Cornelis de Schepper

Cornelius de Schepper (1503?-1555) was a Flemish counsellor and ambassador for Charles V, Ferdinand I of Austria and queen Mary of Hungary. He is also known by his Latin name Scepperus.

He was born in Nieuport probably in 1503. He studied at Paris University and the Trilingue College at Louvain. In 1523 he entered the service of Christian II of Denmark, the exiled brother in law of Emperor Charles V.

In December 1525 he travelled to Spain to meet the Emperor and from this time he became a loyal counsellor and envoy for Charles V, and his siblings Ferdinand I of Austria and Mary of Hungary. His numerous missions took him to France, Austria, Hungary, England, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Poland. In 1533 and 1534 he joined Ferdinand’s ambassador Jeronimo de Zara in two peace missions to Constantinople where they met Suleiman and his Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha.

De Schepper enjoyed the friendship of numerous humanists, including Alfonso de Valdes and Johannes Dantiscus, the polish ambassador. He was also a close friend of Viglius, the Flemish statesman and jurist. He exchanged correspondence with Erasmus and Melanchton.

He is the author of works of poetry, astronomy and history. His most notable works are:

• Assertionis fidei adversus astrologos sive de significationibus coniunctionum superiorum planetarum anni 1524, Fr Bryckmann, Antwerpen
• Epitaphium Isabellae illustrissimae Danorum reginae, Gregorius de Bonte, Antwerpen
• Rerum a Carolo V Caesare Augusto in Africa bello gestarum commentarii, Jean Bellére, Antwerpen

He married twice. His first wife, Elisabeth Donche, died on August 20th, 1549 at the age of 51. They had together a daughter called Anne. De Schepper’s second wife was Marguerite Loonis with whom he had no descendants. He died on March 28th 1555 at Antwerp, aged 52 years.

Bibliography

• SAINT-GENOIS, J.L.D. DE, YSSEL DE SCHEPPER, G.-A. (1856): Missions diplomatiques de Corneille Duplicius De Schepper, dit Scepperus, ambassadeur de Christiern II, de Charles V, de Ferdinand Ier et de Marie, reine de Hongrie, gouvernante des Pays-Bas, de 1523 à 1555 (Mémoires de l'Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique dl. 30, no. 8), Hayez (Brussel).
• SAINT-GENOIS, J.L.D. DE (1856): 'Recherches sur le véritable nom, le lieu de naissance, la famille et le les armoires, la sépulture et les écrits de Cornille de Schepper, dit Scepperus', in: Messager des sciences historiques de Belgique1856, pp. 1-27.