Jacob Dircksz de Graeff, free lord of Zuid-Polsbroek (Emden 1571 – Amsterdam, 6 October 1638) was an illustrious member of the Dutch patrician De Graeff family. He belonged to States Faction and was an influential Amsterdam regent and burgomaster (mayor) of the Dutch Golden Age.
De Graeff was known for his "free-thinking", "republican" attitude but also for his "fame-seeking".Pieter C. Vies: (PDF; 2,7 MB) Together with his nephew Andries Bicker, he campaigned for the recognition of the Remonstrants in Amsterdam. After the political collapse of Reynier Pauw in 1627, the management of the city government fell into the hands of the "Arminian clique" around De Graeff and Bicker,Eelco Beukers: Geschiedenis van Holland, book 2, chapter 2, p 44 (Google Books).Biography Andries Bicker at the dutch DBNL who contollef the city's politics in close cooperation to each other.Google: De Republiek: 1477-1806, by J.I. IsraelGoogle: Geschiedenis van Holland, Part 2, book 2, from Eelco Beukers This also gave new impetus to the republican "states party", which had been weakened since the murder of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, and was able to determine Amsterdam politics up to the crisis of the Rampjaar in 1672. Jonathan I. Israel: The Dutch Republic – Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall – 1477–1806. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1995, ISBN 0-19-873072-1, S. 494. However, De Graeff was not a principled anti-orangist, because he honored the legacy of his father, Dirck Jansz Graeff, who was on friendly terms with William "the Silent" of Orange. His sons were influenced by their father's antagonistic attitude towards political issues. The proponents of the De Graeff family has shown they had an eye for national politics and tried to find some balance between the House of Orange and the Republicans. They were against too much influence of the church on political issues.
In addition to his political activities, De Graeff also conducted scientific experiments and research and ran a chemical laboratory. He maintained a close collaboration with Constantijn Huygens and via him also with René Descartes.
Biography Political background During the Dutch Golden Age, the De Graeff and Bicker families were very critical of the Orange family's influence in the Netherlands. Together with the Republican-minded brothers and their cousins Andries, Cornelis and Jan Bicker, the family De Graeff strived for the abolition of stadtholdership. 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. Jacob de Graeffs two sons Cornelis and Andries de Graeff became the strongest Dutch regents during the First Stadtholderless Period.Pieter C. Vies Andries de Graeff (1611-1678) `t Gezagh is heerelyk: doch vol bekommeringen
Family
Jacob Dircksz de Graeff was born in Emden,Biography of Jacob Dircksz de Graeff at Nieuw Nederlandsch biografisch woordenboek. Deel 2 (1912), by P.J. Blok and P.C. Molhuysen Lower Saxony, the Exile of his parents Dirck Jansz Graeff and Agnies Pietresdr van Neck. He grew up in Emden and later in Amsterdam, at the house De Keyser in the Niezel, a small street not far from the Oude Kerk. In 1597 he married Aaltje Boelens Loen (27 February 1579 at Emden; † 29 August 1630 at Amsterdam), daughter of the politician Cornelis Andriesz Boelens Loen, descendant of Andries Boelens (1455–1519), a famous regent of Amsterdam. The couple had six children reaching adulthood:Croockewit: Genealogie van het geslacht de Graeff (1898), Sp. 132 ff.Joost van den Vondels: Op Den Edelen En Gestrengen Heer Jakob de Graeff. (Google Books). Cornelis de Graeff (1599–1664), regent and burgomaster of Amsterdam, Dutch statesman Dirk de Graeff (1601–1637), Vroedschap and Schepen of Amsterdam Agneta de Graeff van Polsbroek (1603–1656), married her full cousin Jan Bicker; her daughter Wendela Bicker married Johan de Witt, while her daughter Jacoba Bicker married her full cousin Pieter de Graeff Wendela de Graeff (1607–1652), married to Willem Schrijver (son of the important philologist Petrus Scriverius), painted by Rembrandt for his painting Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph Christina de Graeff (1609–1679), lady of Engelenburg (heiress to her uncle Pieter Dircksz Graeff) married in 1642 with her full cousin Jacob Bicker and in 1648 to Pieter Trip Andries de Graeff (1611–1678), regent and burgomaster of Amsterdam, Dutch statesman
Feudality
On September 18, 1610, Jacob Dircksz de Graeff acquired the High Lordship of Zuid-Polsbroek from Charles of Aremberg,Croockewit: Genealogie van het geslacht de Graeff, p 132, and Elias: De vroedschap van Amsterdam (1963), p 266 which was freely inheritable and sellable as an allod.J. L. van der Gouw: Korte geschiedenis van de grenzen van de provincie Zuid-Holland (1963), Kap. III: De definitieve vorm van het graafschap (1300–1795) Their acquisition increased the reputation and contributed to the aristocratization of the family, in which De Graeff and his heirs could be addressed as Vrijheer(en) van Zuid-Polsbroek ever since. De Graeff was also from 1604 Ambachtsheer (Lord of the manor) of Sloten, Sloterdijk, Nieuwer-Amstel, Osdorp and Amstelveen,Jacob Dircksz de Graeff at Historische Geslachtswapens but not the owner of these glories. Rather, the city of Amsterdam bought them in 1529 from Reinoud III van Brederode,Nierop: The nobility of Holland (1993), p 155. and then gave it in fief to one of their council members. He was also chieflandholder of the Zijpe- en Hazepolder, Watergraafs- and Wiemermeer. He also had the tithe in fief at Rietveld, Poldertienden (Oliviersblok), Groot-Rietveld, Klein-Rietveld, Tournooisveld, Oudeland and Bredeveld (Bredeveld).
