The van Amstel family ( Dutch : Heren van Amstel ) was an influential dynasty in the medieval Netherlands from the twelfth until the fourteenth century. The family developed the Amstelland and held the stewardship in the ecclesiastical districts in the northwest of the Nedersticht (largely the current province) of Utrecht, first in the name of the bishop of Utrecht and later the count of Holland .
47-573: Wolfger van Amstel is named in 1105 as a scultetus (bailiff) of Amestelle (Amstelland). His son Egbert built a small castle or keep (actually more just a fortified manor house ) in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel , probably on the spot where the Sefardi cemetery Beth Haim was later sited. In 1204, this building was destroyed by the invading Kennemers . Gijsbrecht II was named the first dominus (lord) of Amestelle in 1226, but came into conflict with
94-403: A county ( graafschap ) or viscounty ( burggraafschap ), nor with administrative regions on par with an English shire , Dutch gouw , German Gau , or Roman or Carolingian pagus . A Flemish castellany ( kasselrij or burggraafschap ) was larger and different from a heerlijkheid , but they were similar in some ways. There were different kinds of heerlijkheid : The central figure
141-437: A heerlijkheid : Originally heerlijkheden were in the hands of the nobility . Much of the wealth of a noble family came from their ownership. Many members of the nobility were heavily dependent on this source of power, income and status. Because the surnames of noble families were often derived from a heerlijkheid (e.g. "van Wassenaer "), it was important for the prestige of the family to maintain ownership over it. However,
188-445: A prince-bishop ( prins-bisschop ) or prince-abbot ( vorst-abt ). Originally, heerlijkheden were held exclusively by the nobility. However, starting around the 16th century, lordship over a heerlijkheid was not synonymous with nobility. A heerlijkheid could be bought and sold. Many ended up in the hands of wealthy merchants and a political class known as the regents . In addition, many were bought by boroughs ( burghs ). In
235-467: A schout was somewhat like a modern-day mayor . The phrase schout en schepenen appears in many legal documents from before the Napoleonic period, including the civil registration of marriages. Depending on the context and in what capacity they were acting, this phrase could mean something like the "mayor and aldermen" (i.e. the town council) or it could mean "the sheriff and magistrates". Second,
282-518: A bust on the facade of the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, and also has a park in the city named after him. Cafes in Amsterdam, Breskens , Arnhem , and Majorca have been named Heren van Amstel after the dynasty. Schout In Dutch -speaking areas, a schout was a local official appointed to carry out administrative, law enforcement and prosecutorial tasks. The office was abolished with
329-423: A highborn noble, who was in turn the crown vassal of the king or emperor . However, sometimes there was no mesne tenancy ( tussenliggende heerschappij ), as was the case with knight's fees held in capite ( rijksonmiddellijke heerlijkheid ). The heerlijkheid was ruled directly by a count ( graaf ), a viscount ( burggraaf ) or a baron ( baron ). Also, it was not uncommon for the lord to be ecclesiastical, e.g.
376-437: A means of giving the appearance of noble status. It often came with large tracts of land and a castle or manor house. In noble fashion, they then added the name of their heerlijkheid to their own surname, resulting in surnames like Deutz van Assendelft, Six van Oterleek, Pompe van Meerdervoort and Beelaerts van Blokland). (The word " van " in the surname meant "of". However, very few Dutch surnames with "van" have their origins in
423-595: A memorial to this, he replaced the wooden access bridge with the Vredesbrug or Pons Pacis ('Peace Bridge'). By 1811, the house had become dilapidated again, at which time it was demolished with the exception of the 1640 'Nederhuys' ('Lower House'), consisting of the current Old Mansion, the Peace Bridge and the Dove Gate. The form and measurements (40x25 meter) of the island on which you now stand are identical to
470-625: A number of other terms used for this or similar offices in Dutch-speaking lands. The terms used included schout , baljuw , drost , drossaard , amman and meier . Perhaps the most common alternative name for this office in Dutch was baljuw . Baljuw is usually translated into English as " bailiff ". The word schout , depending on its context, can be translated variously into English, usually as sheriff , bailiff , or reeve , but strictly in their respective medieval senses. As
517-469: A park) describes what happened to this particular manor. The history and fate of this manor are typical: On this spot stood Heemstede House or Castle. It was first built by Dirk van Hoylede in 1280, who came from the Vlaardingen area. The ambachtsheerlijkheid of Heemstede was enfeoffed to him by Count Floris V. From then on Dirk van Hoylede and his descendants used the surname 'van Heemstede'. The house
