Bicker (also: Bicker van Swieten) is a Dutch patrician family, it has been a patrician family since 1390. The family has played an important role during the

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...

. They led the

Dutch States Party The Dutch States Party () was a republican political faction, and one of the two main factions of the Dutch Republic from the early 1600s to the mid-1700s. They favored the power of the ''regenten'' and opposed the Orangist "pro-prince" (''prin ...

and were at the centre of the oligarchy of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

from the beginning of the 17th century until the early 1650s, they had influence in the government of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

and the

Republic of the United Netherlands The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

. Their wealth was based on commercial transactions. In their political commitment they mostly opposed the

House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of O ...

. The family, also known as the Bickerse league, was one of the leading republican forces striving to end the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

between the United Netherlands and the Kingdom of Spain. This took place in 1648 with the

Peace of Münster The Peace of Münster, signed on 30 January 1648, was a treaty between Philip IV of Spain and the States-General of the Netherlands, Lords States General of the Dutch Republic. Negotiated in parallel to, but not part of, the Peace of Westphalia, ...

. In 1650, at the height of their power, the leading protagonists Andries and Cornelis Bicker were briefly expelled from the Amsterdam city government due to internal political problems. After that, the Bicker family could no longer achieve such socio-political influence. Since 1815 the family belongs to the new

Dutch nobility The Dutch nobility is a small elite social class consisting of individuals or families recognised as nobility, noble, and with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The existence of nobility was established in the Con ...

with the

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...

jonkheer (female equivalent: ; in the masculine only; ''jonkvrouw'' is used in the feminine, even in French; ) is an honorific in the Low Countries denoting the lowest rank within the nobility. In the Netherlands, this in general concerns a prefix used ...

or jonkvrouw.

History

Early times

The Bicker family is the oldest Amsterdam patrician family still in existence today. Their lineage begins with Dirk Helmer, who was recorded in Amsterdam in 1383 and 1390. His son Jan Dirksz Helmer was

burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, ) is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or executive of a city or town. The name in English was derived from the Dutch . In so ...

(mayor) in 1433 and

schepen A schepen (Dutch, ; . ') or échevin (French, , ) or Schöffe (German, ) is a municipal officer in Belgium and formerly the Netherlands, where it has been replaced by the (a municipal executive). In modern Belgium, the ''schepen'' or ''échevin'' ...

(alderman) of the city and was married to Lijsbeth Eggert († around 1468) from the family of stadtholder Willem Eggert. Their son Dirk Jansz Helmer († 1468), priest and milliner, married with Geertruid Gerritsdr van den Anxter. The couple had Gerrit Dirksz Helmer (around 1450–1521/26), who took his maternal name Van den Anxter and was married to Machteld Pietersdr Bicker (around 1455–1516), daughter of Pieter Meeus Doosz Bicker (1430–1476) and Aeltgen Eggert († around 1455; herself a sister of Lijsbeth Eggert). Their son Pieter Gerritsz van den Anxter, named Bicker (1497–1567), Schepen of Amsterdam in 1534, took the maternal family name ''Bicker'' and thus acted as the male progenitor of the upfollowing ''Bicker family''. He was a cousin of Boel Jacobszn Bicker († 1505), Burgomaster in 1495 and 1497. Both the Helmer-Bicker and Bicker families belonged to the urban elite as early as the 15th century.

Dutch Golden Age

During the

, the Bicker family was very critical against the influence of the

. They belonged to the republican political movement of the

regenten The ''regenten'' ( Dutch plural for ''regent'') were the rulers of the Dutch Republic from the 16th through the 18th century, the leaders of the Dutch cities or the heads of organisations (e.g. "regent of an orphanage"). Though not formally a her ...

