Elbertus Leoninus
Encyclopedia
Elbertus Leoninus was the Latin
ized name of Elbert de Leeuw (Zaltbommel
, 1519 or 1520 – Arnhem
, December 16, 1598), Dutch jurist and statesman, who helped negotiate the Pacification of Ghent
.
at Utrecht
, and next in Emmerich am Rhein under Matthias Bredenbach. He entered the University of Leuven
to study at the Collegium Trilingue for further grounding in the classical languages, and then obtained a licentiate in Law at the same university in 1547. To improve his fluency in French he then studied for a year in Arras
. On June 7, 1548, in Leuven
he married Barbara de Haze, the daughter of a renowned Leuven law professor, Johannes Hasius.
at the university of Leuven. He got his doctor's degree in law on May 20, 1550 under Gabriel Mudaeus
, and succeeded that luminary as professor primarius legum in 1560 (a chair he would hold till 1580). Together with Viglius van Aytta
, another influential jurist, he managed to persuade the government of the Habsburg Netherlands
to endow three more chairs at the Leuven law faculty in these years.
This illustrates the influence he exerted at the court of the Regent, Margaret of Parma
. He advised all the grandees of the time on both sides of the political divide that was forming in these years, which explains his later acceptability to both sides during the early years of the Dutch Revolt
that would soon break out. During the initial stages of the Revolt he remained loyal to Philip II of Spain
and the first two governors-general the king sent to quell the Rebellion.
In 1575 he led the delegation of the Brussels government of Luis de Zúñiga y Requesens
to the abortive peace negotiations with William the Silent
and the rebellious provinces at Breda
. When Requesens died in 1576, and the States-General of the Netherlands
briefly took over command of the loyalist government, he was appointed the head of the delegation of the States-General that negotiated the Pacification of Ghent
with Orange.
In the next few years his political loyalties shifted more and more against the loyalist side, probably because of the attitude of the new governor-general John of Austria. When the States-General quarrelled with Don Juan and appointed their own governor-general, Archduke Matthias
, he became one of the members of his Council of State. However, he remained a politician of great moderation, both in political and religious matters, and kept exerting himself for reconciliation, even after the abortive peace negotiations in the Spring of 1579 in Cologne
. In 1580 he resigned his chair at Leuven university and declined a chair at the new Leiden University
.
On the recommendation of the Prince of Orange the States of Gelderland
(his native province) appointed him chancellor
of that province on June 28, 1581. As such, he played an important role in preventing the betrayal of the province to the Spaniards by its stadtholder
Willem IV van den Bergh
in 1583. Still a member of the Raad van State (Council of State), he headed the delegation of the States-General that offered the sovereignty of the northern Netherlands to king Henry III of France
in Senlis
in 1585, without result. The next year (January 17, 1586) he welcomed Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
on behalf of the States-General as governor-general of the northern Netherlands, and saw his membership of the new Raad van State renewed. He would remain a member till his death.
He remained one of the most prominent jurists of the Dutch Republic
in these years (He is one of six eminent jurists whose faces are shown on the facade of the old building of the Department of Justice at Het Plein in The Hague
http://www.krogtweb.nl/monumenten/Zuid-Holland/DenHaag/DeptJustitie.html). As chancellor of Gelderland he helped codify the laws of the Veluwe
quarter of the province. His many writings in the field of law were compiled in Centuria consilium (Antwerp, 1581 and later), and after his death edited by his grandson Elbert Zoes as Emendationum sive observationum libri septem (Arnhem, 1610). He influenced Hugo Grotius
.
He also wrote historical works:
When he died in 1598, one day after his friend Philips of Marnix, lord of Sint-Aldegonde (who had sat on the opposite side at the negotiations over the Pacification of Ghent in 1576) the Calvinist Arnhem Consistory refused him a funeral service, because they had their doubts about his orthodoxy. Indeed, he probably was (like his sponsor William the Silent) what has been called a Politique
. His widow moved to Antwerp (then in the Southern Netherlands
) shortly after his death, declaring that she had always remained a Catholic.
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
ized name of Elbert de Leeuw (Zaltbommel
Zaltbommel
Zaltbommel is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. The town of Zaltbommel was first mentioned as "Bomela" in the year 850. Zaltbommel first received city status in 1231, which status was renewed in 1316....
, 1519 or 1520 – Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
, December 16, 1598), Dutch jurist and statesman, who helped negotiate the Pacification of Ghent
Pacification of Ghent
The Pacification of Ghent, signed on November 8, 1576, was an alliance of the provinces of the Habsburg Netherlands for the purpose of driving mutinying Spanish mercenary troops from the country, and at the same time a peace treaty with the rebelling provinces Holland and Zeeland.-Background:In...
.
Family life
Leoninus was born into a non-aristocratic, but well-to-do family, who were able to give him a very good education. He had a tall stature, which later earned him the Latin nickname Longolinus. At first he studied humaniora under MacropediusMacropedius
Georgius Macropedius , also known as Joris van Lanckvelt, was a Dutch humanist, schoolmaster and 'the greatest Latin playwright of the 16th century'.-Biography:...
at Utrecht
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
, and next in Emmerich am Rhein under Matthias Bredenbach. He entered the University of Leuven
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
to study at the Collegium Trilingue for further grounding in the classical languages, and then obtained a licentiate in Law at the same university in 1547. To improve his fluency in French he then studied for a year in Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
. On June 7, 1548, in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
he married Barbara de Haze, the daughter of a renowned Leuven law professor, Johannes Hasius.
Career
Two days after the marriage he was appointed professor in canon lawCanon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
at the university of Leuven. He got his doctor's degree in law on May 20, 1550 under Gabriel Mudaeus
Gabriel Mudaeus
Gabriel Mudaeus , born Gabriël van der Muyden, was a Flemish jurist and humanist who revived the study of law in Belgium....