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#1732801068100564-415: A result of the feudal system, in particular the sovereign's delegated judicial prerogative. The crown, as lord paramount, granted the right to govern and to exercise judicial authority to a crown vassal, often a confidante or as a reward for military service or political support. The crown vassal—e.g. a count ( graaf ) or duke ( hertog )—thus exercised all or part of the sovereign's royal authority. In turn
611-589: A result, the Dutch word is sometimes used in English (even though schout is not actually a word in English). In Dutch, the plural of schout is schouten . The Dutch word schout comes from Middle Dutch scouthete , in turn from Old Low Franconian skolthēti , and is cognate with Old English scyldhǣta , sculthēta "reeve, (medieval) bailiff", German Schultheiß , (Swiss) Schulze "bailie (magistrate)", from PGmc * skuldi-haitijō "debt-orderer". The office
658-408: Is depicted in the medieval Gelre Armorial (folio 107v.) The description of the coat of arms: barry of gold and sable (black), in eight pieces, over which a motley St. Andrew's cross of silver and gules (red) in two rows. Dutch writer and playwright Joost van den Vondel based his play Gijsbrecht van Aemstel on the history of Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel and his son Jan I of Amstel . Gijsbrecht has
705-476: The Batavian Republic . This was formalised in the 1798 Batavian Constitution (Bataafsche Staatsregeling). A distinction was made between the feudal rights of appointment and patronage, which were completely abolished, and the income-related rights, which were more complicated. Some of these were feudal in nature and abolished. Others were similar to contractual or property rights and therefore their loss
752-484: The municipality and fell under the new Municipality Act ( Gemeentewet ). Responsibility for the manor courts and judicial system were taken over by the national government. After this, the use of the title "Lord of..." is based on the ownership of the remaining non-abolished rights. To this day there are people in the Netherlands who use the title "Lord of...". Unlike in the U.K., there is no trade today in 'lord of
799-399: The schout was responsible for public order and policing . He was responsible for investigating a crime , apprehending a criminal and presenting the criminal to the court of magistrates ( schepenen ) for judgment. He or his men checked the drinking houses, carried out conscription orders, made sure taxes were paid and enforced the law. After a criminal verdict was given, the schout
846-415: The schout was responsible for many local administrative matters in the town or heerlijkheid . The schout presided in the meetings of the schepenen . Together, the schout and schepenen made up what we would call the "town council" today. He ensured decrees were published. He sometimes represented the town or heerlijkheid in business matters or in negotiations with other towns. In these functions,
893-401: The 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, it was not unusual for a borough to purchase the heerlijkheden around it in order to gain control and ownership of the surrounding land and the resulting economic advantages. Boroughs were themselves not part of the manorial system: the countryside and villages were governed by lords, whereas boroughs were self-governing. The heerlijkheden came into being as
940-507: The Low Countries and was the precursor to the modern municipality system in the Netherlands and Flemish Belgium . A typical heerlijkheid manor consisted of a village and the surrounding lands extending out for a kilometre or so. Taking 18th-century Wassenaar as an example of a large hoge heerlijkheid , it was 3,612 morgens in size and had 297 houses. Nearby Voorschoten was 1,538 morgens in size and had 201 houses. Nootdorp
987-542: The abduction, which failed at Muiden and Floris V was killed. As a result of his participation in the coup against Floris V, Gijsbrecht IV van Amstel was banned while his goods were forfeited. He found refuge in 's-Hertogenbosch, the northern border town of the Duchy of Brabant , where he enjoyed ducal protection and received material support from his influential nephew Jan I van Cuijk. Dutch professor Pim de Boer has found indications - though no conclusive proof - that Gijsbrecht
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#17328010681001034-651: The bench when acting as prosecutor, at which time the remaining members of the Council would function as the Court of Justice. The final schout was William Knyff, who held the office in 1674 when the colony was returned to the English. The origins of the American public prosecutor ( attorney general ) have been traced to the schout in New Amsterdam . Schout is the word usually used in Dutch, but there were
1081-484: The bishop of Utrecht and was led captive into the city of Utrecht behind a horse in 1252. Arnoud of Amstel, a son of Gijsbrecht III, built the castle at IJsselstein in c.1279. His son, Gijsbert van IJsselstein, then founded the city of IJsselstein and the St. Nicolaaskerk church, where he is buried in an ornate tomb. Gijsbrecht IV (1235-1303) became a vassal of Count Floris V of Holland . Gijsbrecht subsequently became one of