, also referred to as the ‘state oriented’, as opposed to the

royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

s. The Bickers were the most powerful family in Amsterdam and decisively determined the fortunes of the city. They were a major trading family involved in the pelt trade with

Muscovy Muscovy or Moscovia () is an alternative name for the Principality of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to: *Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555 *Muscovy duck (''Cairina mosch ...

and supplying ships and silver to Spain. The Bicker-

De Graeff De Graeff (; also: '' De Graef'', ''Graef'', ''Graeff'', ''Graaff'', ''Graaf'' and ''De Graeff van Polsbroek'') is a Dutch Nobility, noble family. The family divided into different lines, in Holland, Prussia (Germany) and South Africa including ...

family-faction became the strongest competitor in the years after the Dutch uprising. Through their work on the Amsterdam City Council and the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

, the Bickers gained enormous influence on politico-economic self-determination in the young

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

due to the city's position of economic power within the Republic.Familial State: Ruling Families and Merchant Capitalism in Early Modern Europe, by Julia Adams, p 99 (2005)
/ref> Gerrit Bicker (1554-1604), great-grandchildren of the familyfounder Pieter Meeuws Soossensz (Doossensz) Bicker (1430–1476), was a wealthy patrician, politician, international grain merchant and beer brewer.Abraham Jacob van der Aa, Biographisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden (BWN), (1878), volume 1-2, p 517
/ref> and threw his work in the Amsterdam Vroedschap and as one of the founders of the East India Company, he was able to launch the careers of his sons, grandchildren and nephews. He had four sons, the oldest Andries Bicker ruled the city administration for a long time and was mainly supported and carried by his three brothers

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

, Jan and Cornelis Bicker, his uncle

Jacob Dircksz de Graeff Jacob Dircksz de Graeff, ''Free and high fief of Zuid-Polsbroek, free lord of Zuid-Polsbroek'' (Emden 1571 – Amsterdam, 6 October 1638) was an illustrious member of the Dutch Republic, Dutch Patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician De Graeff fam ...

and his cousin

Cornelis de Graeff Cornelis de Graeff (15 October 1599 – 4 May 1664), often named ''Polsbroek'' or ''de heer van (lord) Polsbroek'' during his lifetime, was an influential regenten, regent and burgomaster (mayor) of Amsterdam, statesman and diplomat of Holland an ...

. The Bicker brothers had a firm grip on world trade, trading on the East, the West, the North and the Mediterranean. Andries' uncle Laurens Bicker was one of the first to trade on Guinea and seized four Portuguese ships in 1604. This also gave new impetus to the republican States Party, which had been weakened since the assassination of Land's Advocate

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (; 14 September 1547 – 13 May 1619), Lord of the manor, Heer van Berkel en Rodenrijs (1600), Gunterstein (1611) and Bakkum (1613), was a Dutch statesman and revolutionary who played an important role in the Dutch rev ...

, and was able to determine Amsterdam politics for a long period of time.

Bickerse league

In 1622 the participants opposed the VOC's business operations. The profit that Geurt van Beuningen, Cornelis and Jacob Bicker, Elias Trip and others had made by buying up the entire stock that was in transit, went too far for some. The shareholders accused the directors in a pamphlet of mismanagement, personal enrichment, conflicts of interest and a lack of openness in the VOC's financial situation. When the patent was renewed in 1623, the power of the directors was somewhat limited. Together with politicians like the republican-minded brothers Cornelis and

Andries de Graeff Andries de Graeff (19 February 1611 – 30 November 1678) was a regent and burgomaster (mayor) of Amsterdam and leading Dutch statesman during the Golden Age. He came from the De Graeff family, which, together with the Bicker family by marria ...

, former Grand pensionary Adriaan Pauw and Jacob de Witt, the Bickers, also called the ''Bickerse league'', strived for the abolition of

stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

ship. They desired the full sovereignty of the individual regions in a form in which the Republic of the United Seven Netherlands was not ruled by a single person. Instead of a sovereign (or stadtholder) the political and military power was lodged with the States General and with the regents of the cities in Holland. At the time of the politically weak

Grand Pensionaries Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation) ...

