The name Persijn or Persyn originates from what is said to be one of the oldest and noblest families from Kennemerland. [1] [2] In the 13th century, a branch of the Persijn family concerns the lords of Waterland and Amsterdam. They resided in the lost castle of Huis te Velsen north of Haarlem. Its oldest known ancestor was Dirk Persyn, who was given the title of courtier of the Count of Holland in 1162. [3]
The tradition says the first Persijn is said to have returned from Greece in 990, together with Lutgardis of Luxemburg, the wife of Arnulf, Count of Holland. [2]
In his Chronographia, the chronicler Sir Jan Beke tells the story of the siege of Haarlem by the Kennemers in 1274.
He writes: "Johannes vero de Passijn [corrected in the margin to Johannes de Persyn] inclitus oppidum interea clam exiens vehicula kenemarorum cibarijs onustam comprehendit et exinde plurimas villas hostium capitalium inflammavit".
Which can be translated into: "In the meantime, the famous knight Jan Persijn secretly went out of the city, captured Kennemer vehicles loaded with provisions and after that set several enemy villages on fire". [4]
This led the besiegers to leave the siege and return to their homes. They were chased and defeated by the Haarlemmers.
This victory led Jan Persijn to be praised by his people and as a token of thanks, Jan Persijn was given the title of Lord of Waterland and Marken from the bishop Jan van Nassau.
He promptly attempted to build a stronghold, the Swanensborch in the city of Monnickendam, in order to generate income from maritime trade.
In 1275, however, the local inhabitants rebelled and soon the Lord Persijn had to destroy its castle.
As a consequence it seems the lord Persijn lost interest in Waterland and sold half of his title to Floris V, Count of Holland, while he gave the other half to his son Nicholaas van Persijn.
He died soon after, on 26 of December 1283.
The Persijn Family Coat of Arms is made of six horizontal bars, alternating blue and yellow. On the three yellow (originally gold-colored) bars are respectively 4, 3 and 2, red-colored Saint Andrew's crosses.
The Flag of Amsterdam is said to originate from this coat of arms. [5]
Haarlem is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe; it is also part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area, being located about 15 km to the west of the core city of Amsterdam. Haarlem had a population of 161,265 in 2019.
Geertgen tot Sint Jans, also known as Geertgen van Haarlem, Gerrit van Haarlem, Gerrit Gerritsz, Gheertgen, Geerrit, Gheerrit, or any other diminutive form of Gerald, was an Early Netherlandish painter from the northern Low Countries in the Holy Roman Empire. No contemporary documentation of his life has been traced, and the earliest published account of his life and work is from 1604, in Karel van Mander's Schilder-boeck.
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Kennemerland is a coastal region in the northwestern Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It includes the sand dunes north of the North Sea Canal, as well as the dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park.
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The coat of arms of Amsterdam is the official coat of arms symbol of the city of Amsterdam. It consists of a red shield and a black pale with three silver Saint Andrew's Crosses, the Imperial Crown of Austria, two golden lions, and the motto of Amsterdam. Several heraldic elements have their basis in the history of Amsterdam. The crosses and the crown can be found as decorations on different locations in the city.
The flag of Amsterdam is the official flag for Amsterdam, the largest city of the Netherlands. The current design of the flag depicts three Saint Andrew's Crosses and is based on the escutcheon in the coat of arms of Amsterdam.
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The van Amstel family was an influential dynasty in the medieval Netherlands from the twelfth until the fourteenth century. The family developed the Amstelland and held the stewardship in the ecclesiastical districts in the northwest of the Nedersticht of Utrecht, first in the name of the bishop of Utrecht and later the count of Holland.
The Lords of Van Brederode were a noble family from Holland who played an important role during the Middle Ages and the Early modern period. The family had a high noble rank and hold the titles Count of Brederode, Count of Gennep, and furthermore they ruled the souverain Lordship of Vianen, the Viscountship of Utrecht among other feudal titles.
De Graeff is an old Dutch patrician and noble family,
Dirck Jansz Graeff, also Diederik Jansz Graeff, Lord of the manor Vredenhof, first illustrious member of the De Graeff family, was a rich merchant, ship-owner and politician. Graeff was also the founder of a regent dynasty of the Dutch Golden Age and the short time of the First Stadtholderless Period that retained power and influence for centuries and produced a number of ministers. He was the first Mayor of Amsterdam from the De Graeff family.
Brederode Castle, also called the Ruins of Brederode, is located near Santpoort-Zuid. The castle was founded in the second half of the 13th century by William I van Brederode (1215–1285). William was a descendant of the lords van Teylingen, who were related to the counts of Holland. The castle formed part of the high lordship Brederode, which had been given in loan in the 13th century to the lords of Brederode by the count of Holland.
The St. Elisabeth Gasthuis (EG) is a former hospital complex of buildings founded in 1581 in Haarlem on the Gasthuisvest. The last location of the hospital on the Boerhaavelaan retains its hospital function and is part of the Spaarne Gasthuis (SG) today, formerly known as Kennemer Gasthuis (KG). The hospital complex on the Gasthuisvest was built for the "Minnebroers" monastery and was reclaimed after the Protestant reformation in 1581 and given by the city council to the hospital. As a hospital during four centuries, the complex underwent many major renovations. The main facade dates from 1871.
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Slot Assumburg is a castle in the east of Heemskerk in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands.
Johannes de Beke was a 14th-century Dutch priest and historian. He was probably a monk of Egmond Abbey. In 1346, he wrote a Latin Chronographia of the County of Holland and Bishopric of Utrecht from the time of the Roman Empire down to his time. He dedicated it to Bishop Jan van Arkel and Count William I. His stated aim was to preserve the peace between counts and bishops by demonstrating the common origin and shared history of their territories.
The Battle of Veere was a small naval battle that took place in late May 1351 during the Hook and Cod wars.
The De Grebber are considered to be one of the oldest noble families in Waterland and the city of Amsterdam.
The Kennemer Uprising was a rebellion of farmers in the County of Holland and Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht in the Holy Roman Empire, that took place between 1272 and 1274. The commoners or huislieden from the Kennemerland, a bailiwick within the County of Holland, rose up against their bailiff and the other nobles. The movement spread to the nearby West Friesland, Waterland and Amstelland. The lord of Amstelland, Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel decided to join the insurrenction and became the leader of the Kennemers. Later Utrecht, Amersfoort and Eemland also joined. Eventually, the Kennemers were defeated.
