Hercule-Louis Turinetti, marquis of Prié
Encyclopedia
Hercule-Louis Turinetti, marquis of Prié (Piedmont
, 27 november, 1658 – Vienna
, 12 januari, 1726), was interim Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands between 1716 and 1724.
The Italian Marquess de Prié was deputy for the absent governor-general, Prince Eugene of Savoy
. Prié ruled in a highly despotic manner, which eventually turned the entire country against him. He overhauled the structure of the Brussels central government, replacing the former Council of State, Council of Finance and the Secret Council by one all encompassing Council of State under his own supervision. Because the reluctance of especially the Brabantine elite to cooperate with Priés new form of government the entire central administration was paralysed for several years, until in 1725 the emperor called Prié back to Vienna.
Prié also upset the political elites in several towns in the Southern Netherlands. When the labour guilds of Antwerp and Brussels
protested vigorously against the government taxes and tried to assert their ancient privileges, Prié caused the aged Frans Anneessens
, syndic or chairman of one of these guilds, to be arrested and put to death (1719).
The citizens of Brussels have never forgotten to venerate the memory of their fellow-townsman as a martyr for public liberty.
A square and a metro-station are named after Anneessens.
Prié also clashed with Claude Alexandre de Bonneval
, the Austrian Master of the ordnance to the Low Countries and placed him in confinement. A court martial was again held upon de Bonneval, and he was condemned to death, but the Emperor commuted the sentence to one year's imprisonment and banishment. De Bonneval then offered his services to the Turkish government, was appointed to organize and command the Turkish artillery, eventually contributing to the Austrian defeat in the Austrian-Ottoman war.
In the fall of 1724 prince Eugene resignated from his governorship of the Netherlands, which caused Prié to lose his only support. Emperor Charles VI
decided to intervene and released Prié of his functions. A commission was appointed to examine his rule, but Prié died only a year later, before the commission reached its final conclusions. The emperor left office of governor general to his sister Maria-Elisabeth.
Ghislaine De Boom, Les ministres plénipotentaires dans les Pays-Bas autrichiens, principalement Cobenzl, Brussels: Académie Royale de Belgique (1932).
R. Zedinger, Die Verwaltung der Österreichischen Niederlande in Wien (1714 - 1795), Vienna-Cologne-Weimar, Böhlau Verlag (2000).
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, 27 november, 1658 – Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, 12 januari, 1726), was interim Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands between 1716 and 1724.
The Italian Marquess de Prié was 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...
. Prié ruled in a highly despotic manner, which eventually turned the entire country against him. He overhauled the structure of the Brussels central government, replacing the former Council of State, Council of Finance and the Secret Council by one all encompassing Council of State under his own supervision. Because the reluctance of especially the Brabantine elite to cooperate with Priés new form of government the entire central administration was paralysed for several years, until in 1725 the emperor called Prié back to Vienna.
Prié also upset the political elites in several towns in the Southern Netherlands. When the labour guilds of Antwerp and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
protested vigorously against the government taxes and tried to assert their ancient privileges, Prié caused the aged Frans Anneessens
Frans Anneessens
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....
, syndic or chairman of one of these guilds, to be arrested and put to death (1719).
The citizens of Brussels have never forgotten to venerate the memory of their fellow-townsman as a martyr for public liberty.
A square and a metro-station are named after Anneessens.
Prié also clashed with Claude Alexandre de Bonneval
Claude Alexandre de Bonneval
Claude Alexandre, Comte de Bonneval was a French army officer who later went into the service of the Ottoman Empire, eventually converting to Islam and becoming known as Humbaracı Ahmet Paşa....
, the Austrian Master of the ordnance to the Low Countries and placed him in confinement. A court martial was again held upon de Bonneval, and he was condemned to death, but the Emperor commuted the sentence to one year's imprisonment and banishment. De Bonneval then offered his services to the Turkish government, was appointed to organize and command the Turkish artillery, eventually contributing to the Austrian defeat in the Austrian-Ottoman war.
In the fall of 1724 prince Eugene resignated from his governorship of the Netherlands, which caused Prié to lose his only support. Emperor Charles VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
decided to intervene and released Prié of his functions. A commission was appointed to examine his rule, but Prié died only a year later, before the commission reached its final conclusions. The emperor left office of governor general to his sister Maria-Elisabeth.
Literature
M. Huisman, “Prié, Hercule-Joseph Turinetti, marquis de”, Biographie Nationale, XVIII (1905), pp. 231-243.Ghislaine De Boom, Les ministres plénipotentaires dans les Pays-Bas autrichiens, principalement Cobenzl, Brussels: Académie Royale de Belgique (1932).
R. Zedinger, Die Verwaltung der Österreichischen Niederlande in Wien (1714 - 1795), Vienna-Cologne-Weimar, Böhlau Verlag (2000).