Middelburg | |
|---|---|
 Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Middelburg | |
  Middelburg  Middelburg | |
| Coordinates: 51°15′18″N03°24′57″E / 51.25500°N 3.41583°E | |
| Country |  Belgium |
| Region |  Flanders |
| Province |  East Flanders |
| Municipality |  Maldegem |
Middelburg is a village and a district in the municipality of Maldegem, in East Flanders, Belgium. Founded as a town by Pieter Bladelin in the 15th century, it still contains the medieval church with the tomb of Bladelin and his wife.
Middelburg was founded by Pieter Bladelin, a high-ranking official responsible for financial matters in the court of the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good. [1] [2] Bladelin had begun purchasing parcels of land in the area already in 1433, and in 1444 his holdings were united into a single fief and manor. After 1448, he built a castle and began developing the town according to a grid plan. Originally, the town had a moat, walls and town gates, as well as a town hall and a church dedicated to saints Peter and Paul (built 1452–1460). [2] Bladelin invited craftsmen of copper from Dinant and tapestry-workers to settle in the town; the Duke of Burgundy ordered a tapestries from its workshops and Edward IV of England granted Middelburg trading rights in copper in 1472. [2]
After Bladelin's death, William Hugonet, another Burgundian official, became the new lord of Middelburg in 1476. Following the death of Charles the Bold, he was however imprisoned and the castle in Middelburg seized by troops from Bruges in 1477. Hugonet was shortly thereafter executed, and the fief passed to his descendants. However, the castle was again captured and partially destroyed by troops from Bruges in their struggle with the future Emperor Maximilian in 1488. During the Eighty Years' War it again changed hands several times and reduced to a state of ruin, after which it began to be dismantled by locals using it as a quarry. Today only the foundations remain. [2]
The church was damaged during World War II, but its interior remains well-preserved. [1] It contains the elaborately carved tomb of Pieter Bladelin and his wife, Margaret van de Vageviere, in addition to a polychrome altarpiece, a Rococo pulpit and a Baroque confessional. [1] Of the original castle, only the foundations remain. [2] The village still retains an unusual pillory made of stone, [1] dating from the 18th century.
Ghent is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in size only by Brussels and Antwerp. It is a port and university city.
Philip II the Bold was Duke of Burgundy and jure uxoris Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg.
Charles I, nicknamed the Bold, was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477.
Oostkamp is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Hertsberge, Oostkamp proper, Ruddervoorde and Waardamme. On January 1, 2019, Oostkamp had a total population of 23,698. The total area is 79.65 km² which gives a population density of 289 inhabitants per km².
Ingelmunster is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Ingelmunster proper and the village of Kriek. As of January 1, 2006, Ingelmunster had a total population of 10,617. Its total area is 16.16 km². Thus, its population density is 657 inhabitants per km².
Aalter is a municipality located between Bruges and Ghent in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Aalter, Bellem, Lotenhulle, Poeke, Knesselare and Ursel. It is bordered on the north by Maldegem, on the east by Zomergem and Nevele, on the south by Deinze, and on the west by the province of West Flanders. The mayor is Pieter De Crem.
Oudenaarde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, Heurne, Leupegem, Mater, Melden, Mullem, Nederename, Volkegem, Welden and a part of Ooike.
Philip III was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonged. During his reign, the Burgundian State reached the apex of its prosperity and prestige, and became a leading centre of the arts.
In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands or the Burgundian Age is the period between 1384 and 1482, during which a growing part of the Low Countries was ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy. Within their Burgundian State, which itself belonged partly to the Holy Roman Empire and partly to the Kingdom of France, the dukes united these lowlands into a political union that went beyond a personal union as it gained central institutions for the first time.
Isabella of Bourbon, Countess of Charolais was the second wife of Charles the Bold, Count of Charolais and future Duke of Burgundy. She was a daughter of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon and Agnes of Burgundy, and the mother of Mary of Burgundy, heiress of Burgundy.
Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder, Marc Gerard and Marcus Garret was a Flemish painter, draughtsman, print designer and etcher who was active in his native Flanders and in England. He practised in many genres, including portraits, religious paintings, landscapes and architectural themes. He designed heraldic designs and decorations for tombs. He is known for his creation of a print depicting a map of his native town Bruges and the illustrations for a Dutch-language publication recounting stories from Aesop's Fables. His attention to naturalistic detail and his practice of drawing animals from life for his prints had an important influence on European book illustration. His son Marcus the Younger became a prominent court painter at the English court.
Le Quesnoy is a commune and small town in the east of the Nord department of northern France. It was part of the historical province of French Hainaut. It is known for its fortifications, dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. It had an significant shoemaking industry before the late 1940s, followed by a chemical factory and dairy, giving way to its weekly market, tourism, local commuting to elsewhere such as Valenciennes and local shops.
Wijnendale Castle is a historic residence in Wijnendale, West Flanders in Belgium which was once a medieval castle. The present buildings largely date to a nineteenth century restoration, though parts of the north wing still date to the fifteenth century. One wing is currently inhabited by the present owners of the castle, while another is open to the public as a museum.
Margaret of Burgundy was Duchess of Bavaria as the wife of Duke William II and the mother of Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country. It is the sixth most populous city in the country.
Anselm Adornes, also known as Anselm Adorno, was a merchant, patron, politician and diplomat, who belonged to the fifth generation of the Adornes family to live in Bruges.
The Bladelin Altarpiece, or Middelburg Altarpiece, is a triptych painting created around 1450 by the Flemish painter Rogier van der Weyden, towards the end of his artistic career. It depicts scenes relating to the birth of Jesus; and as the only nativity scene definitively attributed to van der Weyden is sometimes known as the Nativity Triptych.
Pieter Bladelin was an important financial advisor and civil servant to the Burgundian State. He was lord of Middelburg and built the Hof Bladelin in Bruges.
Adegem is a village and deelgemeente (sub-municipality) in the municipality of Maldegem in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The village is located about 19 kilometres (12 mi) east of Bruges.
William Hugonet was chancellor of Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy. After the death of Charles the Bold, he was imprisoned and executed by citizens of Ghent, who blamed him for policies undermining the position of the urban elites during his time as chancellor.
Media related to Middelburg (Maldegem) at Wikimedia Commons