Charles I de Lalaing


Charles de Lalaing, baron and later 1st count of Lalaing, lord of Escornaix.

Life

Charles was born as the eldest son of Joost de Lalaing, from a family of landowners from Hainaut. He was married to Jacoba of Luxembourg, daughter of Jacob of Luxembourg and Maria of Berlaymont. Their children were:
Charles was chamberlain to successively Maximilian of Austria, Philip the Fair and Charles V.
On 17 November 1505 he was made a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
From 1504 on he was governor of Oudenaarde. When Charles V spent six weeks at Charles of Lalaing's estates during the Siege of Tournai in 1521, he met Charles' servant Johanna van der Gheynst. As a consequence of the brief affair that ensued, the future regent Margaret of Parma was born.