Pieter de Graeff
Encyclopedia
Pieter de Graeff was a member of the De Graeff
-family from the Dutch Golden Age
. He was an Amsterdam Regent
during the late 1660s and the early 1670s, and held the titles as Lord of the semi-sovereign Fief Zuid-Polsbroek
and 19.th Lord of the Free and high Fief Ilpendam and Purmerland
. Pieter de Graeff was a member of a family of regents who belonged to the republican
political movement also referred to as the ‘state oriented’, as opposed to the Royalist
s.
and Catharina Hooft
, and the older brother of Jacob de Graeff
.
Both, Pieters father Cornelis and his uncle Andries de Graeff
, were very critical of the Orange family’s influence. Together with the Republican political leader Grand Pensionary
Johan de Witt
, the De Graeff-family strived for the abolition of stadtholder
ship. They desired the full sovereignty of the individual regions in a form in which the Republic of the United Seven Netherlands
was not ruled by a single person. Instead of a sovereign (or stadtholder) the political and military power was lodged with the States General and with the regents of the cities in Holland.
During the two decades the De Graeff family had a leading role in the Amsterdam administration, the city was at the peak of its political power. This period was also referred to by Republicans as the ‘Ware Vrijheid’ (True Freedom). It was the First Stadtholderless Period
which lasted from 1650 to 1672. During these twenty years, the regents from Holland and in particular those of Amsterdam, controlled the republic. The city was flush with self confidence and liked to compare itself to the famous Republic of Rome. Even without a stadtholder, things seemed to be going well for the Republic and its regents both politically and economically.
and his eldest son Joan
on a diplomatic mission to the Prince-elector
Frederick William of Brandenburg, to look for support against the war with Sweden
.
During the summers the family spent a lot of their time at the Palace Soestdijk, and the brothers De Graeff played with the young William III of Orange
- who later became King of England, Scotland and Ireland
and stadtholder
of the United Provinces of the Netherlands - at the lake and woods at Soestdijk.
After Pieter did a Grand Tour
through France
and England
, he married his niece Jacoba Bicker, like himself a cousin of the brothers Cornelis
and Johan de Witt
. Joost van den Vondel
wrote a poem to Pieter and Jacoba's marriage at De Graeff's castle Ilpenstein
.
of the City of Amsterdam. In 1664, after the death of his father Cornelis, he became an chief administrator of the VOC. During the 1660s De Graeff became one of the guardians
from William III of Orange.
De Graeff was also an advisor and a close friend to Johan De Witt, and after De Witts death in the rampjaar 1672
he became the guardian over his five children. After the death of the brothers De Witt and the raise of the House of Orange and Gillis Valckenier
, Pieter, his uncle Andries de Graeff
and his nephew Lambert Reynst lost their political positions.
, Jan Lievens
, Karel Dujardin
, Caspar Netscher
and the poet
Joost van den Vondel
. Prof. C.W. Fock of the University of Leiden describes in her work - Het stempel van de bewoner - Pieter de Graeffs art-collection and lifestyle. He stand also in close correspondence to Johan de Witt, Jacob Boreel
, Van den Vondel, the painter
Jan Lievens
and the mathematician
, astronomer
and physicist
Christiaan Huygens.
From Pieter de Graeff diaries have been preserved. He made several notes on negotiations and payments from his possessions. He encountered some problems with the famous graphical artist Romeyn de Hooghe
, who was going to draw an artistic map of De Graeffs estate Valkenburg. Besides he had some maps coloured by the artist David Reerigh, who also coloured several maps of the Hoogheemraadschap of Rijnland of 1687.
De Graeff also filled forty almanacs, or some 1600 pages, between 1664 and 1706.
Pieter de Graeff died at 3 June 1707; his tomb chapel is to be found in the Oude Kerk at Amsterdam.
De Graeff
De Graeff is an old Dutch patrician family. The family have played an important role during the Dutch Golden Age. They were at the centre of Amsterdam public life and oligarchy from 1578 until 1672...
