Vilain Xiiii

Viscount Jean Jacques Philippe Vilain XIIII was an 18th-century Flemish politician. He served as mayor of Aalst and Ghent and as chairman of the States of Flanders. Although he mainly operated at the level of regional and local politics, he was, according to his biographer Piet Lenders, "one of the most important politicians of the mid-eighteenth century. He pushed for a new economic policy and a reform of public finances. In addition, Vilain XIIII was at the basis of a new prison system.