Anthonie Duyck and

Jacob Cats Jacob Cats (10 November 1577 – 12 September 1660) was a Dutch poet, humorist, jurist and politician. He is most famous for his emblem books. Early years Jacob Cats was born on 10 November 1577 in Brouwershaven. Having lost his mother at ...

from the 1620s to the 1640s, Andries Bicker was regarded as the head of the republican regents in Holland and as a politician who resolutely opposed the striving for power of the stadtholders Frederick Henry and William II of Orange. He was considered one of the greatest political opponents of the Frederik Henry.Seefahrer in schwedischen Diensten: Seeschifffahrt und Technologietransfer im 17. Jahrhundert, by Hielke van Nieuwenhuize, p 232 (2022)
/ref> During the two decades from the later 1620s to the early 1650s the Bicker family had a leading role in the Amsterdam administration. In 1646, seven members of the Bicker family simultaneously held some political position or other. Members of the league where Andries, Jacob, Jan and Cornelis Bicker, and their cousins, the brothers Roelof (1611-1656), Jacob (1612-1676), Hendrick Bicker (1615-1651). The Bickers provided ships to France and silver from Spain, and were interested in ending the

Eighty Years War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 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 Reformation, centralisation, exce ...

. This brought them in conflict with the stadtholder, some provinces, like

Zeeland Zeeland (; ), historically known in English by the Endonym and exonym, exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east ...

and

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

, and the

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

preachers. After the

was signed, the Bickers were of the opinion that it was no longer necessary to maintain a standing army, bringing them into vehement conflict with prince Willem II. To regain power William went on the march towards Dordrecht and Amsterdam with an army. His troops, led by Cornelis van Aerssen, got lost in a dense fog and were discovered by the postal courier from Hamburg. In 1649 Gerard Andriesz. Bicker became ''High Bailiff of

Muiden Muiden () is a city and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It lies at the mouth of the Vecht (Utrecht), Vecht and is in an area called the Vechtstreek. Since 2016, Muiden has been part of the new municipality ...

and

Gooiland The Gooi ( ) is an area around Hilversum, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a slightly hilly area characterised by its green landscape, its historical charm, the wealth of its inhabitants and its villas. The Gooi is known in the country a ...

''. In July 1650, before the Attack on Amsterdam (1650), a postman ran into the forces, and warned Gerard Bicker, who immediately left by boat for Amsterdam to inform his uncle, burgemeester Cornelis Bicker and his father. Andries Bicker rallied the civic guard, hired 2,000

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

, had the bridges lifted, the gates closed and the artillery positioned. After that, the leader of the family and the ''Bickerse league'', Andries Bicker, was purged from the

vroedschap The ''vroedschap'' () was the name for the (all male) city council in the early modern Netherlands; the member of such a council was called a ''vroedman'', literally a "wise man". An honorific title of the ''vroedschap'' was the ''vroede vadere ...

, as was his brother Cornelis Bicker, as one of the conditions of the treaty that followed, led by Cornelis de Graeff and Joan Huydecoper van Maarsseveen. Henceforth, it was the equally republican-minded brothers Cornelis and Andries de Graeff and their following who dominated Amsterdam. In 1656, his niece Wendela Bicker married Grand pensionary

Johan de Witt Johan de Witt (24 September 1625 – 20 August 1672) was a Dutch statesman and mathematician who was a major political figure during the First Stadtholderless Period, when flourishing global trade in a period of rapid European colonial exp ...

. In April Gerard married Alida Conincx, against the will of his late father. In 1660 she was buried in the Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam.--> The Dutch historian and archivist Bas Dudok van Heel about the inppact of the Bicker and the linked

family and their missed (high) noble rank: ''In

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

families like Bicker and De Graeff would have been uncrowned princes. Here, in 1815, they should at least have been raised to the rank of count, but the southern Dutch nobility would not have put up with that. What you got here remained nothing half and nothing whole.'' File:Hendrick Bicker (1615-1651), objectnr SA 7400.tif, Hendrick Bicker (1615-1651) Image:Bartholomeus van der Helst - Gerard Andriesz Bicker.jpg, Gerard Bicker (1622-1666), Drost of Muiden, painted by Bartholomeus van der Helst, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Image:Wendela Bicker.jpg, Wendela Bicker (1635-1668), wife of Johan de Witt, painted by

