Willem Hubert Nolens
Encyclopedia
Mgr.
mr.
dr.
Wilhelmus Hubertus (Wiel) Nolens (Venlo
, September 7, 1860 - The Hague
, August 27, 1931) was a Dutch
politician and a Roman Catholic priest
.
at the Bisschoppelijk College of Rolduc
(1874-1880), theology
at Roermond
Seminary
(1880-1884) and jurisprudence
and law
at Utrecht University
(1887-1890). He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1887 and taught economics
and moral philosophy at Rolduc. In 1896 he was elected to the Dutch House of Representatives. He joined the club of Roman Catholic members of parliament of which fellow priest Herman Schaepman
was the chairman.
of a cabinet. Although in Dutch political discourse becoming formateur normally leads to the office of Prime Minister
, Nolens could not accept the position because of his clerical status. Instead Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
was named the first Roman Catholic Prime Minister in Dutch history and he chaired the cabinet Nolens had formed. In 1926 the loose organisation of the General League was further tightened and it was renamed to Roman Catholic State Party. When young Catholic intellectuals drifted towards right-wing extremism at the end of the 1920s Nolens faced increasing criticism. In 1930 the National Socialist Catholic poet Gerard Wijdeveld fiercely attacked Nolens in his poem De Droom van Nolens (Nolens's Dream) because of his perceived soft stance on freedom of religion
in the Dutch East Indies
.
s in his native Limburg
for they owed much of their improved working and living conditions to his support for social reforms. The night before his funeral street lighting in Venlo was covered as a sign of mourning
. Ten thousand people attended the funeral next day.
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
mr.
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
dr.
Doctor (title)
Doctor, as a title, originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb docēre . It has been used as an honored academic title for over a millennium in Europe, where it dates back to the rise of the university. This use spread...
Wilhelmus Hubertus (Wiel) Nolens (Venlo
Venlo
Venlo is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands, next to the German border. It is situated in the province of Limburg.In 2001, the municipalities of Belfeld and Tegelen were merged into the municipality of Venlo. Tegelen was originally part of the Duchy of Jülich centuries ago,...
, September 7, 1860 - 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...
, August 27, 1931) was a Dutch
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...
politician and a Roman Catholic priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
.
Life
Willem Hubert Nolens was born to Martin Nolens, a tanner, and Hermina Hubertina Linskens. He studied philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the Bisschoppelijk College of Rolduc
Rolduc
Rolduc is the name of a medieval abbey in Kerkrade, the Netherlands, which is now a Roman Catholic seminary and an affiliated conferencing center.-History:...
(1874-1880), theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at Roermond
Roermond
Roermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231...
Seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
(1880-1884) and jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
and law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at Utrecht University
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....
(1887-1890). He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1887 and taught economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and moral philosophy at Rolduc. In 1896 he was elected to the Dutch House of Representatives. He joined the club of Roman Catholic members of parliament of which fellow priest Herman Schaepman
Herman Schaepman
Herman Johannes Aloysius Maria Schaepman was a Dutch politician and poet.-Life:...
was the chairman.
Politics
In 1904, a year after Schaepman's death, Nolens and other Roman Catholic politicians founded the General League of Roman Catholic Caucuses. He was a democratically-minded politician who strove to better the fate of the working class and favoured better social security. Like Schaepman before him, this brought him into conflict with the conservative Catholics in parliament. In 1910 Nolens became the fractievoorzitter of the General League in parliament, a position he would retain until his death in 1931. In 1918 he became formateurFormateur
A formateur is a politician who is appointed by the head of state to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur is especially important in the politics of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg,...
of a cabinet. Although in Dutch political discourse becoming formateur normally leads to the office of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
, Nolens could not accept the position because of his clerical status. Instead Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Jhr. Charles Joseph Maria Ruijs de Beerenbrouck was a Dutch nobleman and Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1918 to 1925 and again from 1929 to 1933...
was named the first Roman Catholic Prime Minister in Dutch history and he chaired the cabinet Nolens had formed. In 1926 the loose organisation of the General League was further tightened and it was renamed to Roman Catholic State Party. When young Catholic intellectuals drifted towards right-wing extremism at the end of the 1920s Nolens faced increasing criticism. In 1930 the National Socialist Catholic poet Gerard Wijdeveld fiercely attacked Nolens in his poem De Droom van Nolens (Nolens's Dream) because of his perceived soft stance on freedom of religion
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
.
Importance
Nolens was an influential politician in Dutch politics throughout the 1920s and 1930s as the Roman Catholic State Party was the largest party in Dutch parliament at the time. He was immensely popular amongst the minerMiner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
s in his native Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
for they owed much of their improved working and living conditions to his support for social reforms. The night before his funeral street lighting in Venlo was covered as a sign of mourning
Mourning
Mourning is, in the simplest sense, synonymous with grief over the death of someone. The word is also used to describe a cultural complex of behaviours in which the bereaved participate or are expected to participate...
. Ten thousand people attended the funeral next day.