Jan Gerritsz. Bicker (1591–1653) was a merchant, a mayor (
burgomaster
Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...
) and a member of the
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 ...
, an influential patrician family from
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 ...
.
De Bickers were part of the ''staatsgezinde partij'' (the pro-republican party) and opponents of the
stadtholders
In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an Steward (office), 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 ...
, who belonged to the
House of Orange-Nassau
The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...
. Jan Bickers son-in-law, the influential
Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt (; 24 September 1625 – 20 August 1672), ''lord of Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp en IJsselvere'', was a Dutch statesman and a major political figure in the Dutch Republic in the mid-17th century, the Fi ...
practically controlled the
Republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
during the
First Stadtholderless Period
The First Stadtholderless Period or Era (1650–72; nl, Eerste Stadhouderloze Tijdperk) is the period in the history of the Dutch Republic in which the office of Stadtholder was vacant in five of the seven Dutch provinces (the provinces of Fries ...
in 1650–1672.
Biography
Family
Jan Bicker was a 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 ...
, and brother of
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 ...
, both influential merchants and
burgemeester
Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...
s of the city. His older brother
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 ...
was lord of
Engelenburg.
Bicker was married to
Agneta de Graeff van Polsbroek
Agneta de Graeff van Polsbroek (Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 wit ...
, a sister of
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 ...
. Four daughters were born from this marriage:
* Elisabeth Bicker married Jacobus
Trip
Trip may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Trip (''Pokémon''), a ''Pokémon'' character
* Trip (Power Rangers), in the American television series ''Time Force Power Rangers''
* Trip, in the 2013 film ''Metallica Through th ...
, a wealthy arms dealer
* Geertruida Bicker married
Jean Deutz, a very rich Banker of Amsterdam
*
Wendela Bicker married
Johan de Witt
Johan de Witt (; 24 September 1625 – 20 August 1672), ''lord of Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp en IJsselvere'', was a Dutch statesman and a major political figure in the Dutch Republic in the mid-17th century, the Fi ...
*
Jacoba Bicker married her full cousin
Pieter de Graeff
Pieter de Graeff (15 August 1638 – 3 June 1707), was a member of the De Graeff-family from the Dutch Golden Age. He was an Amsterdam Regent during the late 1660s and the early 1670s, and held the titles as Lord of the semi-sovereign Fief Zui ...
Career
![Bickerseiland in Amsterdam](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Bickerseiland_in_Amsterdam._Boten_in_de_haven._Links_de_werf_van_Jan_Bicker.jpg)
Jan Bicker was for his time a wealthy man.
He act as a shipbuilder and merchant in Amsterdam. His trade mainly was focussed on the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
. Aside from
Baarn
Baarn () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, near Hilversum in the province of Utrecht.
The municipality of Baarn
The municipality of Baarn consists of the following towns: Baarn, Eembrugge, Lage Vuursche.
The town of Baarn
Ba ...
he also had countryhouses in
Beverwijk
Beverwijk () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town is located about northwest of Amsterdam in the Randstad metropolitan area, north of the North Sea Canal very close to the North Sea coast. A ...
: ''Akerendam'' (1637) and ''Duynwijck''. Within the city of Amsterdam, Jan Bicker owned almost an entire island, called the ''
Bickerseiland''. He bought the island in 1631 and had an enormous house with a high tower built there so that he could see his ships arrive. He lived on Keizersgracht (221).
Jan Bicker was the cities inspector of the ropes, and in 1647 he became
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 ...
. When stadtholder
William II attacked the city in 1650, one of his demands was that the Bickers voluntarily resigned their positions. The brothers were never burgemeester at the same time, but they had made agreements about an alliance, the so-called ''Bickerse ligue''. After William II died in that same year, the Bickers regained their position during the
First Stadtholderless Period
The First Stadtholderless Period or Era (1650–72; nl, Eerste Stadhouderloze Tijdperk) is the period in the history of the Dutch Republic in which the office of Stadtholder was vacant in five of the seven Dutch provinces (the provinces of Fries ...
. When Andries died, Jan was given the position of burgemeester, but did not keep it for long.
Several ownerships of Jan Bicker, amongst which the countryhouse 'De Eult' in
Baarn
Baarn () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, near Hilversum in the province of Utrecht.
The municipality of Baarn
The municipality of Baarn consists of the following towns: Baarn, Eembrugge, Lage Vuursche.
The town of Baarn
Ba ...
, eventually later fell into the hands of the stadtholders.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bicker, Jan
1591 births
1653 deaths
Businesspeople from Amsterdam
Dutch States Party politicians
Mayors of Amsterdam
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 ...
Nobility from Amsterdam