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Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde | |
|---|---|
 Lord of Saint-Aldegonde, portrait byJacques de Gheyn II | |
| Lord Mayor of Antwerp | |
| In office 1583–1584 | |
| Lord of Saint-Aldegonde | |
| In office 1558–1598 | |
| Preceded by | Jacob of Marnix |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1540 |
| Died | 15 December 1598(1598-12-15) (aged 57–58) |
| Spouse(s) | Philippotte, Lady of Belle de Bailleul |
Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde, Lord of West-Souburg (Dutch: Filips van Marnix, heer van Sint-Aldegonde, heer van West-Souburg, French: Philippe de Marnix, seigneur de Sainte-Aldegonde; 7 March/20 July 1540 – 15 December 1598) was aFlemish andDutch writer and statesman, and the probable author of the text of theDutchnational anthem, theWilhelmus.
Marnix of St. Aldegonde was born inBrussels, the son of Jacob of Marnix. He studiedtheology underJohn Calvin andTheodore Beza atGeneva. Returning to theHabsburg Netherlands in 1560, he threw himself into the cause of theReformation, taking an active part in the compromise of the nobles in 1565 and the assembly ofSint-Truiden. He issued a pamphlet in justification of the iconoclastic movementBeeldenstorm which devastated many churches inFlanders in 1566, and onthe Duke of Alba's arrival next year had to flee the country.
After spending some time inFriesland and in theElectorate of the Palatinate he was in 1570 taken into the service ofWilliam, prince of Orange, and in 1572 was sent as his representative to the first meeting of theStates-General assembled atDordrecht. In 1573 he was taken prisoner by theSpaniards atMaaslandsluys, but was exchanged in the following year. He was sent as the representative of the insurgent provinces toParis andLondon, where he attempted in vain to secure the effective assistance of Queen,Elizabeth I of England.
In 1578 he was at theDiet of Worms, where he made an eloquent, but fruitless, appeal for aid to theGerman princes. Equally vain were his efforts in the same year to persuade the magistrates ofGhent to cease persecuting theCatholics in the city. He took a conspicuous part in arranging theUnion of Utrecht. In 1583 was chosenburgomaster ofAntwerp. In 1585 he surrendered the city, after the months'Siege of Antwerp, to the Spaniards. Attacked by the English and by his own countrymen for this act, he retired from public affairs and, save for a mission to Paris in 1590, lived henceforth inLeiden or on his estate inZeeland, where he worked at a translation of theBible.
His daughter Elizabeth marriedSir Charles Morgan, a Welsh mercenary serving with theDutch States Army who ended his career as Governor ofBergen op Zoom. He died inLeiden on 15 December 1598.
St. Aldegonde, or Marnix (by which name he is very commonly known), is celebrated for his share in the great development of Dutch literature which followed the classical period represented by such writers as the poet and historianPieter Hooft. Of his works, the best known is theRoman Bee-hive (De roomsche byen-korf), published in 1569 during his exile in Friesland, a bitter satire on the faith and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. This was translated, or adapted, in French, German and English (byGeorge Gilpin).[1] He also wrote an educational treatise dedicated to John, Count of Nassau. As a poet, St. Aldegonde is mainly known through his metrical translation of thePsalms (1580/1591); and, the Dutch national anthemWilhelmus van Nassouwe is also ascribed to him. His complete works, edited byLacroix andQuinet, were published at Brussels in 7 volumes (1855–1859), and his religious and theological writings, edited by Van Toorenenbergen, at The Hague, in 4 volumes (1871–1891).
Marnix wrote one of the earliest Bible translations into Dutch.
Less known to the general public is his work as a cryptographer. St. Aldegonde is considered to be the first Dutchcryptographer (cfr.The Codebreakers). ForStadholderWilliam the Silent, he deciphered secret messages that were intercepted from theSpaniards. His interest in cryptography possibly shows in theWilhelmus, where the first letters of the couplets form the nameWillem van Nassov, i.e. William 'the Silent' ofNassau, the Prince of Orange, but suchacrostics - and far more intricate poetic devices - were a common feature of theRederijker school in the Lowlands.
There is a marble sculpture of him byPaul de Vigne in Brussels.
Marnix could speak Spanish, and this influenced his writing style.[2]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "St Aldegonde, Philips van Marnix, Heer van".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 1013.
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