Princess Renée de Merode, Countess d'Oultremont (25 May 1859, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

– 25 October 1941) was a Belgian aristocrat, who was married to the Court Grand Marshal of the King of Belgium.

Family

On 21 February 1881 she married Count

Charles John d'Oultremont Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

. She bore him three children. Her husband had a prominent career in the service of the King of the Belgians. He was almost killed in the assassination attempt on the King by

Gennaro Rubino Gennaro Rubino (November 23, 1859Milillo, 90. – March 14, 1918; also spelled Rubini) was an Italian anarchist who unsuccessfully tried to assassinate King Leopold II of Belgium. Early life Rubino was born in Bitonto, during the period of I ...

in 1902. During the First World War he was sent to

Holzminden internment camp Holzminden internment camp was a large World War I detention camp (''Internierungslager'') located to the north-east of Holzminden, Lower Saxony, Germany, which existed from 1914 to 1918. It held civilian internees from allied nations. It was th ...

, and died following his return to Belgium.

Charities

She belonged to the high aristocracy, and was a member of the court. Like all noble ladies, she was expected to undertake works of charity for the needy. In 1914 she joined the Red Cross. She received permission from the Germans to visit the Allied wounded, together with other noble ladies. In the Palace of the Royal Academie she spent hours visiting, helping serious wounded soldiers and giving them religious comfortment. In 1916 she became the President of the ''La Sante à l'Enfance''. Even after the death of her husband she continued to help needy children. For her exceptional merit the King awarded her in 1919 the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

. After her death in 1941 the dowager Countess of Oultremont left a diary of more than 4000 pages.

Books

She probably wrote for Mgr. Cardijn the work ''Childhood, Youth, and Martyrdom of

Gabrielle Petit Gabrielle Alina Eugenia Maria Petit (20 February 1893 – 1 April 1916) was a Belgian woman who spied for the British Secret Service during World War I. She was executed in 1916, and became a Belgian national heroine after the war's end.

''.

Honours

* 1919, By RD of the King made Knight in the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:de Merode, Renée 1859 births 1941 deaths Belgian countesses Re