-family from the Dutch Golden Age
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
. He was an Amsterdam Regent
Regenten
In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the regenten were the rulers of the Dutch Republic, the leaders of the Dutch cities or the heads of organisations . Though not formally a hereditary "class", they were de facto "patricians", comparable to that ancient Roman class...
during the late 1660s and the early 1670s, and held the titles as Lord of the semi-sovereign Fief Zuid-Polsbroek
Free and high fief of Zuid-Polsbroek
The Free and high Fief of Zuid-Polsbroek was a semi-sovereign or 'free and high' fief, now part of Polsbroek in the Dutch province of Utrecht.- History of the semisouverain fief :...
and 19.th Lord of the Free and high Fief Ilpendam and Purmerland
Fief of Purmerend, Purmerland and Ilpendam
The Free and high Fief of Purmerend, Purmerland and Ilpendam was a type of local jurisdiction with many rights.- History of the free and high fief :...
. Pieter de Graeff was a member of a family of regents who belonged to the republican
Republicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
political movement also referred to as the ‘state oriented’, as opposed to the Royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
s.
Family De Graeff
Pieter was the son of Cornelis de GraeffCornelis de Graeff
Cornelis de Graeff, also Cornelis de Graeff van Polsbroek was the most illustrious member of the De Graeff family. He was a mayor of Amsterdam from the Dutch Golden Age and a powerful Amsterdam regent after the sudden death of stadholder William II of Orange...
and Catharina Hooft
Catharina Hooft
Catharina Pietersdr. Hooft was a woman of the Dutch Golden Age. She became famous at a very early age, when she was painted by Frans Hals. At the age of sixteen she married Cornelis de Graeff, nineteen years her senior and the most powerful regent and mayor of Amsterdam...
, and the older brother of Jacob de Graeff
Jacob de Graeff
Jacob de Graeff , was a member of the De Graeff-family from the Dutch Golden Age. He was an Amsterdam Regent and held the titles as 20.th Lord of the Free and high Fief Ilpendam and Purmerland...
.
Both, Pieters father Cornelis and his uncle Andries de Graeff
Andries de Graeff
Free Imperial Knight Andries de Graeff was a very powerful member of the Amsterdam branch of the De Graeff - family during the Dutch Golden Age. He became a mayor of Amsterdam and a powerful Amsterdam regent after the death of his older brother Cornelis de Graeff...
, were very critical of the Orange family’s influence. Together with the Republican political leader Grand Pensionary
Grand Pensionary
The Grand Pensionary was the most important Dutch official during the time of the United Provinces. In theory he was only a civil servant of the Estates of the dominant province among the Seven United Provinces: the county of Holland...
Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt, heer van Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp and IJsselveere was a key figure in Dutch politics in the mid 17th century, when its flourishing sea trade in a period of globalization made the United Provinces a leading European power during the Dutch Golden Age...
, the De Graeff-family strived for the abolition of stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
ship. They desired the full sovereignty of the individual regions in a form in which the Republic of the United Seven Netherlands
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
was not ruled by a single person. Instead of a sovereign (or stadtholder) the political and military power was lodged with the States General and with the regents of the cities in Holland.
During the two decades the De Graeff family had a leading role in the Amsterdam administration, the city was at the peak of its political power. This period was also referred to by Republicans as the ‘Ware Vrijheid’ (True Freedom). It was the First Stadtholderless Period
First Stadtholderless Period
The First Stadtholderless Period or Era is the period in the history of the Dutch Republic in which the office of a Stadtholder was absent in five of the seven Dutch provinces...
which lasted from 1650 to 1672. During these twenty years, the regents from Holland and in particular those of Amsterdam, controlled the republic. The city was flush with self confidence and liked to compare itself to the famous Republic of Rome. Even without a stadtholder, things seemed to be going well for the Republic and its regents both politically and economically.
