour qu'ils y ont fait. Luxembourg: Bruck. In 1517, he helped execute his plan to establish the Collegium Buslidianum in

Louvain Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the sub-municipalities of ...

. Gilles' exchanges with

highlight Erasmus's advocacy to the Louvain faculty regarding the proposal and his attempts to recruit faculty for the available positions. Erasmus, D. (2019). Collected Works of Erasmus: The New Testament Scholarship of Erasmus, Volume 41. Canada: University of Toronto Press.

Death

Gilles II de Busleyden died on 14 July 1536 in

Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands were the parts of the Low Countries that were ruled by sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. This rule began in 1482 and ended for the Northern Netherlands in 1581 and for the Southern Netherlands in 1797. ...

(now

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 ...

). He was buried in the Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula (now Brussels' cathedral).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:de Busleyden, Gilles II 1460s births 1536 deaths People from Arlon People from the Burgundian State