The Admiralty of Rotterdam, also called the Admiralty of de Maze, was one of the five

Dutch admiralties The Dutch Republic had five admiralties: # Admiralty of Amsterdam (1586–1795) # Admiralty of Friesland (1596–1795) # Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier (1589–1795) # Admiralty of Rotterdam (1574–1795) # Admiralty of Zeeland (1584–1795) ...

in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

History

The Admiralty of Rotterdam was founded in 1574 during the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) (Historiography of the Eighty Years' War#Name and periodisation, c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and t ...

, when (after the

Capture of Brielle The Capture of Brielle by the ''Geuzen, Watergeuzen'', on 1 April 1572 marked a turning point in the uprising of the Seventeen Provinces, Low Countries against Spain in the Eighty Years' War. Militarily the success was minor as the port of Briell ...

)

William I of Orange William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Rev ...

's supporters decided to pool their naval resources at

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

. After a number of reorganisations seeking to foster cooperation between the admiralties, the structure of the five admiralties was determined and defined in a 1597 decision of the

States-General of the Netherlands The States General of the Netherlands ( nl, Staten-Generaal ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The States ...

. Each admiralty had branches for equipping warships, protecting overseas trade and traffic on the sea and rivers, collecting taxes, and jurisdiction over loot and prize-setting. This situation remained in place until the admiralties were dissolved in 1795. The Admiralty of Rotterdam or the Admiralty of the Meuse was the oldest of the admiralties. The admiralty was based in the

Prinsenhof The Prinsenhof ("The Court of the Prince") in the city of Delft in the Netherlands is an urban palace built in the Middle Ages as a monastery. Later it served as a residence for William the Silent. William was assassinated in the Prinsenhof by ...

(Rotterdam), the former St Agnes convent at . An ''artilleriehuis'' (arsenal) was built in the convent brewery, and an admiralty prison was built elsewhere in the complex. In 1644 the Prinsenhof was demolished to make way for the construction of Nieuwemarkt, with the admiralty moving to the northwest corner of

Haringvliet The Haringvliet is a large inlet of the North Sea, in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is an important estuary of the Rhine-Meuse delta. Near Numansdorp, the Hollands Diep splits into the Haringvliet and the Volkerak estu ...

. The ''artilleriehuis'' was, however, spared due to its noncentral position on the Prinsenhof site by the end of the Huibrug, but was demolished and rebuilt in 1759, probably using stone from the demolished late 16th-century frontage of the admiralty building. One of these stones shows the admiralty's arms, with the crossed

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...

s and an abbreviation of its motto ''Pugno Pro Patria'' ("I fight for the

fatherland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethn ...

"). The admiralty's new 1644 building, the ''Admiraliteitshof'' (its name recalling that of the Prinsenhof), was an imposing classical building with a facade showing the coat of arms, and a square plan centered on a courtyard. It was demolished in 1884. (The remains of a gate with the coat of arms can be seen in the collection of the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the St ...

in Amsterdam.) From the end of the 16th century, the admiralty also owned the 's-Landswerf shipyard at the northeastern corner of the Nieuwe Haven. It was demolished and rebuilt on the same site in 1660, then extended in 1662 with a second arsenal accessed by a very wide entrance opposite the east gate. In the second half of the 17th century, the Nieuwe Haven was extended to the Buizengat harbor. Because of this extension, the 's-Landswerf shipyard was moved to the south bank of the Buizengat after 1688. In 1701, a part of the complex at the Groenendaal end was destroyed by fire. The rebuilding of the affected wing was commemorated with a foundation stone laid by Diderik Hogendorp. In the 18th century, the second arsenal closed and was modernised by the architect Jan Giudici. G. D. Wijckerheld Bisdom laid its first stone on 8 May 1783. Resulting from all these extensions, a large rectangular building gradually took shape. In 1823, the second arsenal was refurbished for the

marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

. In 1846, the marine corps was disbanded, and in 1868 it returned. After the dissolution of the admiralties in 1795, the complex was known as the Naval Shipyard ''(Marinewerf)''. It closed in 1849, the last building becoming a state-run bonded warehouse in 1855. The admiralty also had a

ropewalk A ropewalk is a long straight narrow lane, or a covered pathway, where long strands of material are laid before being twisted into rope. Due to the length of some ropewalks, workers may use bicycles to get from one end to the other. Many ropew ...

''(lijnbaan)'' with associated buildings at the Lagendijk just outside the Oostpoort. It was used from 1697 to 1847 and was 265 m long by 10 m wide.

