Cornelis Bicker door Cornelis van der Voort

Cornelis Bicker van Swieten (25 October 1592 – 15 September 1654), heer (lord) Van Swieten and of Kasteel Swieten, was an

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of 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 ...

during the

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...

and a governor of the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...

. He was also a sugar merchant,

hoogheemraad A heemraad, or hoogheemraad (literally a high heemraad) is a local official of a Dutch water board. The term can be pluralized to ''(hoog)heemraden'', but sometimes the word ''heemraad'' also means more than one man in the sense of a meeting of ...

of the

Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland The Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland is the oldest water authority in the Netherlands, having received commission to coordinate protection of the land from flooding in 1248 from Count William II of Holland and Zeeland. The council conducts surface ...

and a counsellor of the

States of Holland and West Friesland The States of Holland and West Frisia ( nl, Staten van Holland en West-Friesland) were the representation of the two Estates (''standen'') to the court of the Count of Holland. After the United Provinces were formed — and there no longer was a co ...

for Amsterdam at The Hague. He belonged to the

Dutch States Party The Dutch States Party ( nl, Staatsgezinde partij) was a political faction of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. This republican faction is usually (negatively) defined as the opponents of the Orangist, or faction, who supported the monar ...

and was in opposition to the

House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current dynasty, reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the Politics and governm ...

Life

Family

Coat of arms Cornelis Bicker van Swieten

Born in Amsterdam, Cornelis Bicker was a member of that city's

Bicker family Bicker (also: Bicker van Swieten and Bicker Caarten) is a very old Dutch patrician family (''since 1390''). The family has played an important role during the Dutch Golden Age. They were at the centre of Amsterdam oligarchy from the beginning of ...

- along with their allies the

De Graeff De Graeff (; also: '' De Graef, Graef, Graeff, Graaff'', Graaf and ''De Graeff van Polsbroek'') is an old Dutch patrician and noble family, The Amsterdam line of the family played an important role during the Dutch Golden Age. They were at the ...

family, they controlled Amsterdam's city government and the province of Holland for half a century. Both families were powerful and influential between the earlier 17th century and the

Rampjaar In Dutch history, the year 1672 is referred to as the nl, Rampjaar, label=none (Disaster Year). In May 1672, following the outbreak of the Franco-Dutch War and its peripheral conflict the Third Anglo-Dutch War, France, supported by Münster and ...

1672 during the height of the Republic's power. Cornelis Bicker was the son of

Gerrit Bicker Gerrit Pieter Bicker (1554–1604) was a Dutch merchant, patrician, and one of the founders of the Compagnie van Verre and its successor the Dutch East India Company. Family Born in Amsterdam, Gerrit Bicker was the son of Pieter Pietersz Bick ...

, mayor of Amsterdam in 1603, and Aleyd Andriesdr Boelens. His brothers were

Andries Andries is a Dutch and Afrikaans masculine given name or surname equivalent to Andrew. Given name People with this name include * Andries van Artvelt (1590–1652), Flemish painter * Andries Beeckman (1628–1664), Dutch painter * Andries Bekk ...

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...

and

Jan Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...

. In 1617 he married Aertge

Witsen Witsen is a Dutch surname and may refer to: *Members of the Witsen family: ** Cornelis Jan Witsen **Nicolaes Witsen ** Willem Witsen *10653 Witsen 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical ...

(1599–1652) - they had five children: #Margaretha, married Gerard van Hellemond and later Cornelis Geelvinck #Alida, married

Lambert Reynst Lambert Reynst (1613–1679) was a Dutch regent and politician of the Golden Age. Born in Amsterdam, he belonged to the "republican" Dutch States Party. Family He came from the patrician Reynst family and was the son of Hendrick Reynst and his wi ...

# Elisabeth, married her cousin

Andries de Graeff Andries de Graeff (19 February 1611 – 30 November 1678) was a 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 ...

