Erasme Louis Surlet de Chokier

Who was Erasme Louis Surlet de Chokier?

Erasme Louis, Baron Surlet de Chokier, born in Liège, was a Belgian politician and before the accession of Leopold I to the Belgian throne, was the first Regent of Belgium.

During the Heureuse Révolution of 1789, when a crowd followed the example of the French revolution and drove off the prince-bishop of Liège, Surlet de Chokier served in the patriotic army. When the following year this army was defeated by the Austrians at Hasselt and Zutendaal, Surlet de Chokier was forced to flee to Breda, only being able to return to Gingelom in 1792.

After the French annexation of Liège, Surlet de Chokier became a devoted follower of the French revolution and of Napoleon. In 1800, Surlet de Chokier was elected mayor of Gingelom and member of the départemental council of Meuse-Inférieure. In 1812 he became a member of the French parliament.

After the fall of Napoleon, Surlet de Chokier entered the House of Representatives of the Staten-Generaal as leader of the Southern opposition, where his opposition to the government gave him the nickname Surlet de Choquant. Although ennobled a baron by the king in 1816, his opposition had aggravated King William I so much that the monarch personally made sure that Surlet de Chokier was not reelected in 1828.