1128-408: The crown vassal granted rights to the mesne lords of the heerlijkheden . Because a fief ( leen ) originated out of a bond between vassal and lord for military service, vassalage (Dutch manschap ) was personal not heritable. With the advent of professional armies, the vassalage bond fell into disuse or was replaced by scutage ; however, vassalage remained personal. One of the consequences of this
1175-430: The eastern provinces. A manorial lord was able to function as a minor potentate within "his" heerlijkheid . However, his manorial rights were limited and subject to numerous restrictions. The lord was required to conduct himself in accordance with local customary law. A lord was entitled to receive feudal incidents in the form of rents, levies, and other payments from various financial and property rights associated with
1222-527: The economic benefits of a heerlijkheid were not always certain, finances were not always well arranged, and some nobles were poor. In the province of Holland , possession of a heerlijkheid was a prerequisite for admission to the ridderschap (literally, the "knighthood"), the college of nobles that represented rural areas in the States of Holland. A seat in the ridderschap provided access to various financially interesting honorary positions and offices. It
1269-404: The hands of wealthy merchants and a small and exclusive political class known as the regents . In all the provinces the military obligations associated with a fief gradually died out so that by the 16th and 17th centuries the heerlijkheid was increasingly seen by non-nobles as a status symbol. Successful merchants and regents from the large towns saw the heerlijkheid as a country residence and
1316-488: The introduction of administrative reforms during the Napoleonic period. The exact nature of the office varied from place to place and changed over the course of time. In general, a schout was appointed by the lord ( heer ) of a domain ( heerlijkheid ) and acted in the lord's name in the local day-to-day administration of the domain, especially the administration of justice. A schout had three main functions: administration, law enforcement and criminal prosecution. First,
1363-545: The manor generally owned property within a heerlijkheid (often substantial amounts), it was possible for a lord not to own any property at all within his own heerlijkheid . Also, when agricultural land was held by a lord in the Low Countries, the amount held was smaller in comparison to other countries. Lordship conferred a set of manorial rights. The word heerlijkheid denotes an estate in which these limited rights were held and could be exercised. The rights exercised varied widely, and were more extensive and survived longer in
1410-462: The manor' titles. What remains of the heerlijkheid system are many of the manors and castles . Most of them are now parts of estates, museums, parks, hotels, etc. Since the last heerlijkheid was seen over 200 years ago, many of the manor houses and castles have been rebuilt, or have been fully or partially demolished. A sign erected at the remaining parts of the Slot Heemstede (now in
1457-585: The most powerful men of Holland and as such also strived for more independence. When Floris V in January 1296 thought he could realize his expansionism at the expense of Flanders with the support of the French king, Philip IV , he made a fatal mistake. The English king, Edward I , against whose Flemish interests Floris V had entered, ordered Gijsbrecht's cousin, Jan I van Cuijk, to take the count of Holland into hostage and transfer him to England. Van Cuijk organized
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1504-408: The ownership of a heerlijkheid .) They became what J.L. Price refers to as a "quasi-nobility". A heerlijkheid was also a source of income and an investment, but they were usually acquired for other reasons. In the Netherlands, acquiring the rights to heerlijkheden did not confer noble status. The regent families who purchased heerlijkheden were not a true nobility, but by the early 19th century
1551-416: The ranks of the nobility had become so depleted that the Dutch king elevated certain members of the former regent class to noble status.) In the southern provinces (modern-day Belgium ) heerlijkheden and the associated rights were abolished after the French invasion of 1795. In the northern provinces (modern-day Netherlands ) they were declared abolished around the same time as part of the inauguration of
1598-472: The rights to heerlijkheden to non-nobles; however, losing a heerlijkheid did not result in loss of noble status. The nobility were recognised by all as having a special status not attached to wealth or ownership of a heerlijkheid . In the southern provinces (modern-day Belgium ) the financial character of a heerlijkheid was accentuated by the Royal Edict of 8 May 1664. From then on, a noble title
1645-572: Was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking Low Countries before 1800. It originated as a unit of lordship under the feudal system during the Middle Ages . The English equivalents are manor , seigniory and lordship . The German equivalent is Herrschaft . The heerlijkheid system was the Dutch version of manorialism that prevailed in
1692-412: Was an ambachtsheerlijkheid of 196 morgens and 58 houses. There were 517 heerlijkheden in the province of Holland in the 18th century. All fell into the last three categories in the list below (except for a few for which this information is unknown). Not all heerlijkheden were the same. They differed in size and composition. Also, a heerlijkheid should not be confused with a larger territory, like