Early years
In 1655 Pieter went together with Joan Huydecoper IJoan Huydecoper I
Joan Huydecoper van Maarsseveen took over the family tannery business and the trade in pelts and armaments. The name Huydecoper means literally 'buyer of pelts'. Huydecoper had a prosperous political career: first he was elected to the vroedschap of Amsterdam...
and his eldest son Joan
Joan Huydecoper II
Joan Huydecoper van Maarsseveen II was the eldest son of burgomaster Joan Huydecoper van Maarsseveen I and the brother-in-law of the collector Jan J. Hinlopen and the sheriff Jacob Boreel. He was mayor of Amsterdam for 13 terms between 1673 and 1693...
on a diplomatic mission to the Prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
Frederick William of Brandenburg, to look for support against the war with Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
During the summers the family spent a lot of their time at the Palace Soestdijk, and the brothers De Graeff played with the young William III of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
- who later became King of England, Scotland and Ireland
King of Ireland
A monarchical polity has existed in Ireland during three periods of its history, finally ending in 1801. The designation King of Ireland and Queen of Ireland was used during these periods...
and stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
of the United Provinces of the Netherlands - at the lake and woods at Soestdijk.
After Pieter did a Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
through France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he married his niece Jacoba Bicker, like himself a cousin of the brothers Cornelis
Cornelis de Witt
Cornelis de Witt was a Dutch politician.-Biography:Cornelis de Witt was a member of the old Dutch patrician family De Witt. He was born on 15 June 1623 in Dordrecht, Holland, Dutch Republic...
and Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt, heer van Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp and IJsselveere was a key figure in Dutch politics in the mid 17th century, when its flourishing sea trade in a period of globalization made the United Provinces a leading European power during the Dutch Golden Age...
. Joost van den Vondel
Joost van den Vondel
Joost van den Vondel was a Dutch writer and playwright. He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century. His plays are the ones from that period that are still most frequently performed, and his epic Joannes de Boetgezant , on the life of John the Baptist, has...
wrote a poem to Pieter and Jacoba's marriage at De Graeff's castle Ilpenstein
Ilpenstein
Ilpenstein was the name of a ruined castle of the Free and high Lordship of Purmerend, Purmerland and Ilpendam, located in Ilpendam in the north of the city of Amsterdam.-History:...
.
Carriere
In the year 1662 Pieter de Graeff became a member of the vroedschapVroedschap
The vroedschap was the name for the city council in the early modern Netherlands; the member of such a council was called a vroedman, literally a "wise man"...
of the City of Amsterdam. In 1664, after the death of his father Cornelis, he became an chief administrator of the VOC. During the 1660s De Graeff became one of the guardians
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
from William III of Orange.
De Graeff was also an advisor and a close friend to Johan De Witt, and after De Witts death in the rampjaar 1672
Rampjaar
The rampjaar was the year 1672 in Dutch history. In that year,the Republic of the Seven United Provinces was after the outbreak of the Franco-Dutch War and the Third Anglo-Dutch War attacked by England, France, and the prince-electors Bernhard von Galen, bishop of Münster and Maximilian Henry of...
he became the guardian over his five children. After the death of the brothers De Witt and the raise of the House of Orange and Gillis Valckenier
Gillis Valckenier
Gillis Valckenier was nine years burgomaster of Amsterdam: in 1665, 1666, 1668, 1670, 1673, 1674, 1676, 1678, 1679. He was a strong personality, but changing allies as a real opportunist....
, Pieter, his uncle Andries de Graeff
Andries de Graeff
Free Imperial Knight Andries de Graeff was a very powerful member of the Amsterdam branch of the De Graeff - family during the Dutch Golden Age. He became a mayor of Amsterdam and a powerful Amsterdam regent after the death of his older brother Cornelis de Graeff...
and his nephew Lambert Reynst lost their political positions.
Art and Lifestyle
Like his father Cornelis, Pieter de Graeff was also a man who surrounded himself with art and beauty. He was an art collector and patron to the artists Gerard Ter BorchGerard ter Borch
Gerard ter Borch was a Dutch genre painter, who lived in the Dutch Golden Age.-Biography:Gerard ter Borch was born in December 1617 in Zwolle in the province of Overijssel in the Dutch Republic....
