Gerbrand Adriaenszoon Bredero (16 March 1585 – 23 August 1618) was a Dutch

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

in the period known as 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 ...

Life

Gerbrand Adriaenszoon Bredero was born on 16 March 1585 in

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 ...

in the

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 ...

, where he lived his whole life. He called himself ''"G.A. Bredero, Amstelredammer"'', and sometimes he is called ''Breero'' or ''Brederode''. He was the third child of Marry Gerbrants and Adriaen Cornelisz Bredero, who was a

shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or '' cordwainers'' (sometimes misidentified as cobblers, who repair shoes rather than make them). In the 18th cen ...

and a successful

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. Bredero was born in the ''Nes'', nowadays number 41, and in 1602 he and his family moved to a house on

Oudezijds Voorburgwal The Oudezijds Voorburgwal, often abbreviated to OZ Voorburgwal, is a street and canal in De Wallen in the center of Amsterdam. It runs from the Grimburgwal in the south to the Zeedijk in the north, where it changes into the Oudezijds Kolk, which ...

, now number 244, which his father had bought. Bredero lived in this house for the rest of his life. Both houses are now restaurants in Amsterdam's famous red light district. At school Bredero learned French and possibly also some English and

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

. Later he was educated as an artist by the

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

painter Francesco Badens, but none of his paintings have survived. In 1611 he became a member of the '' rederijkerskamer'' ''d'Eglantier'', where he was an active member and became friends with Roemer Visscher and P.C.Hooft. Together with Hooft he joined Costers '' Nederduytsche Academie''. Around this time he wrote the play ''"De Spaanschen Brabander Jerolimo"''. The only public position Bredero achieved was as ''vaandrig'' or

standard bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a colour-bearer or flag-bearer, is a person who bears an emblem known as a Standard (flag), standard or Military colours, standards and guidons, military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible ...

of the civic guard. On 23 August 1618, at the age of 33, Bredero suddenly died, shortly after he had recovered from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

that he had contracted after falling through ice. He never married.

Plays

* ''Rodd'rick ende Alphonsus'' (first performed in 1611) * ''Griane'' (first performed in 1612) * '' Klucht van de Koe'' * ''Klucht van de Molenaer'' * ''Moortje'' (first performed in 1615) * ''Lucelle'' (first performed ) * ''Spaanschen Brabander'' (''Spanish Brabanter''; first performed in 1617)

References

External links

G.A. Bredero
– digital versions of a major part his oeuvre ''(in Dutch)''
Bredero song text page
– English translations of several songs of Bredero
G.A. Bredero 1585–1618
– pictures of Bredero
Newly discovered poems of Bredero and Starter
– digital versions of in 2004 discovered poems ''(in Dutch)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bredero, Gerbrand Adriaenszoon 1585 births 1618 deaths 17th-century Dutch poets 17th-century Dutch dramatists and playwrights Dutch Golden Age writers Dutch male poets Muiderkring Writers from Amsterdam Dutch male dramatists and playwrights