MERSSEMAN, Auguste Joseph Marie de
MERSSEMAN, Auguste Joseph Marie de – Charles-Philippe vicomte de Patin was a prominent figure in the Austrian Netherlands during the Age of Enlightenment. Born 1687, in Ypres, he gained recognition as a Flemish writer, poet, magistrate, and legal and fiscal expert. His notable contributions include the publication of Mare Liberum ex jure naturae, gentium & civili assertum, vindicatum, redevivum in 1726. Additionally, he served as the President of the Council of Flanders from 1742 until his death in 1773, in Ghent. On 10 April 1715, he married Therese Waltrude du Bois, the daughter of François du Bois and Catherine Devos, in Ghent.
