Gilles van Berlaymont was stadtholder

Stadtholder

A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...

 for the Spanish Crown of Drenthe, Friesland, Groningen and Overijssel (1572-1573), stadtholder of Guelders

Guelders

Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...

 (1572-1577), substitute stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht (1574-1577), stadtholder of Namur and Artois (after 1578) and baron of Hierges

Hierges

Hierges is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region in northern France.Hierges is located in the Meuse valley along the Belgian border.-Population:-See also:*Manasses of Hierges*Héribrand II of Hierges...

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He was the son of Charles de Berlaymont

Charles de Berlaymont

Charles de Berlaymont was a noble who sided with the Spanish during the Eighty years war, and was a member of the Council of Troubles. He was the son of Michiel de Berlaymont and Maria de Berault. He was lord of Floyon and Haultpenne, and baron of Hierges...

 and Adriana de Ligne Barbançon, and a brother of Claude de Berlaymont

Claude de Berlaymont

Claude de Berlaymont , lord of Haultpenne was a Flemish military commander in Spain's Army of Flanders during the Eighty Years' War.-Family:...

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In 1572 he was made a Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece

Order of the Golden Fleece

The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...

, and became on September 2, 1577 a member of the Council of State

Council of State

The Council of State is a unique governmental body in a country or subdivision thereoff, though its nature may range from the formal name for the cabinet to a non-executive advisory body surrounding a head of state. It is sometimes regarded as the equivalent of a privy council.-Modern:*Belgian...

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In 1567 Gilles commanded the Siege of Valenciennes

Valenciennes

Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...

, the first siege of the Eighty Years' War. He captured and sacked Schoonhoven

Schoonhoven

Schoonhoven is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality has a population of 12,195 , and covers an area of 6.96 km²...

, and Oudewater

Oudewater

Oudewater is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.-Population centres :The municipality of Oudewater consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Hekendorp, Oudewater, Papekop, Snelrewaard....

 in August 1575. He was killed during the Siege of Maastricht (1579)

Siege of Maastricht (1579)

The Siege of Maastricht was a battle of the Eighty Years' War it lasted from March 12 - July 1, 1579. The Spanish were victorious.-Prelude:In 1579 the city of Maastricht was in the hands of the Dutch rebels. On March 12 1579 the Spanish General Alexander Farnese started to lay siege to the city...

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