, and succeeded that luminary as professor primarius legum in 1560 (a chair he would hold till 1580). Together with Viglius van Aytta
Viglius
Viglius , was the name taken by Wigle Aytta van Zwichem, a Dutch statesman and jurist, a Frisian by birth....
, another influential jurist, he managed to persuade the government of the Habsburg Netherlands
Habsburg Netherlands
The Habsburg Netherlands was a geo-political entity covering the whole of the Low Countries from 1482 to 1556/1581 and solely the Southern Netherlands from 1581 to 1794...
to endow three more chairs at the Leuven law faculty in these years.
This illustrates the influence he exerted at the court of the Regent, Margaret of Parma
Margaret of Parma
Margaret, Duchess of Parma , Governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1578 to 1582, was the illegitimate daughter of Charles V and Johanna Maria van der Gheynst...
. He advised all the grandees of the time on both sides of the political divide that was forming in these years, which explains his later acceptability to both sides during the early years of the Dutch Revolt
Dutch Revolt
The Dutch Revolt or the Revolt of the Netherlands This article adopts 1568 as the starting date of the war, as this was the year of the first battles between armies. However, since there is a long period of Protestant vs...
that would soon break out. During the initial stages of the Revolt he remained loyal to Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
and the first two governors-general the king sent to quell the Rebellion.
In 1575 he led the delegation of the Brussels government of Luis de Zúñiga y Requesens
Luis de Zúñiga y Requesens
Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga also known as Luis de Zúñiga y Requesens was a Spanish politician and diplomat.-Biography:Luis de Requesens y Zúñiga was born at Molins de Rei...
to the abortive peace negotiations with William the Silent
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
and the rebellious provinces at Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
. When Requesens died in 1576, and the States-General of the Netherlands
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
briefly took over command of the loyalist government, he was appointed the head of the delegation of the States-General that negotiated the Pacification of Ghent
Pacification of Ghent
The Pacification of Ghent, signed on November 8, 1576, was an alliance of the provinces of the Habsburg Netherlands for the purpose of driving mutinying Spanish mercenary troops from the country, and at the same time a peace treaty with the rebelling provinces Holland and Zeeland.-Background:In...
with Orange.
In the next few years his political loyalties shifted more and more against the loyalist side, probably because of the attitude of the new governor-general John of Austria. When the States-General quarrelled with Don Juan and appointed their own governor-general, Archduke Matthias
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor
Matthias of Austria was Holy Roman Emperor from 1612, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1608 and King of Bohemia from 1611...
, he became one of the members of his Council of State. However, he remained a politician of great moderation, both in political and religious matters, and kept exerting himself for reconciliation, even after the abortive peace negotiations in the Spring of 1579 in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. In 1580 he resigned his chair at Leuven university and declined a chair at the new Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
.
On the recommendation of the Prince of Orange the States of Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
(his native province) appointed him chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of that province on June 28, 1581. As such, he played an important role in preventing the betrayal of the province to the Spaniards by its stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
Willem IV van den Bergh
Willem IV van den Bergh
Willem IV, Count van den Bergh was Stadtholder of Guelders and Zutphen from 1581 until his arrest for suspected treason in 1583.-Biography:...
in 1583. Still a member of the Raad van State (Council of State), he headed the delegation of the States-General that offered the sovereignty of the northern Netherlands to king Henry III of France
Henry III of France
Henry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...
in Senlis
Senlis, Oise
Senlis is a French commune located in the Oise department near Paris. It has a long and rich heritage, having traversed centuries of history. This medieval town has welcomed some of the most renowned figures in French history, including Hugh Capet, Louis IX, the Marshall of France, Anne of Kiev and...
in 1585, without result. The next year (January 17, 1586) he welcomed Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
on behalf of the States-General as governor-general of the northern Netherlands, and saw his membership of the new Raad van State renewed. He would remain a member till his death.
He remained one of the most prominent jurists of the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
in these years (He is one of six eminent jurists whose faces are shown on the facade of the old building of the Department of Justice at Het Plein in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
http://www.krogtweb.nl/monumenten/Zuid-Holland/DenHaag/DeptJustitie.html). As chancellor of Gelderland he helped codify the laws of the Veluwe
Veluwe
The Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. The Veluwe features many different landscapes including woodland, heath, some small lakes and Europe's largest sand drifts....
quarter of the province. His many writings in the field of law were compiled in Centuria consilium (Antwerp, 1581 and later), and after his death edited by his grandson Elbert Zoes as Emendationum sive observationum libri septem (Arnhem, 1610). He influenced Hugo Grotius
Hugo Grotius
Hugo Grotius , also known as Huig de Groot, Hugo Grocio or Hugo de Groot, was a jurist in the Dutch Republic. With Francisco de Vitoria and Alberico Gentili he laid the foundations for international law, based on natural law...
.
He also wrote historical works:
- Fragmentarium historiae belli Belgici auctore Elberto Leonino
- Excerpta ex Historia manuscripta
When he died in 1598, one day after his friend Philips of Marnix, lord of Sint-Aldegonde (who had sat on the opposite side at the negotiations over the Pacification of Ghent in 1576) the Calvinist Arnhem Consistory refused him a funeral service, because they had their doubts about his orthodoxy. Indeed, he probably was (like his sponsor William the Silent) what has been called a Politique
Politique
Politique is a term that was used during the sixteenth and seventeenth century Wars of Religion, to describe moderates of both religious faiths who held that only the restoration of a strong monarchy could save France from total collapse. It frequently included a pejorative connotation of moral...
. His widow moved to Antwerp (then in the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
) shortly after his death, declaring that she had always remained a Catholic.