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 more populated metropolitan areas in Europe; it is also part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. Haarlem had a population of 162,543 in 2021.
The Tuyll family is a Dutch noble family, with familial and historical links to England, whose full name is Van Tuyll van Serooskerken. Several knights, members of various courts, literary figures, generals, ambassadors, statesmen and explorers carried the family name.
Berkenrode, or Berckenroode is a former 'Heerlijkheid' in the Dutch province of North Holland, situated on the southwest side of Haarlem on the leidsevaart, north of Iepenrode and west of Heemstede. The original castle Berkenrode in the center of the moat was burned by the Spanish during the siege of Haarlem in 1572. The castle was rebuilt and despite suffering another fire in 1747 the settlement continued to function as a separate municipality with its own chapel up to 1857, when the town was annexed by Heemstede. The town archives are now kept at the North Holland Archives in Haarlem.
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.
Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel or Gijsbrecht IV van Amstel was a powerful lord in the medieval County of Holland and a member of the Van Aemstel family. His territory was Amstelland, and his son was Jan I of Amstel.
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.
De Graeff is an old Dutch patrician and noble family,
Pieter de Graeff was a Dutch aristocrat of the Dutch Golden Age and one of the most influential pro-state, republican Amsterdam Regents during the late 1660s and the early 1670s before the Rampjaar 1672. As president-bewindhebber of the Dutch East India Company, he was one of the most important representatives and leaders of the same after the Rampjaar.
Egmond Abbey or St. Adalbert's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Annunciation, situated in Egmond-Binnen, in the municipality of Bergen, in the Dutch province of North Holland. Founded in 920-925, and destroyed during the Reformation, it was re-founded in 1935 as the present Sint-Adelbertabdij, in the Diocese of Haarlem.
Cornelis de Graeff was a member of the family De Graeff, a prominent regent family from the Dutch Golden Age. He hold the title 20th Free Lord of Purmerland and Ilpendam.
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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.
Kees Verwey was a Dutch painter who was productive well into old age.
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 Diocese 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.
Floris I van Haamstede was Lord of Haamstede Castle on Schouwen, and of several other areas in Zeeland, Netherlands.
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.
The Battle of Heiloo was a battle during the Friso-Hollandic Wars and the culmination of Count Floris V's first military expedition to West Frisia in 1272. The battle is described in Melis Stoke's Rijmkroniek van Holland and the chronicle of Johannes de Beke. Although the battle was won by Floris' forces, his goal of conquering West Frisia had not been achieved, and the count retreated shortly after.
The siege of Vredelant took place from late 1279 to 1280 and was fought between Floris V of Holland and Bishop-Elect John I of Nassau on one side and the rebellious Van Amstel family on the other side. The castle of Vredelant was taken within weeks when Gijsbrecht IV van Amstel was captured by the count's soldiers.
