Guillaume de Berghes

Family

Berghes was the third son of Ferry de Berghes, Baron of Grimberghen and Anne de Stercke, she grew up in the Sterckshof and was lady of Stabroeck, Bucquoy, Wyneghem, etc.^[2] All the descendants of the branch of Grimbergen are called de Berghes to make difference with the other branches in the family. He was an uncle of Guillaume de Bette and a great-uncle of Alphonse de Berghes.

Career

After studying Law and Theology at the universities of Louvain, Douai, Dole, Padua and Bologna, Berghes was appointed a canon of the church of St John the Evangelist, Liège. On 8 April 1578 the prince-bishop of Liège, Gerard of Grœsbeek, appointed him dean of the chapter of St John the Evangelist, after a contested election. Having gone to Rome to obtain papal confirmation, Berghes was appointed a domestic prelate by Pope Gregory XIII. On 5 January 1583 he was transferred to a canonry of Saint Lambert's Cathedral, Liège, and shortly afterwards was sent to Rome as the envoy of Ernest of Bavaria. He was later sent on diplomatic missions to Alexander Farnese, Governor General of the Spanish Netherlands.^[3]

On 2 September 1585 he was elected dean of St Lambert's, taking possession of the post on 20 January 1586. In 1590–91 he again undertook negotiations in Rome.^[4]

He was appointed bishop of Antwerp in 1597, in succession to Laevinus Torrentius, and left Liège on 6 March 1598, being consecrated bishop on 29 March and installed in his see on 22 April. He served as bishop of Antwerp until 1601, when he was elected archbishop of Cambrai. He was succeeded in Antwerp by Joannes Miraeus.^[5]

Death and commemoration

Berghes died in Cambrai on 25 April 1609.^[6] By his will he established a bursary of 100 Brabant florins to support a German-speaking student in the seminary of Liège who would serve in one of the German-language parishes of the diocese. He was memorialised with a stained glass window in the choir of Liège cathedral, and a marble tomb in Cambrai cathedral.^[7]