Adriaen Hanneman Adriaen Hanneman (c. 1603 – buried 11 July 1671) was a Dutch Golden Age painter best known for his portraits of the exiled British royal court. His style was strongly influenced by his contemporary, Anthony van Dyck. Biography He was born into ...

in 1659 File:SB 4842-De regentessen van het Burgerweeshuis.jpg, The regents of the cities

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...

with Dieuwertje Bicker (1584-1641) by Jacob Adriaensz Backer (1633)

Genealogical and political legacy

While the Dutch Golden Age, Andries and Cornelis Bicker, together with their cousins

Cornelis Cornelis is a Dutch language, Dutch form of the male given name Cornelius (name), Cornelius. Some common shortened versions of Cornelis in Dutch are Cees, Cor, Corné, Corneel, Crelis, Kees (given name), Kees, Neel and Nelis. Cornelis (Kees) an ...

and

, saw themselves as the political heirs of the old regent family Boelens, whose main lineage, which had remained catholic, had died out in the male line in 1647. Their names ''Andries'' and ''Cornelis'' came from their Boelens ancestors. As in a real dynasty, members of the two families frequently intermarried in the 17th century in order to keep their political and commercial capital together. *Elisabeth Bicker (1630–1660) married Jacobus Trip, a lawyer, arms dealer and participant in the WIC. *Cornelia Bicker was married to the Danish

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...

and landowner Joachim Irgens av Vestervig. She joined him on his travels. After her husband became insolvent, she entered into multi-creditor proceedings. She sold half of ''Spanderswoud'' to her cousin Geertruid. She died in Vestervig or Copenhagen. *Catharina Bicker (1642–1678), was married to the Danish

Count palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...

Jacob de Petersen; she inherited ''Boekesteyn'' through her mother and buried in

's-Graveland s-Graveland () is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Wijdemeren, and lies about 4 km northwest of Hilversum. The former municipality of 's-Graveland merged with Loosdrecht and Nederhorst den ...

. *Geertruid Bicker was married to Jean Deutz, who traded in quicksilver from

Idrija Idrija (, in older sources ''Zgornja Idrija''; , ) is a town in western Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Idrija. Located in the traditional region of the Slovene Littoral and in the Gorizia Statistical Region, it is notable for it ...

. After his death, Geertruid continued to run the company, granted

Emperor Leopold I Leopold I (Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Franz Felician; ; 9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, List of Croatian monarchs, Croatia, and List of Bohemian monarchs, Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Rom ...

loans during the

Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War () or The Last Crusade, also called in Ottoman sources The Disaster Years (), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (1684), Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lith ...

against the Ottoman Empire. She bought ''Spanderswoud'' from her cousin in 1678 to assist her. In 1692 and 1696, she financed the recruitment of soldiers and sailors for

Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy-Carignano (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736), better known as Prince Eugene, was a distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...

. She financed the emperor in the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

; died at Assumburg castle.

Branch Bicker van Swieten

This branch of the family descended from Cornelis Bicker van Swieten (1592–1654). His descendants continued to use the nickname, which was borrowed from the possessions of the manor and the castle of Swieten, in their name. Some people, such as Cornelis' son Gerard Bicker (I) van Swieten (1632-1716) who was Rekenmeester of Holland, achieved some political importance in the government of Holland. In 1755 this branch died out with his younger son Cornelis Bicker (II) van Swieten. File:Netscher v.Zwieten@Nieders. Landesmuseum20160811 (1).JPG, Gerard Bicker (I) van Swieten, Heer van Swieten, painted

Caspar Netscher Caspar (or Gaspar) Netscher (1639 – January 15, 1684) was a Dutch portrait and genre painter. He was a master in depicting oriental rugs, silk and brocade and introduced an international style to the Northern Netherlands. Life According to Arn ...

