Lords of Westerlo


The Lords of Westerlo were the feudal lords of the fiefdom of Westerlo until the abolition of feudalism in 1795. The first known Lord of Westerlo was the Frankish nobleman Ansfried of Utrecht who gave this domain as allodial title to the chapters of Saint-Martin and Saint-Salvator in Utrecht after he became Bishop of Utrecht in 995. Since the late 15th century the Lords of Westerlo have been members of the House of Merode. In 1626 Westerlo was elevated to the rank of marquessate by King Philip IV of Spain in favor of Philippe I de Merode who became the first Marquess of Westerlo. The chief of the House of Merode stil bears the title of Marquess of Westerlo although the feudal rights attached to this title have been abolished since 1795. In the nineteenth and first halve of the twentieth century the 10th, 11th and 12th Marquess have been elected Burgomaster of Westerlo.

The donation of Ansfried of Utrecht

The exact date of the donation is not known. The original charter has not been preserved and is only known in medieval copies of the 12th century. It can be supposed that the donation took place at some time between 995 when he became bishop of Utrecht and his death in 1010. The donation was intended to provide the chapters of Sint-Maarten and Sint-Salvator with the necessary financial means to organise the religious service.

The mysterious House of Westerlo and the House of Wezemaal

The chapter of Utrecht gave the manor of Westerlo in fief to local Brabantic noble families. There are indications that in the 11th and 12th centuries a further unknown family by the name of 'van Westerlo' held the fief. The knights of Wezemaal however where gaining power and influence through the important functions they held at the court of the Duke of Brabant. The office of Hereditary Marshall of Brabant brought them great prestige. A certain Hildebrand van Westerlo was mentioned for the last time before 1206 to act as a witness together with Arnold I of Wezemaal. It seems that by 1233–34 his successor Arnold II was in full control of the fief. The oldest preserved lease contract between Arnold II and the chapter of Utrecht dates from 1247. He and his descendants will bear the title Lord of Westerlo. After the death of the father the heir had to present himself before the chapter in Utrecht and renew his oath of fealty.
The subsequent Lords of Westerlo from the House of Wezemaal are:
Arnold I van Wezemaal
x 1 Beatrijs van Breda
x 2 Aleidis van Brabant
x Isentrudis van Alphen
x Ida van Bierbeek
x Jeanne de Beaufort-Fallais
x Richard I de Merode
x 1 Ida van Ranst
x 2 Jeanne de Bauffremont
x Johanna van Bouchout

Westerlo disputed between Wezemaal and Merode

Margaretha van Wezemaal, sister of Jan I van Wezemaal, Lord of Westerlo, married Richard I de Merode in 1361. At this point the House of Merode appears for the first time in the history of Westerlo. Jan I was a canon in Utrecht before marrying Ida van Berchem, widow of the knight Jan van Lier who was believed to have died in combat. After some time the marriage was declared void on the basis of rumors that Ida's first husband Jan van Lier was still alive. After she had been his concubine for some time Jan I finally married Jeanne de Beauffremont. This legitimated the position of their son Jan II who had been born before the union took place. The Brabantic nobility and the Papal authorities in both Rome and Avignon recognized Jan II in 1417 as his fathers legal heir. But the children of Richard I de Merode and Margaretha van Wezemaal proclaimed themselves as the sole legitimate heirs and considered their cousin Jan a bastard. The chapter of Utrecht was inclined to follow this point of view. They hesitated to give him Westerlo and Olen in fief and instead negotiated with his cousin Richard II de Merode. The lease contract with Jan II was not renewed but he refused to leave the fief and did not pay the lease. His cousin Richard II could close a lease contract with the chapter and did pay the lease in place of his cousin, although he had no acces to the fief and its revenues. As the land of Westerlo was in the middle of the Duchy of Brabant and far removed from the influence of the chapter of Utrecht, Jan II could hold his position as long as he had the support of the Dukes of Brabant. Meanwhile the Duchy had become part of the territories ruled by the House of Valois-Burgundy which was keen to expand its power and influence wherever it could. Jan II ignored the allodial rights of the chapter of Utrecht and left Westerlo in his will to the Duke of Brabant, Charles the Bold. However de facto illegal, the Duke accepted the inheritance ignoring in his turn the property rights of the chapter of Utrecht.

