Counts of Egmont and Hornes - Brussels, Belgium
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Marine Biologist
N 50° 50.363 E 004° 21.407
31U E 595531 N 5632840
This statue of the Counts of Egmont and Hornes is part of a fountain located in the Place du Petit Sablon in Brussels, Belgium
Waymark Code: WMM60B
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Date Posted: 07/27/2014
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member chstress53
Views: 10

"Lamoral, Count of Egmont (1522-1568) and Philippe de Montmorency, Count de Hoorne (1518-68) were among the nobles and commoners rebelling against what they saw as the hardships that the Spanish overlords had brought to the Low Countries. Egmont and Hoorne were imprisoned in Maison du Roi; tried; found guilty; and beheaded in Grand-Place. The men are celebrated as leaders in Belgium’s fight for independence. The 1864 monument that stands at on end of the park, in the Flemish Neo-Renaissance style, designed by Charles-Auguste Fraikin (1817-1893), depicts the Counts of Egmont and Hornes, executed on the scaffold on 5.June.1568, because they stood up to Spanish tyranny. The monument, first stood in Grand-Place in front of Maison du Roi, was moved to Petit-Sablon in 1899."

--Source (visit link)

"This historic statue in Brussels (French: Bruxelles; Dutch: Brussel), Belgium of Counts Egmont and Horn, executed in 1568 by the Duke of Alba on behalf of King Philip II of Spain, has stood near the Petit Sablon church (Dutch: Kleine Zavel), off rue de la Régence/Regentschapsstraat, since 1879.

The work commemorates Lamoral, Count of Egmont (1522-1568) and Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horn (1524-1568), prominent noblemen who, with William the Silent (or: William of Orange), protested against the introduction of the Inquisition in Belgium. While William was Lutheran, eventually leading the Dutch Revolt whereby the northern Provinces attained their practical, if not de jure, independence from Spain, Counts Egmont and Horn remained Roman Catholic, their protest being on account of opposition to cruel and violent religious persecution. However, the Duke of Alba, the King of Spain's representative, executed them by decapitation in the Grand' Place in 1568, despite many pleas for clemency.

Counts Egmont and Horn have traditionally been seen as Belgian national heroes; while Belgian independence did not arrive until 1830, yet Belgium's Constitution and historiographical tradition draw heavily on traditions of liberty of conscience and its pursuit, championed by figures such as Counts Egmont and Horn.

Both Goethe and Beethoven wrote works in honour of Count Egmont, such was the historical importance of the events which led to the waning of Spanish power in Europe.

The statue of Counts Egmont and Horn was the work of Belgian sculptor Charles-Auguste Fraikin (1817-1893), who was known for work in neo-Classical style. The work depicts the personages whom they represent in period-specific costume; the statue complex includes memorial fountain. Inscriptions in French and Dutch recall the subjects' opposition to the iniquities of the Duke of Alba. Sculptor Fraikin's work was completed in 1864. Other works for which he is known include the memorial mausoleum to Queen Consort Marie-Louise of the Belgians, at Ostend's Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk."

--Source (visit link)
Monarch Ranking: Earl or Count / Countess

Proper Title and Name of Monarch: Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere & Philip de Montmorency, Count of Horn

Country or Empire of Influence: The Netherlands

Website for additonal information: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:

Waymark Visitor - Must either

  • Provide a photo at the Statue
  • Answer a related question, if available, as posted on the Waymark description to the satistfaction of the Owner
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