in 1673, Landesmuseum Hannover File:Hendrick Bicker (1649-1718), burgemeester van Amsterdam Rijksmuseum SK-C-13.jpeg, Hendrick Bicker (1649-1718), burgemeester van Amsterdam File:Hendrick Bicker (1722-1783), objectnr TA 7367.jpg, Hendrick Bicker (1722-1783) by Jean Etienne Liotard File:Jan Bernd Bicker.jpg, Jan Bernd Bicker III, painted by Louis Bernard Coclers in 1796,

Amsterdam Museum The Amsterdam Museum, known until 2010 as the Amsterdam Historical Museum, is an Amsterdam-based museum dedicated to the city's past and present. Due to the renovation of its main location, the museum is temporarily located in the Amstelhof on the ...

Later noble branch

In the period that followed, however, the Bicker family branch, who descended from Jacob P. Bicker (1581–1626), a younger brother of Gerrit Bicker provided two more Amsterdam burgomasters, Hendrik Bicker (1649–1718) and his son Hendrick Bicker (1682–1738). Hendrick's brother Jan Bernd Bicker I (1695–1750) was Drost von

. Hendrick (1722-1783) and Jan Bernd Bicker II (1733-1774) were in charge of the Andries Pels & Soonen in 1750. Jan Bernd Bicker III (1746–1812) was chairman of the

National Assembly of the Batavian Republic The National Assembly of the Batavian Republic () was the Netherlands, Dutch parliament between 1796 and 1798. The National Assembly was founded in 1796 after general elections. It replaced the States-General of the Batavian Republic. The Presid ...

in 1796 and 1797. His son Henrie Bicker (1777-1834) was introduced to the New Dutch Nobility in 1815 with the predicate

Jonkheer (female equivalent: ; in the masculine only; ''jonkvrouw'' is used in the feminine, even in French; ) is an honorific in the Low Countries denoting the lowest rank within the nobility. In the Netherlands, this in general concerns a prefix used ...

. His third son Jhr. Pierre Herbert Bicker (1805-1861) was a manufacturer, hobby artist and a member of the

Provincial Council of North Holland The Provincial Council of North Holland (, ), also known as the States of North Holland, is the provincial council of North Holland, Netherlands. It forms the legislative body of the province. Its 55 seats are distributed every four years in pro ...

.Pierre Herbert Bicker at "Biografisch portaal van Nederland"
/ref>

Family members (selection)

* Dirk Helmer, recorded 1483 and 1490 in Amsterdam ** Jan Dirksz Helmer, in 1433 Burgemeester of Amsterdam, married Lijsbeth Eggert († around 1468) *** Dirk Jansz Helmer († 1468), ''married Geertruid Gerritsdr van den Anxter'' **** Gerrit Dirksz Helmer (around 1450–1521/26), named Van den Anxter, ''married Machteld Pietersdr Bicker (around 1455–1516)'' ***** Pieter Gerritsz van den Anxter, named Bicker (1497–1567), Schepen of Amsterdam in 1534 ****** Pieter Pietersz Bicker (1522–1585), business man, politician, Diplomat, dutch delegate in Hamburg and Bremen ******* Gerrit Pietersz Bicker (1554–1604),

Burgemeester Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, ) is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or executive of a city or town. The name in English was derived from the Dutch . In so ...

and councillor of Amsterdam, member and one of the founders of the

(VOC) ******** Andries Bicker (1586–1652), was a powerful Amsterdam regent, ten times burgemeester, member of the vroedschap belonging to the

, envoy to Polen, Denmark, Sweden, representative to the

States of Holland The States of Holland and West Frisia () were the representation of the two Estates (''standen'') to the court of the Count of Holland. After the United Provinces were formed — and there no longer was a count, but only his "lieutenant" (the stad ...

and

States-General of the Netherlands The States General of the Netherlands ( ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The States General originated i ...

