The name Persijn or Persyn originates from what is said to be one of the oldest and noblest families from Kennemerland. In the

13th century The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 ( MCCI) through December 31, 1300 ( MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched from Eastern Asia to Eastern Eu ...

, a branch of the Persijn family concerns the lords of Waterland and

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 ...

. They resided in the lost castle of Huis te Velsen north 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 ...

. Its oldest known ancestor was Dirk Persyn, who was given the title of courtier of the Count of Holland in 1162.

The first Persijn

The tradition says the first Persijn is said to have returned from Greece in 990, together with

Lutgardis of Luxemburg Lutgardis of Luxembourg, also known as Liutgardis, Liutgarde and Lutgard, (955 – ca. 1005 or possibly later) was a countess consort of Holland by marriage to Arnulf, Count of Holland. She was the regent of Holland from 993 until 1005 during the m ...

, the wife of

Arnulf, Count of Holland Arnulf, also known as Arnoud or Arnold, succeeded his father in 988 as Count of Frisia, which by around AD 1100 would come to be referred to as the county of Holland. He was born in 951 in Ghent and because of this he is also known as Arnulf of Ghe ...

Knight Jan Persijn, lord of Waterland

The siege of Haarlem

In hi
Chronographia
the chronicler Sir Jan Beke tells the story of the siege of

by the Kennemers in 1274. He writes: "Johannes vero de Passijn orrected in the margin to Johannes de Persyn inclitus oppidum interea clam exiens vehicula kenemarorum cibarijs onustam comprehendit et exinde plurimas villas hostium capitalium inflammavit". Which can be translated into: "In the meantime, the famous knight Jan Persijn secretly went out of the city, captured Kennemer vehicles loaded with provisions and after that set several enemy villages on fire". This led the besiegers to leave the siege and return to their homes. They were chased and defeated by the Haarlemmers. This victory led Jan Persijn to be praised by his people and as a token of thanks, Jan Persijn was given the title of Lord of

Waterland Waterland () is a municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland. It is situated north of Amsterdam, on the western shore of the Markermeer. It is well-known for comprising the touristy towns of Broek in Waterland and M ...

and

Marken Marken (; Marken's dialect: ''Mereke'') is a village in the municipality of Waterland in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It had a population of 1,745 as of 2021, and occupies a peninsula in the Markermeer. It was, until 1957, an isla ...

from the bishop Jan van Nassau.

Waterland and Marken

He promptly attempted to build a stronghold, the Swanensborch in the city of

Monnickendam 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 ...

, in order to generate income from maritime trade. In 1275, however, the local inhabitants rebelled and soon the Lord Persijn had to destroy its castle. As a consequence it seems the lord Persijn lost interest in Waterland and sold half of his title to

Floris V, Count of Holland Floris V (24 June 1254 – 27 June 1296) reigned as Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1256 until 1296. His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler. He is credited with a mostly peaceful reign, modern ...

, while he gave the other half to his son Nicholaas van Persijn.

Death of Jan Persijn

He died soon after, on 26 of December 1283.

The Persijn Family Coat of Arms

The Persijn Family Coat of Arms is made of six horizontal bars, alternating blue and yellow. On the three yellow (originally gold-colored) bars are respectively 4, 3 and 2, red-colored Saint Andrew's crosses. The

Flag of Amsterdam The flag of Amsterdam is the official flag for Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The current design of the flag depicts three Saint Andrew's Crosses and is based on the escutcheon in the coat of arms of Amsterdam. Meaning The colo ...

is said to originate from this coat of arms.

References

{{Reflist Dutch-language surnames Dutch noble families People from Haarlem History of Amsterdam History of the Netherlands