View source for Guillaume de Bette, 1st Marquess of Lede

{{Short description|Spanish Netherlands military commander (1600–1658)}}
'''Guillaume de Bette, 1st Marquess of Lede''' (c.1600– 23 June 1658), Baron of Péronne, Lord of Impe, [[Order of Santiago|Knight of Santiago]], was a military commander and diplomat from the [[Spanish Netherlands]].
==Life==
Bette was born at [[Lede, Belgium|Lede]] around the beginning of the 17th century, the son of John de Bette, Lord of Lede and Joanna, lady of Bergen. He married [[House of Hornes|Anna Marie de Hornes-Bassignies]], daughter of Gerald de Hornes, 1st Count of Bassignies (1560-1612), Royal Chamberlain and Governor of Mechelen. They had five children, and he was succeeded as Marquess of Lede by Ambrosius his eldest son. His cousin, [[Françoise de Bette]], was the 26th abbess of [[Forest Abbey]].<ref>[[Ursmer Berlière]] et al., ''Monasticon Belge'', vol. 4 (Liège, 1964), p. 211.</ref>
Entering upon a military career, he became colonel of an infantry regiment in the [[Army of Flanders]],<ref>Luc Duerloo, ''Wapenboek van de Belgische adel'' (1992), s.v. Bette.</ref> and acted as military governor of [[Maastricht]] during the [[Capture of Maastricht|1632 siege]].<ref>[[Jean-Baptiste Christyn]], ''Les délices des Pays-Bas'', vol. 2 (Paris, 1786), p. 67.</ref><ref>Pierre Ubachs and Ingrid Evers, ''Tweeduizend jaar Maastricht'' (Zutphen, 2006), pp. 121-122.</ref> On 3 August 1633, his barony, Lede, was raised to a marquisate in recognition of his service to the [[Spanish Monarchy]].<ref>Jaime de Salazar, "La nobleza de los antiguos Países Bajos en la Grandeza de España", in ''Liber amicorum Raphaël de Smedt. 3. Historia'', edited by Jacques Paviot (Leuven, 2001), p. 229.</ref> Between 1635 and 1640, he was governor of the [[Duchy of Limburg]] and the Overmaas. In 1636, he conquered the County of Valkenburg. From 1640 until 1646, he was [[Stadtholder]] of [[Upper Guelders]].
In 1655, he travelled to the [[Commonwealth of England]] on behalf of [[Philip IV of Spain]] in a vain attempt to head off [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s [[Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660)|Anglo-Spanish War]]. He died on 23 June 1658 as a result of wounds received during the [[Siege of Dunkirk (1658)|Siege of Dunkirk]].<ref>Henri Guillaume, "Bette (Guillaume)", ''[[Biographie Nationale de Belgique]]'', [http://www.academieroyale.be/academie/documents/FichierPDFBiographieNationaleTome2043.pdf vol. 2] (Brussels, 1868), 377-378.</ref>
==Commemoration==
In Lede, he gifted the main altar in the parish church, which still stands. The Marquess is also remembered in the village by a pair of 4-meter tall [[Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France|processional giants]], Markies de Bette and Markiezin Anne-Marie de Hornes, created in honour of Bette and his wife in 1950.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lecavzw.be/tradities/reuzen/markies-willem-bette-lede|title=Markies Willem Bette (Lede) - Leca - Landelijk Expertisecentrum voor Cultuur van Alledag|website=www.lecavzw.be|accessdate=8 June 2017|archive-date=5 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205013430/http://www.lecavzw.be/tradities/reuzen/markies-willem-bette-lede|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1952, there was a wedding ceremony for the giants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.harmonielede.be/index.php/ct-menu-item-1/onze-reuzen|title=Onze Reuzen|website=www.harmonielede.be|accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref> In 2013, Lede named a street "Willem de Bettelaan" in his honour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webnieuwserpemerelede.be/index.php/2013070111264/lede/markies-willem-de-bette-krijgt-eigen-straatnaam.html|title=Webnieuws Erpe-Mere & Lede - Markies Willem de Bette krijgt eigen straatnaam|first=|last=filip|website=www.webnieuwserpemerelede.be|accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref>
==Descendants==
Guillaume de Bette was the grandfather of [[Jean François de Bette, 3rd Marquess of Lede]] and  [[Felipe-Emmanuel de Bette]].
==References==
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[[Category:1658 deaths]]
[[Category:Belgian nobility]]
[[Category:Military personnel of the Eighty Years' War]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the Habsburg Netherlands]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Military personnel of the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)]]
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