, lord of Engelenburg, owned property in

, etc. ********* Alida Bicker, married to her 3nd cousin Jacob Jacobsz Bicker (1612-1676), lord of Engelenburg; inherited ''Boekestein'' ********* Gerard Bicker (1622–1666), lord of Engelenburg, Baljuw of the

Gooi The Gooi ( ) is an area around Hilversum, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a slightly hilly area characterised by its green landscape, its historical charm, the wealth of its inhabitants and its villas. The Gooi is known in the country a ...

at Muiden Castle ********* Mr Jan Bicker (1626-1657),

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

of the

Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier The Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier ( Dutch, 'Northern Quarter'), also known as the Admiralty of West Friesland, was one of the five admiralties of the Dutch Republic, based at West Friesland, a region in the north of the province of Holland ...

, unmarried ********* Cornelia Bicker (1629–1708), married Joachim Irgens av Vestervig, inherited ''Spanderswoud'' ******** Jacob Bicker (1588–1646), lord of Engelenburg, director of the Oostzeevaart, councillor at the

Wisselbank The Bank of Amsterdam or Wisselbank () was an early bank, vouched for by the city of Amsterdam, and established in 1609. It was the first public bank to offer accounts not directly convertible to coin. As such, it has been described as the firs ...

, and the Dutch East India Company (VOC), without offspring ********

Jan Bicker Jan Gerritsz. Bicker (August 1591–May 1653) was a general contractor, shipping magnate, mayor (burgomaster) and a member of the Bicker family, influential regenten from Amsterdam. De Bickers were part of the '' staatsgezinde partij'' (the re ...

(1591–1653), politician, shipbuilder and merchant ********* Lijsbeth Bicker (1630-1660) married Jacobus Trip ********* Geertruid Bicker (1634-1702) married Jean Deutz, bought ''Spanderswoud'' from her cousin Cornelia ********* Wendela Bicker (1635–1668) married

********* Jacoba Bicker (1640–1695), married her cousin

Pieter de Graeff Pieter de Graeff (15 August 1638 – 3 June 1707) was a Dutch Republic, Dutch Aristocracy (class), aristocrat of the Dutch Golden Age and one of the most influential pro-state, republican Amsterdam regenten, Regents during the late 1660s and the ...

******** Cornelis Bicker lord of Swieten (1592–1654), Burgemeester of Amsterdam, administrator of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), councillor at the

, and representative to the

********* Elisabeth Bicker van Swieten (1623-1656), married her uncle and 2nd cousin

********* Gerard Bicker (I) van Swieten (1632–1716), free lord of Oud-Haarlem and Kortenbosch, lord of Swieten, Rekenmeester of Holland ********** Gerard Bicker (II) van Swieten (1687–1753),

knight banneret A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner (which was square-shaped, in contrast to the tapering standard or the pennon flown by the lower- ...

of Baronnye and of high Lordship Kessel, Lord of Swieten, Heikoop and Boeikoop, advisor of Amsterdam ******* Jacob Pietersz Bicker (1555–1587) ******** Jacob Jacobsz Bicker (1581–1626) ********* Eva Bicker (1609-1655), married to her 2nd cousin Dirk de Graeff and Frederick Alewijn ********* Roelof Bicker (1611–1656), Schepen van Amsterdam, captain of the

schutterij Schutterij () refers to a voluntary city guard or citizen militia in the medieval and early modern Netherlands, intended to protect the town or city from attack and act in case of revolt or fire. Their training grounds were often on open spaces w ...

(Citizens Guard) and painted by

Bartholomeus van der Helst Bartholomeus van der Helst (1613 – buried 16 December 1670) was a Dutch painter. Considered to be one of the leading portrait painters of the Dutch Golden Age, his elegant portraits gained him the patronage of Amsterdam's elite as well as th ...