Fleet-guardians (''vlootvoogden'')

Well-known fleet-guardians () of the Rotterdam Admiralty include: * Almonde, Philps van: ''luitenant-commandeur'' (1665); ''schout-bij-nacht'' (1673) * Brakel, Jan van: ''viceadmiraal'' (1688) * Callenburgh, Gerard: ''viceadmiraal'' (1692) * Dorp, Phillips van: ''raadslid'' (1642) * Ghent, Willem Joseph: * Kerseboom, Laurens: * Kortenaer, Egbert Bartholomeusz: ''luitenant-commandeur'' (1653); ''viceadmiraal'' (1659); ''luitenant-admiraal'' (1665) * Liefde, Cornelis de: * Liefde, Johan de: ''viceadmiraal'' (1666) * Liefde, Pieter de: * Neck, Jacob van: ''luitenant-admiraal'' (?) * Nes, Aert Jansz van: ''schout-bij-nacht'' (1662); ''viceadmiraal'' (1665); ''luitenant-admiraal'' (1666) * Nes, Cornelis Jansz van: * Nes de jongere, Jan Jacobsz van: * Nes de oudere, Jan Jacobsz van: * Nes, Jan Jansz van: ''schout-bij-nacht'' (1666); ''viceadmiraal'' (1673) * Schepers, Willem Bastiaensz: ''luitenant-admiraal'' (1692) * Tromp, Cornelisz: ''luitenant-admiraal'' (1665) * Tromp, Maarten Harpertsz: ''luitenant-admiraal'' (1637) * Wassenaer Duivenvoorde, Jacob van: ''luitenant-admiraal'' (?) * Wassenaer Obdam, Jacob van: ''luitenant-admiraal'' )1653) * With, Witte de: ''vlaggen-kapitein'' (1622); ''viceadmiraal'' (1626)

Battle of Texel

In the 1673

Battle of Texel The naval Battle of Texel or Battle of Kijkduin took place off the southern coast of island of Texel on 21 August 1673 (11 August Old Style, O.S.) between the Dutch Republic, Dutch and the combined Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Fra ...

, the last big battle of the

Third Anglo-Dutch War The Third Anglo-Dutch War ( nl, Derde Engels-Nederlandse Oorlog), 27 March 1672 to 19 February 1674, was a naval conflict between the Dutch Republic and England, in alliance with France. It is considered a subsidiary of the wider 1672 to 1678 ...

, the Admiralty of Rotterdam provided the following ships and captains: Ships of the line:
'' De Zeven Provinciën'' 80 (vlaggeschip der vloot, lieutenant-admiraal-generaal

Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch admiral. Widely celebrated and regarded as one of the most skilled admirals in history, De Ruyter is arguably most famous for his achievements with the Dutch N ...

, vlaggekapiteins

Gerard Callenburgh Gerard Callenburgh (6 December 1642 – 8 October 1722) was a Dutch admiral. Gerard was born in Willemstad, the son of a wood-trader, but chose to enter the Dutch navy in 1661 as a cadet, serving the Admiralty of the Maze. He was made second lieu ...

Pieter de Liefde Pieter is a male given name, the Dutch form of Peter. The name has been one of the most common names in the Netherlands for centuries, but since the mid-twentieth century its popularity has dropped steadily, from almost 3000 per year in 1947 to ...

)
''Delft'' 62 ( Philips van Almonde)
''Ridderschap'' 64 ( Eland du Bois)
''Voorzichtigheid'' 84 (

Jan van Brakel Jan van Brakel ( – 10 July 1690) was a Dutch rear admiral who distinguished himself on many occasions during the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch wars and the Nine Years War. Early life Almost nothing is known about Van Brakel's early career ...

)
''Gelderland'' 63 (waarnemend schout-bij-nacht

Cornelis de Liefde Cornelis "Kees" Evertsen de Liefde ( – 29 September 1673) was a Dutch naval commander, a role also fulfilled by his younger brother Johan de Liefde Life In 1644, he was a skipper on shipping between Rotterdam and Amsterdam. During the Firs ...

, dodelijk gewond)
''Vrijheid'' 80 (viceadmiraal Jan Evertszoon de Liefde, gesneuveld)
''Eendracht'' 72 (lieutenant-admiraal

Aert Jansse van Nes Aert Jansse van Nes (1626 – 13 or 14 September 1693) was a 17th-century Dutch naval commander, notable for commanding the second squadron in the raid on the Medway in 1667. He was born at Rotterdam. Three modern ships of the Royal Nether ...

)
''Maagd van Dordrecht'' 68 (viceadmiraal

Jan Jansse van Nes Jan Janszoon van Nes (26 April 1631 – ) was a Dutch admiral and brother of naval commander Aert Janszoon van Nes. They both took part in the Raid on the Medway of 1667. He was buried in the Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk (Rotterdam) Grote ...

)
''Dordrecht'' 44 ( Frans van Nijdek)
''Zeelandia'' 42 ( Simon van Panhuis)
''Schieland'' 58 ( Adriaan Poort)
''Wassenaer'' 59 ( Barend Rees)
Frigates:
''Schiedam'' 20 ( Cornelis van der Hoevensoon)
''Utrecht'' 34 ( Jan Snellensoon)
''Rotterdam'' 30 ( Jacob Pieterszoon Swart)
''Harderwijk'' 24 ( MozesWichmansoon)
Adviesjachten:
''Hoop'' 6 ( Isaac Anteuniszoon van Anten)
''Rotterdam'' 6 ( Wijnand van Meurs)
Branders:
''Sint Pieter'' ( Gerrit Halfkaag)
''Jisper Kerk'' 4 ( Lens Harmenszoon)
''Blackmoor'' 4 ( Abraham van Koperen)
''Maria'' 4 ( Dirk de Munnik)
''Eenhoorn'' ( Willem de Rave)
''Louise'' 4 ( Jan Daniëlszoon van Rijn)

External links

Admiraliteit van de Maeze
{{Dutch admiralties 1574 establishments in Europe 1795 disestablishments

History of Rotterdam