Michiel de Wael (bapt. 9 May 1596 – buried 7 April 1659 in Haarlem), was a Dutch brewer and citizen of

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) 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 most populated metropoli ...

, best known today for his portraits painted by

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, , ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, chiefly of individual and group portraits and of genre works, who lived and worked in Haarlem. Hals played an important role in the evolution of 17th-century group ...

. His grandfather, also a brewer, was one of the first

Calvinists Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

in the city and was involved in the Siege of Haarlem.

Biography

Michiel was the son of the wealthy Haarlem brewer and

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 ...

Jan Michielsz de Wael (1557–1618) and Cornelia Anthonisdr Juyst. In 1582 his father Jan de Wael had married Cornelia Anthonisdr Juyst in

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

, aka ''Neeltje Thonis'', from

Brouwershaven Brouwershaven is a small city on the Grevelingen in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, lies about 45 km southwest of Hellevoetsluis and 10 km north of Zierikzee. Brouwershaven received ...

. In 1588 his father moved from Amsterdam to Haarlem, where he was appointed in the vroedschap. In 1597 Jan M. de Wael was one of the burgomasters of Haarlem. After having been an arbiter he became involved as an investor in the development of the new Amsterdam city quarter, known as the

Lastage Lastage is a neighborhood in the Amsterdam-Centrum, Centrum borough of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located between the Geldersekade and Oudeschans, Amsterdam, Oudeschans canals, just east of old Middle Ages, medieval city. Today, the neighbourhoo ...

. In 1605 his father remarried and Aechte Adriaensdr Van Hoorn became his stepmother. Michiel had an elder brother

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 ...

, a magistrate and burgomaster of Haarlem, involved in the tulip mania and in 1650 locked up in

Loevestein Loevestein Castle ( nl, Slot Loevestein) is a medieval castle in the municipality of Zaltbommel, Gelderland, the Netherlands. The castle was built by the knight Dirk Loef of Horne (hence "Loef's stein" (stone) house) between 1357 and 1397. Unti ...

; a brother Anthony, lawyer in

Monnikendam Monnickendam () is a city in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Waterland, and lies on the coast of the Markermeer, about southeast of Purmerend. It received city rights in 1355 and was damaged by the fires ...

and a sister Geertruyd