Philipe de Croÿ, Duke of Aerschot
Philippe III. de Croy (* July 10, 1526 in Valenciennes, † December 11, 1595 Venice) was since 1551 3rd Duke of Aarschot, 4th Imperial Prince of Chimay and 4th Earl of Beaumont and from 1567 2nd Prince of Porcéan and later governor of Luxembourg and Ligny. He was a leader of the Roman Catholic nobility in the Spanish Netherlands.
Life
Philippe III. came from a rich and ancient noble family of Picardy, the house of Croy, and was the younger brother of Charles II de Croy, by his death in 1551 he also gained its title.
He then took part in the wars against France ( 1557-1558 ). When facing many aristocrats against Antoine de Granvelle Perrenot, this was supported by Croÿ. The Spanish King Philip II appointed Croÿ 1565 as Chairman of the State Council. From this point on Croÿ became the opponent William I of Orange -Nassau and supported the Spanish efforts to regain control of the Netherlands. In 1567 he inherited from his cousin Antoine III. de Croy, the county Porcéan. However, he did not approve of the radical action of Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba in 1576 and acted decisively on the Pacification of Ghent with. 1577 Croÿ began for the appointment of Archbishop Matthias to the General Governor of the Netherlands, but had to realize that this rather with Croy's opponent, the Prince of Orange, worked. Croÿ turned gradually to the Spanish side.
Marriage and issue
Philippe III. married on January 24, 1558 at Castle Comines Jeanne Henriette d' Halewyn ( born September 29, 1544 † December 6, 1581 in Bergen, Hainault ), daughter of Jean III. d' Halewyn, Vicomte de Nieuwpoort and the Jossine de Lannoy, by whom he had the following children:
- Charles III. de Croy ( born July 1, 1560 Beaumont Palace, † January 16, 1612 in Beaufort -en- Artois ), 4th Duke of Aarschot, 5th Prince of Chimay, 3rd Duke of Porcéan, Marquis de Mont Cornet, 5th Earl of Beaumont, 1594 imperial Prince, 1598 Duke of Croy ∞ (I, September 14, 1580) Marie de Brimeu (* 1550, † April 18, 1605 ), Countess of Meghem and Baroness of Humbercourt, daughter of Georges de Brimeu, Seigneur de Querrieu (House Brimeu ), and the Anne of Waltenhausen; ∞ (II, December 18, 1605 in Mons ) Dorothée de Croy (* 1585 in Aerschot, † 1661), daughter of Charles Philippe de Croy, 1st Marquis d' Havré and Imperial Prince and Diane de Dompmartin - Fontenoy, Comtesse de Fontenoy -le- Château
- Anne de Croy ( born January 4, 1564 on the Castle Beaumont, † February 26, 1635 in Enghien ), heir to the Duchy of Aarschot ∞ Charles, Prince of Arenberg (* 1550, † 1616)
- Marguerite, Dame d' Halewyn et de Comines (* October 11, 1568, † 1614) ∞ ( I) Pierre II de Henin- Liétard, Comte de Boussu († 1598 ) (House Henin ); ∞ ( II) Wratislaw, Count of Fürstenberg ( 1584 † 1631)
After the death of his first wife he married on May 1, 1582 Jeanne de Blois - Trélon († 1605 ), daughter of Louis II de Blois, Seigneur de Trélon and Charlotte d' Humières.