Willem van Enckevoirt

William of Enckevoirt, also spelled as Enckenvoirt (22 January 1464 in Mierlo-Hout – 19 July 1534 in Rome) was a Dutch Cardinal, bishop of Tortosa from 1524 to 1524, and bishop of Utrecht from 1529 to 1534.

Biography

Enckevoirt was the son of a farmer, Willem van Enckevoirt Sr., and aspired to a career in the church. He studied at Leuven, where he probably studied under Adriaan Boeyens, the later Pope Adrian VI. In 1489 he was sent to Rome, where he continued his studies at the Sapienza, and he achieved his Licentiate in 1505.

In 1495 William entered the papal court, and he collected many prebends, so that he collected the income of parishes without actually being there, an accepted practice in those days. He represented the interests of the parishes in Rome. He also managed to obtain high posts in Rome for several of his family members.

Through the election of Pope Adrian VI in 1522 his influence further increased, and together with Theodoricus Hezius he was a personal confidant of the pope. Before pope Adrian died, one of his last requests was that William be made cardinal. Some cardinals opposed this, but Adrian pushed his decision through and William was created Cardinal-priest of St. John and Paul on 10 September 1523. He was only the second cardinal ever created from the northern Netherlands, and the only cardinal created during Adrian's short reign. The monument was designed by Baldassare Peruzzi and included William's name and arms. He also financed the decoration of the Barbara chapel in this church by painter Michiel Coxcie.

William of Enckevoirt died on 19 July 1534. His monument, created by Giovanni Mangone, was originally located opposite of Adrian VI's tomb, but it was moved in 1575. It is still visible next to the main entrance of the church.