Frans Anneessens
Encyclopedia
Frans Anneessens was a leader of a Brussels guild. He was decapitated on the Grand Place
in Brussels, because of his involvement with uprisings within the Austrian Netherlands.
The end of the War of the Spanish Succession
saw the Spanish Netherlands be awarded to Austria. In 1716 the Austrians raised new taxes on the Flemish and Brabantian cities to fund the Dutch occupational forces installed by the Barrier Treaty
and questioned their old medieval privileges. In 1717 these issues caused riots in Ghent
, Antwerp, Mechelen
and Brussels. The Italian Marquess de Prié
, deputy for the absent governor-general, Prince Eugene of Savoy
, suppressed the riots with brute force.
To suppress further rioting and restore order de Prié ordered the arrest of those he saw to be the ringleaders. Frans Anneessens was seen as the most important of these ringleaders and was lured to a business conference with an Austrian colonel to discuss victuals for his regiment. There Anneessens was arrested. Anneessens and four other leaders were kept in confinement for six months. During this period they were denied contact with their family and denied catholic services. On 12 September 1719 Anneessens was condemned to death, the four other guild leaders to perpetual banishment.
On 19 September 1719 Anneessens was to be executed. As the Austrians feared troubles they had forced the priests to remove the rope of the church bells and all major streets and squares were occupied by Austrian soldiery. At 8 o'clock Frans Anneessens was brought from prison, and placed on a cart while bound by his hands and feet. After the reading of the sentence, Anneessens refused to sign it, claiming to be innocent in the eyes of God. He was then brought to the scaffold on the Grand Place where his whig was removed. When Anneesens tried to address the crowd, his words were drowned by drum roffles. The executioner then decapitated the old man with a sword.
After the execution Anneessens body was removed by the Alexian monks
and he was buried in the Kapellekerk
.
Grand Place
The Grand Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by guildhalls, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse . The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels, along with the Atomium and Manneken Pis...
in Brussels, because of his involvement with uprisings within the Austrian Netherlands.
The end of the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
saw the Spanish Netherlands be awarded to Austria. In 1716 the Austrians raised new taxes on the Flemish and Brabantian cities to fund the Dutch occupational forces installed by the Barrier Treaty
Barrier Treaty
The "Barrier Treaties" were the names of three agreements signed and ratified during or immediately after the War of Spanish Succession.-First:...
and questioned their old medieval privileges. In 1717 these issues caused riots in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Antwerp, Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
and Brussels. The Italian Marquess de Prié
Hercule-Louis Turinetti, marquis of Prié
Hercule-Louis Turinetti, marquis of Prié , was interim Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands between 1716 and 1724....
, deputy for the absent governor-general, Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy , was one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of King Louis XIV...
, suppressed the riots with brute force.
To suppress further rioting and restore order de Prié ordered the arrest of those he saw to be the ringleaders. Frans Anneessens was seen as the most important of these ringleaders and was lured to a business conference with an Austrian colonel to discuss victuals for his regiment. There Anneessens was arrested. Anneessens and four other leaders were kept in confinement for six months. During this period they were denied contact with their family and denied catholic services. On 12 September 1719 Anneessens was condemned to death, the four other guild leaders to perpetual banishment.
On 19 September 1719 Anneessens was to be executed. As the Austrians feared troubles they had forced the priests to remove the rope of the church bells and all major streets and squares were occupied by Austrian soldiery. At 8 o'clock Frans Anneessens was brought from prison, and placed on a cart while bound by his hands and feet. After the reading of the sentence, Anneessens refused to sign it, claiming to be innocent in the eyes of God. He was then brought to the scaffold on the Grand Place where his whig was removed. When Anneesens tried to address the crowd, his words were drowned by drum roffles. The executioner then decapitated the old man with a sword.
After the execution Anneessens body was removed by the Alexian monks
Alexians
The Alexians, Alexian Brothers or Cellites are a Catholic religious institute or congregation specifically devoted to caring for the sick which has its origin in Europe at the time of the Black Death...
and he was buried in the Kapellekerk
Kapellekerk
The Église de la Chapelle or Kapellekerk is a Roman Catholic church situated in the Marolles/Marollen district of Brussels, Belgium....
.