1739-565: Was brought with the Dutch to the American colony of New Netherland . The first schout (sometimes called the schout-fiscal ) in New Amsterdam after it was granted the authority to form its own local government in 1652 was Cornelis van Tienhoven , although officers were appointed to the post from at least 1626 when Jan Lampo was appointed. The schout had a seat on the Executive Council, but no vote, and would step down from
1786-478: Was compensable. Lordly claims for reparations flooded in. Some heerlijkheid rights were maintained or later restored as property rights and still exist today. The overwhelming majority of the remaining rights disappeared in Belgium on the introduction of the 1830 constitution and in the Netherlands with the 1848 constitutional amendments. Most of the administrative functions of a heerlijkheid were transferred to
1833-470: Was destroyed a couple of times and then rebuilt. In 1620 Amsterdam merchant (and later Grand Pensionary) Adriaen Pauw purchased the heerlijkheid, including its dilapidated castle. After restoration and embellishment, it became a Renaissance summer mansion. As the negotiator for the States of Holland, he played an important role in the 1648 Peace of Munster that ended the Eighty Year War with Spain. As
1880-431: Was granted only if the following minimum payment was obtained from the income of the feudal estate. In the southern provinces, this edict ensured the financial stability of the most prominent heerlijkheden and resulted in the rise of a new nobility based on wealth. Starting around the 16th century, lordship over a heerlijkheid was not synonymous with nobility. A heerlijkheid could be bought and sold. Many ended up in
1927-449: Was held when a heerlijkheid manor was sold. If there was no direct descendant, other blood relatives could exercise their right of laudatio parentum (Du naderschap ), which grants them a right of first refusal and explains how heerlijkheden were able to be kept in the same families for centuries. The tenancy of a heerlijkheid is not to be confused with land ownership. It was an estate in land , not land per se . Although lords of
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1974-565: Was later involved in the foundation of Prussian Holland . Gijsbrecht III's son Jan I (1270-1345) succeeded in occupying Amsterdam for a while in 1304, but the city was besieged and Jan finally had to flee from the city. Amsterdam temporarily lost its newly acquired town privileges and had to make massive reparations to the count of Holland. In 1994, the foundations of a castle were discovered in Amsterdam , possibly built by this family, though historians differ on this. The Amstel coat of arms
2021-626: Was not unusual for a noble to amass a number of heerlijkheden . King Willem-Alexander is a modern-day example of a nobleman who holds the titles to many heerlijkheden . In addition to his primary titles , he is the Erf- en Vrijheer van Ameland, Heer van Borculo, Bredevoort, Lichtenvoorde, Het Loo, Geertruidenberg, Clundert, Zevenbergen, Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe, Naaldwijk, Polanen, Sint-Maartensdijk, Soest, Baarn, Ter Eem, Willemstad, Steenbergen, Montfort, Sankt Vith, Burgenbach, Daasburg, Niervaart, Turnhout en Besançon. Starting around 1500, nobles began selling
2068-699: Was occasionally referred to in Latin as scultetus . The Dutch equivalent of the naval rank of Rear Admiral is called Schout-Bij-Nacht (literally, schout at night). Adolf Wilhelm Verbond Hinne or Tuan Schout Van Hinne was famous for capturing Si Pitung (The Seven Friends) in Tanah Abang, Batavia in October 1893. The Schout led an ambush and shot the fugitive during a gun fight in a cemetery. Heerlijkheid A heerlijkheid (a Dutch word; pl. heerlijkheden ; also called heerschap ; Latin: Dominium )
2115-411: Was responsible for carrying out the sentence. In these functions, he was somewhat like a modern-day chief of police . Third, a schout prosecuted suspected criminals and presided over the sessions of the magistrates ( schepenen ) when they sat as a court. The schout was not the judge, but directed the court proceedings. In this function, he was somewhat like a modern-day prosecutor . The office
2162-425: Was that, on the death of the vassal ( leenman or vazal ), the fief escheated to the lord ( leenheer ). The vassal's heir was able to retain the heerlijkheid through the commendation ceremony ( leenhulde ), the process of paying homage and swearing fealty officiated at the head manor court ( souveraine leenhof or leenkammer ). The new vassal made a symbolic payment ( leenverhef ) to his lord. The same ceremony
2209-430: Was the lord of the heerlijkheid and effectively its owner—the manorial lord or lady . In Dutch, the lord was called heer and the lady vrouw(e) . The lord was also referred to by the Latin word dominus . A rarer English alternative is seigneur . There were different kinds of lord and lady: Under the feudal system, a manorial lord typically was himself the vassal of a higher-ranking tenant-in-chief , usually
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