Rudy de Mérode
Rudy de Mérode, real name Frédéric Martin (1905, Silly-sur-Nied, Moselle - ?, probably in Spain) was a French collaborator during the German occupation of France in the Second World War.
Life
Originating in Luxemburg, his family emigrated to France and were naturalised as French citizens in the 1920s. He studied engineering in Strasbourg and then in Germany, where he was recruited by the Abwehr in 1928. In 1934 he participated in building works on the Maginot Line and passed on the plans (to which he had access) to the German intelligence services. Unmasked as a spy in 1935, he was condemned in 1936 to 10 years in jail (which he served at the prison de Clairvaux) and 20 years' exile from France.
During the debacle of the Battle of France, hundreds of thousands of prisoners roamed the roads of France. On 14 June, at Bar-sur-Aube, a group of prisoners was evacuated from the central prison at Claivaux, including Rudy de Mérode and other spies, who all took advantage of the anarchy to escape and request help from the Germans.
House of Merode
The Princely House of Merode is one of the most important families of the Belgian nobility.
The surname of the family and the name of the house is nowadays mostly written de Merode (in French). The name is also spelled van Merode in Dutch and von Merode in German.
The House of Merode played an important role in the history of the Southern Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium.
The Coat of Arms of the House of Merode is blazoned as: "Or, four pales gules, a border engrailed azure". The motto of the house is "Plus d'honneur que d'honneurs" in French and "Meer eer dan eerbetoon" in Dutch.
Origin
The family stems from the village of Merode in Germany. Merode is located in the vicinity of the city of Düren, which lies between Aachen and Köln and was part of the Duchy of Julich. Today, it is part of the municipality of Langerwehe in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. A branch of the Merode family still owns the castle (Schloss Merode) from which their name derives.
Originally, the Merode family had the rank of Freiherr of the Holy Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages, the family had possessions and influence in Köln and in the Rhineland and belonged to the reichsunmittelbar aristocracy. They supported the monastery of Schwarzenbroich, which was also the burial place for the deceased members of the family.
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