Cornelis de Hooghe

Cornelis de Hooghe, born in 1541 in The Hague (the Netherlands) as a bastard of Charles V, after this emperor's visit to the town in the summer of 1540.

As De Hooghe's later friends and co-conspirators were to be found in the upper-class Delft families, it can safely be assumed that his mother was one of the daughters of Cornelis Arendsz.

"Cornelius Hogius" (as he signed his Norfolk map in 1574) already worked for himself at the court of Margareth of Parme (his halfsister and also s bastard of Charles V) when Galle moved to Antwerp.

He therefore modified the original title of the map into “La Descrittione di Belgica con le sue frontiere” and added Philip IInd's blason to the copy of Forlani.

This map is considered being his masterpiece and was ornamented by a lavish moresquen border and the blasons of both king Philip II of Spain and of William of Orange (the Silent), by that time stadholder of Holland.

The third known work were the illustrations that he made for captain Francesco de Marchi, Margareth's most trusted aid, for his book on the construction and lay-out of fortifications.

The first unsigned version of this map must be dated prior to 1567, most probably rather close to the year 1559 of the peace of Cateau-Cambrésis and was made solely for use at the court.

He was mentioned on the 1567 Archbishop Grindal's list of religious refugees "Catalogus corum qui ex ditione Philippi Hispaniarum Regis Ecclesiae Belgico-Germanicae Londinensi subsunt".

It is believed that De Hooghe was involved in the release of Lieven van Weldam (his distant cousin), who was taken prisoner during the Battle on the Zuiderzee (1573) and kept in captivity in this town.

Around All Saints Day of 1581, he was contacted by Philip II's envoy De Silva, one of emperor Charles V's former chamberlains, who brought him letters of credence, confirming him as an imperial bastard.

De Hooghe accepted the offer and started giving speeches in many cities in several parts of the Low Countries trying to convince the people to make an end to the costly war against Spain.

Instead of using military force, Cornelis de Hooghe tried to persuade the magistrates, local guilds and individual citizens to follow him into a peaceful transition under his guidance.

Gestman Geradts, J, Cornelis de Hooghe, kaartenmaker en smokkelaar, in: Spiegel der Zeilvaart, oktober 2010, pp.