Coat of arms
Jacob Dircksz de Graeff's coat of arms of origin was possibly still divided (and not quartered) and showed the following symbols: field 1 the silver shovel on a red background of their paternal ancestors, the Herren von Graben field 2 it shows a silver falcon on a blue background. The origin of the falcon lies in the possession of the Valckeveen estate (later the Valckenburg estate) in Gooiland helmet covers in red and silver helm adornment shows an upright silver spade with ostrich feathers (Herren von Graben)
The personal coat of arms of Jacob Dircksz de Graeff (since 1610?) is quartered with a heart shield and shows the following symbols: heart shield shows the three silver rhombuses on red (originally from the family Van Woerdern van Vliet) of the High Lordship Zuid-Polsbroek field 1 (left above) shows the silver shovel on red of their paternal ancestors, the Herren von Graben field 2 (right above) shows a silver falcon on a blue background. The origin of the falcon lies in the possession of the Valckeveen estate (later the Valckenburg estate) in Gooiland field 3 (left below), same as field 2 field 4 (right below), same as field 1 helmet covers in red and silver helm adornment shows an upright silver spade with ostrich feathers (Herren von Graben) motto: MORS SCEPTRA LIGONIBUS AEQUAT (DEATH MAKES SEPTRES AND HOES EQUAL)
Career First political period After the death of De Graeff's father in 1589, his father's friend Cornelis Andriesz Boelens Loen - whose daughter Aaltje he later married - acted as his provider.A.J. van der Aa Jacob de Graeff in: Biographisch woordenboek der Nederlanden. Deel 7 Jacob Dircksz de Graeff studied Classical language at Leiden University. During his student days he lived in the house of professor Rudolf Snellius. In 1591 he undertook a grand tour of France, Italy and Germany with his friend Justus Lipsius and then lived in Geneva for three years in the house of the Calvinist preacher Giovanni Diodati. In 1597 De Graeff returned to Amsterdam and in the following year he became Schepen (alderman) and from 1603 a member of the Vroedschap. The following year he became ambachtsheer of Amstelveen, Nieuwer-Amstel, Sloten, Sloterdijk and Osdorp on behalf of the city of Amsterdam. After his death, his son Cornelis de Graeff received this fiefdoms. As early as 1610, De Graeff brought the Protestant preacher Johannes Cornelisz Sylvius to Amsterdam. In 1611 he was also elected one of the four burgomasters (mayor) of Amsterdam for the first time. That year he was also present at the meeting of Prince Maurits of Oranje and Frederick Hendrik of Oranje in the Beemster area newly retaken from the Spanish. In 1612 he became a colonel in the Amsterdam Civil Guard. When the Remonstrant Simon Episcopius was summoned before the mayors in 1613, De Graeff was one of his most ardent opponents, although he later maintained an intimate relationship with him and the Remonstrants. He was friends with burgomaster Cornelis Hooft, and competed with him on a committee on the city of Amsterdam's expansion plans against "self-seeking" land speculators Frans Hendricksz Oetgens van Waveren and Bartholt Cromhout. De Graeff himself owned much land within the city and ensured that his land was conveniently located for the new roads and canals in the new Jordaan area.Eeghen, I.H. van (1969) De Restauratie van het voormalige Anslohofje, p. 200. In: Maandblad Genootschap Amstelodamum. At this time, a powerful Calvinist faction under Reynier Pauw crystallized in the Vroedschap, to which De Graeff and his ally Hooft kept their distance, and thus diminished their own influence.
During his councillorship in the States of Holland and West Friesland (1615–1617) De Graeff get sympathy with Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. There he became acquainted with the preacher Johannes Uytenbogaert and adopted the thesis of the Remonstrants as his own. This attitude brought him politically to the side of the state advocate Van Oldenbarnevelt and Hugo Grotius, whose socio-political position he prolonged as the local representative of Amsterdam. The city was one of the Holland cities whose regents were partisans of the Remonstrants and had agitated for the Sharp Resolution of 1617 which authorized city governments to raise private armies, called waardgelders. The Counter-Remonstrants (enemies of the Remonstrants) opposed this, and the stadtholder, Maurice of Nassau viewed this policy as a challenge to his authority as commander-in-chief of the States Army. On 23 August 1618, by order of the States-General and forced by François van Aerssen, Oldenbarnevelt and his chief supporters such as Grotius, Gilles van Ledenberg, Rombout Hogerbeets were arrested. De Graeff was therefore expelled from the government after Oldenbarnevelt's disempowerment and his subsequent beheading in 1618, on the initiative of the stadholder Maurits of Orange and the Amsterdam regent Reynier Pauw. His place had been taken by Pauw's protegee, Albert Burgh. De Graeff lost his political position in the government for some years.
Natural sciences