#Maria, married Gerbrand Ornia #Dr. Gerard Bicker (I) van Swieten (1632–1716), married Catharina van Sypesteyn.

Genealogical and political Legacy

Cornelis and

Andries Bicker Andries Bicker, ''lord of Engelenburg'' ( Amsterdam, 1586 – 24 June 1652) was a powerful Amsterdam regent and Dutch politician during the Dutch Golden Age. He was the leader of the Bickerse league and controlled the city's politics in clos ...

, together with their cousins Cornelis and

, saw themselves as the political heirs of the old regent family Boelens, whose main lineage, which had remained catholic, had died out in the male line in 1647. They had received the very significant first names ''Andries'' and ''Cornelis'' from their Boelens ancestors. As in a real dynasty, members of the two families frequently intermarried in the 17th century in order to keep their political and commercial capital together. Its great historical ancestor was

Andries Boelens Andries Boelens (Amsterdam, 1455 – there, 1519), also: ''Boelenz'', ''Boelensz., Andries Boel Dircksz.'' or ''Andries Boelen Dircksz'', was an alderman and mayor of Amsterdam. In the period from 1496 to 1517 he was mayor fifteen times. The ter ...

(1455-1519), the city's most influential medieval mayor. Both families, Bicker and

, descend in the female line from Boelens. He was allowed to hold the highest office in Amsterdam fifteen times.

Career

In 1617 Cornelis Bicker and his wife settled at

Singel The Singel is one of the canals of Amsterdam. The Singel encircled Amsterdam in the Middle Ages, serving as a moat around the city until 1585, when Amsterdam expanded beyond the Singel. The canal runs from the IJ bay, near the Central Statio ...

130 in Amsterdam, in a building which his family only sold in 1767. In 1622 he became governor of the

and also held several directorships, such as of the

Wisselbank The Bank of Amsterdam ( nl, Amsterdamsche Wisselbank, lit=Exchange Bank of Amsterdam) was an early bank, vouched for by the city of Amsterdam, and established in 1609. It was the first public bank to offer accounts not directly convertible to co ...

. In 1628 he became a

schepen A schepen (Dutch; . ') or échevin (French) or Schöffe (German) is a municipal officer in Belgium and formerly the Netherlands. It has been replaced by the ' in the Netherlands (a municipal executive). In modern Belgium, the ''schepen'' or ''éch ...

. In 1632 he bought the Swieten estate and manorhouse from Hugo Cuyk van Mierop - from these he later derived his title. In 1634 he was appointed a captain in the militia or schutterij. He was

mayor of Amsterdam Below is a list of mayors (Dutch: ''burgemeesters'') of Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. The city had four burgomasters, serving four years. Since 1389 the mayors were elected on 1 February. In the 17th and 18th century, a new mayor was ele ...

in 1646, 1650 and 1654. In 1647 he became a deputy for

East Friesland East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...

at the States General. Cornelis Bicker was member even of the Bickerse league, which included the brothers Cornelis, Andries

, Andries' son Gerard Bicker, and their distant cousins, the brothers Jacob Jacobsz Bicker (1612-1676; ''he was also the husband of Andries' daughter Alida Bicker'') and Hendrick Jacobsz Bicker (1615-1651). They opposed the

stadtholder In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Frederick Henry ( nl, Frederik Hendrik; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 1625 until his death in 1647. In the last ...

, who intended the centralize the five admiralties, which would cause the

Admiralty of Amsterdam The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic. The administration of the various admiralties was strongly influenced by provincial interests. The territory for which Amsterdam ...

to lose influence. Cornelis Bicker supported his brother Andries,

Jacob de Witt Jacob de Witt, '' heer van Manezee, Melissant and Comstryen''http://www.herenvanholland.nl/eigenaar.cfm?eigenaarnummer=1701 www.herenvanholland.nl (7 February 1589 – 10 January 1674) was a burgomaster of Dordrecht and the son of a timber merch ...