********* Jacob Jacobsz Bicker (1612-1676), Knight of St Marcus, Captain Major of the garrison in Amsterdam and Schepen of

; married to his 3nd cousin Alida Bicker, daughter of his 2nd cousin Andries Bicker (1586-1652) ********** Catharina Bicker (1642–1678), married Jacob de Petersen ********* Hendrick Jacobsz Bicker (1615–1651), captain of the schutterij, married Eva Geelvinck ********** Jacob Hendricksz Bicker (1642-1713) married Sara Hinlopen ********** Hendrik Bicker (1649–1718), Burgemeester of Amsterdam married Maria Schaep *********** Hendrick Bicker (1682–1738), Ambachtsheer of Amstelveen and Nieuwer-Amstel, Burgemeester of Amsterdam ************ Hendrick Bicker (1724-1745) *********** Jan Bernd Bicker I (1695–1750) married Johanna Sara Pels in 1720, baljuw of Muiden and Gooi ************ Henric Bicker (1722–1783) joined Andries Pels & Soonen ************* Jan Bernd Bicker III (1746–1812), politician, member of the National Assembly and president of the

Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic (; ) was the Succession of states, successor state to the Dutch Republic, Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 after the Batavian Revolution and ended on 5 June 1806, with the acce ...

's executive organ, the Staatsbewind ************** Jhr. Henrie Bicker (1777–1834), admitted to the New Dutch Nobility as Jonkheer in 1815, member of the Nobility Assembly *************** Jhr. Jean Bernd Andre Bicker (* 1803) *************** Jhr. Pierre Théodore Bicker (1804-1854) **************** Jhr. Frédéric Louis Bicker (1835-1903) ***************** Jhr. Willem Bicker (1865-1942) ****************** Jhr. Frédéric Louis Bicker(* 1900) ******************* Jhr. Robert Elphinstone Bicker (* 1931) ***************** Jhr. Pierre Herbert Bicker (1866-1945) *************** Jhr. Pierre Herbert Bicker (1805-1861), member of the

*************** Jhr. Daniel Bicker (1808-1880) **************** Jhr. Daniel Bicker (1842-1877) ***************** Jhr. Jean Jacques Oscar Bicker (1870-1944) ***************** Jhr. Eduard William Estien Bicker (1876-1925) ****************** Jhr. Daniël Bicker (1901-1970) ****************** Jhr. Edward William Estien Bicker (1905-1979) ****************** Jhr. August George Bicker (1914-1975) ************ Andries Bicker (1724-1770) ************ Johanna Sara Bicker (1731-1801) married Vice-Admiral Pieter Hendrik Reijnst ************ Jan Bernd Bicker II (1733-1774), married Catharina Boreel, joined Andries Pels & Soonen ******* Laurens Bicker (1563–1606), Dutch admiral, trader and merchant at Guinea Bartholomeus van der Helst - Het Compagnie van kapitein Roelof Bicker en luitenant Jan Michielsz Blaeuw 1639

Bartholomeus van der Helst - Het Compagnie van kapitein Roelof Bicker en luitenant Jan Michielsz Blaeuw 1639

Coat of arms

Description: ''Quartered, I and IV in gold a red crossbar Van den Anxter aternal ancestors II and III in silver three black tillers Helmer(s) aternal ancestorsplaced one above the other, A half-sighted helmet, wrinkled silver and red, tarpaulins red and gold, helmet sign an emerging beard man of natural color on a silver pedestal, dressed in old red clothes, gold knotted and decorated and with an old-fashioned red cap, gold decorated, holding with the right hand at the back and with the left hand at the front a golden torch''.

Notes

Literature

* Israel, Jonathan I. (1995) ''The Dutch Republic – Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall – 1477–1806'', Clarendon Press, Oxford, * Rowen, Herbert H. (1986) ''John de Witt – Statesman of the "True Freedom", Cambridge University Press'', * Zandvliet, Kees ''De 250 rijksten van de Gouden Eeuw – Kapitaal, macht, familie en levensstijl'' (2006 Amsterdam; Nieuw Amsterdam Uitgevers) * Burke, P. (1994) ''Venice and Amsterdam. A study of seventeenth-century élites.''

External links

''Het Archief van de familie Bicker en aanverwante families''
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