| Chancellor Ferdinand de Boisschot Baron of Zaventem | |
|---|---|
| Cartoon depicting Peckius holding a sword and an olive branch at negotiations concerning the Twelve Years' Truce. | |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Brabant | |
| In office 1625–1649 |
|
| Monarch | Philip IV of Spain |
| Preceded by | Petrus Peckius the Younger |
| Succeeded by | François de Kinschot |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 24 November 1649 Brussels |
| Resting place | Notre Dame on the Sablon |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Maria de Camudio |
| Alma mater | University of Cologne, University of Leuven |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Ferdinand de Boisschot (died 24 November 1649) was a Netherlandish jurist and diplomat, and chancellor of the Duchy of Brabant.
His father, a member of the Council of Brabant, was killed in the early stages of the Dutch Revolt, and his mother took refuge in Cologne, where Ferdinand was raised. He studied law at the University of Cologne and at the University of Leuven.[1]
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In 1592 he was appointed auditor general of the armed forces, a post he held until 1611. From the beginning of 1611 to the end of 1615 he was the diplomatic representative in London of the Sovereign Archdukes Albert and Isabella. He spent a further four years as resident in Paris, becoming a member of the Privy Council and the Council of State in Brussels.
In 1621 he was raised to the peerage, being awarded the lordship of Zaventem, and he went on to acquire Fontaine Castle and Groot-Bijgaarden Castle, and the lordships of Nossegem, Sterrebeek and Sint-Stevens-Woluwe. In 1644 he became count of Erps.
He was appointed Chancellor of Brabant, the highest civilian function in the duchy, in October 1625, succeeding Petrus Peckius the Younger.
He died in Brussels on 24 November 1649 and was buried in the Church of Our Lady on the Zavel (Notre Dame on the Sablon).
Anthony Van Dyck painted a portrait of Boisschot’s wife, Anna Maria de Camudio, and is thought to have painted a now-lost portrait of Ferdinand de Boisschot himself. A copy of the Van Dyck portrait of Boisschot is on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from the Earl of Warwick.[2]
Boisschot also commissioned from Van Dyck a painting of Martin of Tours dividing his cloak with a beggar, a painting which he donated to the parish church of Zaventem.[3]