and

Cornelis de Graeff Cornelis de Graeff, also Cornelis de Graeff van (Zuid-)Polsbroek (15 October 1599 – 4 May 1664) 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 ...

in the signing of the

Peace of Münster The Peace of Münster was a treaty between the Lords States General of the Seven United Netherlands and the Spanish Crown, the terms of which were agreed on 30 January 1648. The treaty, parallelly negotiated to but not part of the Peace of We ...

and in May 1650 he supported a proposal that suggested military cutbacks to encourage peace efforts. On 30 July 1650 he activated the militia to defend against an attack on Amsterdam by the New stadholder

William II of Orange William II (27 May 1626 – 6 November 1650) was sovereign Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel and Groningen in the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 14 March 1647 until his death three ...

after being warned of William's approach by a postman travelling from Hamburg to Amsterdam, who passed on the news to Bicker's nephew (via his brother, the former mayor Andries) Gerard Bicker, then the bailiff or drost of Muiden. Gerard set off for Amsterdam immediately and after receiving the news Cornelis and Andries raised the bridges, shut the gates and deployed artillery. The attack failed but after the attack De Graeff passed on a message from William that Cornelis and Andries must resign from their posts on the town council. However, they were restored to them on 22 November the same year.

In art

Blick commissioned a large-format portrait of himself and his family from

Cornelis van der Voort Cornelis van der Voort or van der Voorde (1576 – buried on 2 November 1624) was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter from the early 17th century. Life Very little is known about Van der Voort's early life. He was born in Antwerp; his father w ...

in 1618. Cornelis Bicker also appears as a captain in a 1638 militia group portrait by

Joachim von Sandrart Joachim von Sandrart (12 May 1606 – 14 October 1688) was a German Baroque art-historian and painter, active in Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age. He is most significant for his collection of biographies of Dutch and German artists the ''Te ...

, commissioned by the Kloveniersdoelen to mark the visit of

Maria de Medici Marie de' Medici (french: link=no, Marie de Médicis, it, link=no, Maria de' Medici; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV of France of the House of Bourbon, and Regent of the Kingd ...

and now in 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. Another painting of Blick dates to 1654 and is attributed to

Govert Flinck Govert (or Govaert) Teuniszoon Flinck (25 January 16152 February 1660) was a Dutch painter of the Dutch Golden Age. Life Born at Kleve, capital of the Duchy of Cleves, which was occupied at the time by the United Provinces, he was apprenticed by ...

- this work was praised by

Vondel Joost van den Vondel (; 17 November 1587 – 5 February 1679) was a Dutch poet, 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 ...

. His wife was also painted by

David Bailly David Bailly (1584–1657) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Bailly was born at Leyden in the Dutch Republic, the son of a Flemish immigrant, calligrapher and fencing master, Peter Bailly. As a draftsman, David was pupil of his fathe ...

.(Rijksmuseum)
/ref>

External links

* ttp://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/retroboeken/vdaa?source=aa__001biog02_01.xml&page=521&view=imagePane Cornelis Bicker Biography II at ''Biographisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden''
Letterkundig woordenboek voor Noord en Zuid

References

Bibliography

* Jonathan I. Israel: ''The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall: 1477-1806''. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1995, *

* Kernkamp, G.W. (1977) ''Prins Willem II 1626-1650'' * P. Burke: ''Venetië en Amsterdam. Een onderzoek naar de elites in de zestiende eeuw''. 1974 * J.E. Elias, De Vroedschap van Amsterdam 1578-1795, deel 1 (Haarlem 1903), p. 175 * Zandvliet, Kees ''De 250 rijksten van de Gouden Eeuw - Kapitaal, macht, familie en levensstijl'' (2006 Amsterdam; Nieuw Amsterdam Uitgevers) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bicker, Cornelis Dutch West India Company people from Amsterdam Businesspeople from Amsterdam Municipal councillors of Amsterdam Mayors of Amsterdam 17th-century Dutch people 1592 births 1654 deaths Cornelis