Gilles de Roye

Aegidius de Roya or Gilles de Roye (1415–1478) was a Cistercian monk, diplomat and historian.

Life Aegidius was born on 31 October 1415, possibly in Montdidier. In 1449 he obtained the Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Collège des Bernardins in Paris. In 1452 he became a regent master and a theology lecturer. While continuing to hold academic positions at the University of Paris, de Roya also became abbot of Royaumont Abbey. Tensions developed between him and the monastic community, and in 1459 he was forced to resign. In 1460 he transferred to the Abbey of Dunes, under Abbot Johannes Crabbe.

Abbot Crabbe was involved in a number of major land reclamation projects on the Flemish coast, and De Roya became his emissary to the Burgundian court in Brussels to gain support for these.

De Roya died in Bruges in 1478 and was buried at Spermalie Abbey in Sijsele.