Henry (Hendrik), Lord of Bréderode (December 1531 – 15 February 1568) was a member of the Dutch

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...

family

Van Brederode The Lords of Van Brederode (''Heeren 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'', ...

and an important member during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

. He was named the "Grote Geus" or the "big beggar".

Biography

Hendrik van Brederode was born at

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. He became a convert to the Reformed faith and placed himself at the side of the

prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

and

Count of Egmont Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere (18 November 1522 – 5 June 1568) was a general and statesman in the Spanish Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Years' War, whose execution helped spark the national uprising that eventuall ...

in resisting the introduction of the Spanish Inquisition and Spanish despotism into the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In 1566 he was one of the founders of the confederacy of nobles who bound themselves to maintain the rights and liberties of the country by signing a document known as the

Compromise of Nobles The Compromise of Nobles ( nl, Eedverbond der Edelen; french: Compromis des Nobles) was a covenant of members of the nobility in the Habsburg Netherlands who came together to submit a petition to the Regent Margaret of Parma on 5 April 1566, wi ...

. On 5 April that year Brederode accompanied to the palace a body of 300 Knights, for whom he acted as the spokesman, to present to the regent,

Margaret of Parma Margaret of Parma (; 5 July 1522 – 18 January 1586) was Governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1578 to 1582. She was the illegitimate daughter of the then 22-year-old Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Johanna Maria van der G ...

, a petition setting forth their grievances. It was at a banquet at the Hotel Culemburg on 8 April, presided over by Bréderode, that the sobriquet of

les Gueux Geuzen (; ; french: Les Gueux) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called Watergeuzen (; ; frenc ...

, or "the Beggars," was first given to the opponents of Spanish rule. Bréderode, the "Grote Geus" or ''big beggar'', was banished from the Netherlands by Alva, and died in exile shortly afterwards at the early age of thirty-six. In March of the year 1567, backed by his friend

Lenaert Jansz de Graeff Lenaert Jansz de Graeff (Amsterdam, – in Exile, ) belonged to the powerful Amsterdam patriciate. He was one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation at Amsterdam, vice-general-captain of Amsterdam, friend of Henry, Count of Bréderode, the ...

and a large part of the bourgeoisie Brederode became the ''Generalcaptain'' of the city of

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 ...

. But in the next month Brederode and De Graeff departure and the Spanish General Philippe de Noircarmes became the military leader of Amsterdam. Hendrik was the descendant of an ancient family active in the affairs of war and peace, which had for some centuries been settled in Holland Northwest of the village of Santpoort at Castle Brederode and after 1418 at Batenstein Castle in Vianen. In 1557 he married

Amalia of Neuenahr Amalia of Neuenahr (6 April 1539 – 10 April 1602) was the daughter of Gumprecht of Neuenahr and Cordula of Holstein Schauenburg. Her first husband was Hendrik van Brederode, who played an important part in the events leading up to the Eighty Ye ...

, daughter of

Gumprecht of Neuenahr Gumprecht is a German-language given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: * Gumprecht II of Neuenahr (1400–1484) *André Gumprecht André Gumprecht (born 26 November 1974) is a German former professional footballer who mana ...

In popular culture

Hendrick van Brederode is main character in 1949 novel ''De grote geus'' (''The Great Geuz'') written by

Johan Fabricius Johan Johannes Fabricius (24 August 1899 – 21 June 1981), who published in English as Johan Wigmore Fabricius, was a Dutch writer, journalist and adventurer. Fabricius was born in Bandung, Java. He wrote approximately 60 books, among them ...

. His character was also used for the historical novel ''De Grote Geus'' by

Jaap van de Waal Jaap may refer to: * Jaap Sahib, Sikh prayer * Jaap (given name) Jaap is a Dutch given name that is short for Jacob or Jacobus (Jacob or James in English). People with this name include: Academics *Jaap R. Bruijn (born 1938), Dutch maritime his ...

.De erfenis van De Grote Geus, by Jaap van de Wal
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Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brederode 1531 births 1568 deaths Nobility from Brussels

Hendrick Hendrick may refer to: People * Hendrick (given name), alternative spelling of the Dutch given name Hendrik * Hendrick (surname) * King Hendrick (disambiguation), one of two Mohawk leaders who have often been conflated: ** Hendrick Tejonihokarawa ( ...

Biography

In popular culture

See also

Notes and references