Guy de Brimeu in Westerlo

As if Westerlo was an integral part of his Duchy, Charles the Bold immediately sold the 'Seigneurie' and the Castle of Westerlo together with others goods and titles of the Lords of Wesemael to Guy de Brimeu, Lord of Humbercourt. De Brimeu was one of Charles the Bold's leading councillors and a knight in the prestigious Order of the Golden Fleece. There is evidence Guy de Brimeu lived on the Castle of Westerlo for a longer period of time between 1475 and his death in 1477. The fief also seems to have been an important source of income for Brimeu. After the sudden death of Charles the Bold, de Brimeu was executed in Ghent on accusation of having negotiated in secret with Louis XI of France over the succession of Charles' daughter Mary of Burgundy.

The House of Merode

The House of Merode immediately started a legal procedure against Antonia de Rambures, widow of Guy de Brimeu. On the 29th of March 1484 the Council of Brabant recognized the fact that the fiefs of Westerlo and Olen were the full property of the chapter of Utrecht. The House of Merode had been paying the lease to the chapter for decades. This made the position of the widow de Brimeu no longer tenable. In 1488 she and her heirs came to an agreement with Jan II de Merode. After decades of struggle he finally became in the possession of the land of Westerlo. Until 1617 Westerlo would remain a fief of the chapter of Utrecht.
The subsequent Lords of Westerlo from the house of Merode are:
x Marguerite de Melun to their son:
x Anne van Gistel-Dudzele without issue. Jan III designated in his will his nephew Hendrik as his heir:
x Françoise van Brederode
The will was contested by Richard de Merode-Houffalize, of the branch of the Lords of Frentz who was married to Johanna de Merode, Hendrik's elder sister. The Council of Brabant supported Hendrik while the Chapter of Utrecht was in favor of the claims of Richard. It would take 8 years until the dispute was settled in favor of Hendrik de Merode. At his death he was succeeded by his son;
x Mencia de Glimes-Berghes
x Margaretha van Pallant. To their son:
x Anna de Merode-Houffalize

The Marquess of Westerlo

In 1526 Westerlo is elevated to the rank of marquessate by Philip IV of Spain, Duke of Brabant. Philip I de Merode becomes the first Marquess of Westerlo. At his death the next year the land and the titles are inherited by his son:
x Anna-Sidonia van Bronckhorst-Batenburg-Stein. To their son:
x Madeleine de Gand-Vilain. His successor is his younger brother:
x Isabella-Margaretha de Merode. To their son:
x Maria-Theresia Pignatelli,
x Charlotte von Nassau-Hadamar, to their son:
x Louise-Eléonore de Rohan, to his younger brother:
x Maria-Catherina de Merode-Montfort, Princess of Rubempré and Everberg. To their son:
Karel-Willem would be the last feudal Marquess of Westerlo. With the annexation of the Austrian Netherlands to the French Republic on the first of October 1795 feodality was definitively abolished. The marquessate of Westerlo seized to exist and was divided in municipalities. The Merode Family lived in exile in Maastricht and later in Prussia and Saxony. The country estate and extensive domains in the region where confiscated by the Republic and put on sale. They could be bought back by agents acting on behalf of the exiled family. Karel-Willem and his family returned to Belgium in 1800.
The title of 'Marquess of Westerlo' was recognized by King William I of the Netherlands in 1823 and will be inherited by his eldest son:
x Louise de Thesan s'Espendaillan. To their son:
x Marie-Nicolette, princesse d'Arenberg. To their son:
x Nathalie, princesse de Croÿ-Dülmen. To their son:
x Marguerite–Marie de Laguiche. The couple had no children but adopted:
x Elisabeth Alvar de Biaudos de Castéja. To their son:
x Princesse Hedwige de Ligne de la Tremoille. His heir apparent as Marquess of Westerlo is his eldest son Prince Frédéric de Merode.