, Jan Lievens
Jan Lievens
Jan Lievens was a Dutch painter, usually associated with Rembrandt, working in a similar style.-Biography:According to Arnold Houbraken, Jan was the son of Lieven Hendriksze, a tapestry worker , and was trained by Joris Verschoten. He was sent to Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam at about the age of 10...
, Karel Dujardin
Karel Dujardin
Karel Dujardin was a Dutch painter.-Biography:Karel Dujardin was a Dutch painter and etcher, born in Amsterdam in 1622. Although active as a portrait and history painter, he is best known for his Italianate landscapes. Typical of his landscape paintings is Farm Animals in the Shade of a Tree...
, Caspar Netscher
Caspar Netscher
Caspar Netscher was a Dutch portrait and genre painter. He was a master in depicting oriental rugs, silk and brocade and introduced an international style to the Northern Netherlands.-Life:...
and the poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Joost van den Vondel
Joost van den Vondel
Joost van den Vondel was a Dutch writer and playwright. He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century. His plays are the ones from that period that are still most frequently performed, and his epic Joannes de Boetgezant , on the life of John the Baptist, has...
. Prof. C.W. Fock of the University of Leiden describes in her work - Het stempel van de bewoner - Pieter de Graeffs art-collection and lifestyle. He stand also in close correspondence to Johan de Witt, Jacob Boreel
Jacob Boreel
Jacob Boreel was an ambassador in France, sheriff and burgomaster of Amsterdam in 1696. Between 1664 / 65 he travelled through Russia with his friend Nicolaes Witsen. In 1679 he became the ambassador in Paris...
, Van den Vondel, the painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
Jan Lievens
Jan Lievens
Jan Lievens was a Dutch painter, usually associated with Rembrandt, working in a similar style.-Biography:According to Arnold Houbraken, Jan was the son of Lieven Hendriksze, a tapestry worker , and was trained by Joris Verschoten. He was sent to Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam at about the age of 10...
and the mathematician
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and physicist
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
Christiaan Huygens.
From Pieter de Graeff diaries have been preserved. He made several notes on negotiations and payments from his possessions. He encountered some problems with the famous graphical artist Romeyn de Hooghe
Romeyn de Hooghe
Romeyn de Hooghe was an important and prolific late Dutch Baroque, painter, sculptor, engraver and caricaturist.-Biography:...
, who was going to draw an artistic map of De Graeffs estate Valkenburg. Besides he had some maps coloured by the artist David Reerigh, who also coloured several maps of the Hoogheemraadschap of Rijnland of 1687.
De Graeff also filled forty almanacs, or some 1600 pages, between 1664 and 1706.
Pieter de Graeff died at 3 June 1707; his tomb chapel is to be found in the Oude Kerk at Amsterdam.
Literature
- Zandvliet, Kees (2006) De 250 rijksten van de Gouden Eeuw: kapitaal, macht, familie en levensstijl blz. 93 t/m 94, uitg. Nieuw Amsterdam, Amsterdam, ISBN 90-8689-006-7
- Burke, P. (1994) Venice and Amsterdam. A study of seventeenth-century élites.
- Graeff, P. De (P. de Graeff Gerritsz en Dirk de Graeff van PolsbroekDirk de Graeff van PolsbroekDirk de Graeff van Polsbroek was a successful Dutch diplomat in Japan. From July 1863, he held the post of Consul General and Political Agent in Japan. He played a major part in the many negotiations between various Western countries and Japan...
) Genealogie van de familie De Graeff van Polsbroek Amsterdam 1882, Antiquariaat A.G. van der Steur - Bruijn, J. H. De Genealogie van het geslacht De Graeff van Polsbroek 1529/1827 Antiquariaat A.G. van der Steur
- Moelker, H.P. De heerlijkheid Purmerland en Ilpendam (1978 Purmerend)
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