The Life and Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Volumes 1 and 2Busbecq, Ogier Ghislain de
History
The Life and Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Volumes 1 and 2
Busbecq, Ogier Ghislain de
Busbecq, Ogier Ghislain de, 1522-1592
The death of his master on the fatal field of Nancy, January 1477,
apparently marks the termination of Gilles Ghiselin’s military career.
Though he did not become Seigneur of Bousbecque till after his
brother’s death in 1488, there was probably some family arrangement
by which he resided at the château, and represented its absent
lord. During his service under Duke Charles, he must have acquired
considerable wealth, for shortly after his return to Bousbecque he
built the noble church[30] which still stands as a memorial of his
munificence. He also rebuilt, or more probably restored, the seigneur’s
château, the family residence of the Busbecqs, and there with his wife,
Agnes Gommer, he settled down to lead the life of a country gentleman.
He was, however, too valuable a man to be left without work. In 1480,
three years after the battle of Nancy, he was appointed High Bailiff
of Ypres, ‘grand bailly de la ville, salle et châtellenie d’Ypres.’
This important town, which formed one of the four members of Flanders,
is situated about ten miles north of Bousbecque. About six miles from
either of these places lies Messines, of which his sister Marie was
lady-abbess. The castles of Halluin and Comines were both in the hands
of his relations; while in the important town of Lille, Gilles Ghiselin
and his wife had a magnificent hotel, whither after her husband’s death
Agnes Gommer retired to end her days. It will be seen, therefore, that
Gilles Ghiselin II., the grandfather of the Ambassador, was, at this
period of his life, a man of very high position and influence. Unlike
his brother George, he did not accept any office in the household of
Maximilian. It would appear that if Gilles Ghiselin II. was a loyal
subject, he was no less a loyal Fleming, and had little taste for the
service of the German Archduke, who had been married by his Sovereign.
That this is the true reading of his story may be gathered with fair
probability from the records of Bousbecque church. It was built by
Gilles Ghiselin about 1480. In 1485 a window was presented to this
church, blazoned with the arms of Ghent and Rasenghien, by a distant
relation of the family, Adrien Vilain, Seigneur of Rasenghien, whose
story has already been told. Now in 1485 Adrien Vilain was one of
the leaders of the Gantois in opposing Maximilian. It may fairly be
inferred that his views met with some sympathy from his friend at
Bousbecque. To admit such a window into his church was not the way to
curry favour with Maximilian.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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