Jeanne de Bellem
Encyclopedia
Jeanne de Bellem was a politically active Belgian pamphlet
writer and a participator of the Brabant revolution
of 1789. She had a long-term relationship with the revolutionary leader Henri Van der Noot and exerted a great deal of political influence upon the rule within the United States of Belgium
1789-1790.
in 1750, where she worked as a domestic and a prostitute and became known for being the mistress of many notables, such as the general governor Ollivier and vicomte de Quenonville, and had a daughter Marianne de Bellem, by an unknown father. In parallel, she had a serious and life long relationship with Henri Van der Noot.
From 1787, Bellem was a well-known writer of political pamphlets, which encouraged the Belgians to follow the example of America and rise in rebellion toward Austria; she wrote the famous revolutionary poem: "Peuple Belgique/cour tyrannique/faisons commet l'Amerique". She was also politically active as the intermediary of Van der Noot, who spoke to the Belgian estates and maintained contact with them with her as messenger, as they did not dare to speak to Van der Noot directly. In 1788, during Noot's absence in London
, she was arrested for her political activity and put on trial. The trial aroused great attention, but ended with her release after her public apology. She was arrested again in 1789 but was released shortly before the revolution, and gained troops for the rebellion. The 18 December 1789, Jeanne de Bellem participated in the entrance of Henri Van der Noot in Brussels in the carriage by his side and attended the theatre by his side.
The involvement of Jeanne de Bellem in the state affairs of the republic was controversial and she was the target of a lot of abusive caricatures by the opposition who used her as a way of criticizing Van der Noot and the government. She was called Noots official mistress, was said to encourage her lovers to attack the democrats in a contra-revolutionary coup, and when Van der Noot took the title of Duke, she was said to long for the title of Duchess. In parallel to the slander, however, she also received a great deal of praise and admiration. It was said that Jeanne de Bellem, Henri Van der Noot and their (male) colleague Eupen lived in a menage-a-trois. Bellem was also in charge of the pamphlets issued by the state.
Upon the return of the Austrians and the death of the republic in 1790, Jeanne de Bellem was separated from Van der Noot and fled with her daughter Marianne to Breda
in the Netherlands
.
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
writer and a participator of the Brabant revolution
Brabant Revolution
The Brabant Revolution took place between January 1789 and December 1790, when a popular revolt broke in the Austrian Netherlands against the unpopular reforms of the Emperor Joseph II...
of 1789. She had a long-term relationship with the revolutionary leader Henri Van der Noot and exerted a great deal of political influence upon the rule within the United States of Belgium
United States of Belgium
The United States of Belgium, part of Brabant.In October, he invaded Brabant and captured Turnhout, defeating the Austrians in the Battle of Turnhout on October 27. Ghent was taken on November 13, and on November 17 the imperial regents Albert of Saxony and Archduchess Maria Christina fled Brussels...
1789-1790.
Biography
Jeanne de Bellem was born in poverty but was given a good education. She arrived in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in 1750, where she worked as a domestic and a prostitute and became known for being the mistress of many notables, such as the general governor Ollivier and vicomte de Quenonville, and had a daughter Marianne de Bellem, by an unknown father. In parallel, she had a serious and life long relationship with Henri Van der Noot.
From 1787, Bellem was a well-known writer of political pamphlets, which encouraged the Belgians to follow the example of America and rise in rebellion toward Austria; she wrote the famous revolutionary poem: "Peuple Belgique/cour tyrannique/faisons commet l'Amerique". She was also politically active as the intermediary of Van der Noot, who spoke to the Belgian estates and maintained contact with them with her as messenger, as they did not dare to speak to Van der Noot directly. In 1788, during Noot's absence in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, she was arrested for her political activity and put on trial. The trial aroused great attention, but ended with her release after her public apology. She was arrested again in 1789 but was released shortly before the revolution, and gained troops for the rebellion. The 18 December 1789, Jeanne de Bellem participated in the entrance of Henri Van der Noot in Brussels in the carriage by his side and attended the theatre by his side.
The involvement of Jeanne de Bellem in the state affairs of the republic was controversial and she was the target of a lot of abusive caricatures by the opposition who used her as a way of criticizing Van der Noot and the government. She was called Noots official mistress, was said to encourage her lovers to attack the democrats in a contra-revolutionary coup, and when Van der Noot took the title of Duke, she was said to long for the title of Duchess. In parallel to the slander, however, she also received a great deal of praise and admiration. It was said that Jeanne de Bellem, Henri Van der Noot and their (male) colleague Eupen lived in a menage-a-trois. Bellem was also in charge of the pamphlets issued by the state.
Upon the return of the Austrians and the death of the republic in 1790, Jeanne de Bellem was separated from Van der Noot and fled with her daughter Marianne to 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...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.