Brielle (), also called Den Briel in Dutch and Brill in English, is a town and historic seaport in the western

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, in the province of

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

, on the north side of the island of

Voorne-Putten Voorne-Putten () is an island between the North Sea, the Brielse Meer and the rivers Oude Maas, Spui and Haringvliet in the province of South Holland. Voorne-Putten consists of the two former islands Voorne (the larger, western part) and Pu ...

, at the mouth of the New Maas. The former municipality covered an area of of which was water. In its population was . The former municipality of Brielle also included the communities of

Vierpolders Vierpolders is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Voorne aan Zee, and lies about 5 km north of Hellevoetsluis. The name of the village, literally "four polders", refers to the municipality, t ...

and

Zwartewaal Zwartewaal is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland, The Netherlands. It is a part of the municipality of Voorne aan Zee and lies about 5 km south of Maassluis. History The village was first mentioned in the middle of the 13t ...

. On 1 January 2023, the municipality of Brielle merged with

Hellevoetsluis Hellevoetsluis () is a town and former municipality in the west of Netherlands. It is located in Voorne-Putten, South Holland. The former municipality covered an area of of which was water and it included the population centres of Nieuw-Helvoe ...

and

Westvoorne Westvoorne is a former municipality on the island of Voorne-Putten in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality covered an area of of which was water. It had a population of in . The municipality of Wes ...

into the new municipality of

Voorne aan Zee Voorne aan Zee () is a municipality on the island of Voorne-Putten in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. It had a population of in 2022. The municipality of Voorne a ...

Brielle, New Jersey Brielle is a borough located in southern Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, along the Manasquan River. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,982, its highest decennial count ever and an increase ...

was named after Brielle by the Dutch colonists of New Jersey, originally

New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

History

Brielle is a very old, fortified town. Its name is derived from the Celtic word ''brogilo'' (meaning "closed area" or "hunting grounds"). The oldest writings about Brielle indicate that the current location is the "new" Brielle. ''Den ouden Briel'' (Old Brill) must have been situated somewhere else on the

Island. It grew into a town of prestige in the 14th century. In 1330, Gerard van Voorne, independent Lord of Voorne and Viscount of Zeeland, granted

town rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

to Brielle. This gave the town governmental and jurisdictional powers and certain trading rights, such as the right to trade fish and collect port taxes. The town was for a long time the seat of the Lords of Voorne, until this

fiefdom A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

was added to the

County of Holland The County of Holland was a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire from its inception until 1433. From 1433 onward it was part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading pro ...

in 1371. It had its own harbour and traded with the countries around the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

. Brielle even had its own trading colony in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. During 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 Netherlands and Spain, the

Capture of Brielle Capture may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Capture", a song by Simon Townshend * Capture (band), an Australian electronicore band previously known as Capture the Crown * ''Capture'' (TV series), a reality show Television episodes * "Chapter ...

on April 1, 1572, by Protestant rebels, the

Watergeuzen ''Geuzen'' (; ; ) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called ''Watergeuzen'' (; ; ). In the Eigh ...

, marked a turning point in the conflict, as many towns in Holland then began to support William of Orange against the Spanish Duke

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba (29 October 150711 December 1582), known as the Grand Duke of Alba (, ) in Spain and Portugal and as the Iron Duke () or shortly 'Alva' in the Netherlands, was a Spaniards, Spanish noblema ...

who was sent to pacify The Netherlands. This event is still celebrated each year on April 1 and the night before (known as Chalk Night (kalknacht) when the town is defaced with chalk - and now also white paint). Dutch students are taught a short rhyme to remember this fact, which rhyme refers to

April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. ...

: In Dutch, "de bril" is the word for "the glasses," and closely rhymes with Den Briel; as does "Fles" which stands for the town of

Vlissingen Vlissingen (; ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an importan ...

or Flushing, the next town to be captured by the Dutch rebels. After the capture of Brielle the Protestant rebels tortured and murdered the Catholic

Martyrs of Gorkum The Martyrs of Gorkum () were a group of 19 Dutch people, Dutch Catholic clerics, secular and religious, who were hanged on 9 July 1572 in the town of Brielle by militant Dutch Calvinists during the European wars of religion, 16th-century relig ...

and Brielle has become a pilgrimage location since then. In August 1585, Brielle was one of the three Dutch towns that became an English possession by the

Treaty of Nonsuch A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, conventio ...

when

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

received it as security of payment for 5000 soldiers (led by the

Earl of Leicester Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837. History Earl ...

) and used by the Dutch in their struggle against the Spanish. The first English governor of Brielle was

Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter (5 May 1542 – 8 February 1623), known as Lord Burghley from 1598 to 1605, was an English politician, courtier and soldier. Family Thomas Cecil was the elder son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, by hi ...

, succeeded by

Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway PC (1564 – 3 January 1631) was an English soldier and statesman. He was the son and heir of Sir John Conway of Arrow, and his wife Ellen or Eleanor, daughter of Sir Fulke Greville of Beauchamp's Court, Warwi ...

who named his daughter Brilliana in honour of the town. English garrisons were stationed here and at

Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places Netherlands * Flushing, Netherlands, an English name for the city of Vlissingen, Netherlands United Kingdom * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in Cornwall, England * The Flushing, a building in Suffolk, England ...

Garrett Mattingly Garrett Mattingly (May 6, 1900 – December 18, 1962) was a professor of European history at Columbia University who specialized in early modern diplomatic history. In 1960 he won a Pulitzer Prize for ''The Defeat of the Spanish Armada''. Early l ...

(1959), '' The Armada'', Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Ch. V, "Plans of Operations", p. 44.

Edmund Sheffield, 3rd Baron Sheffield Captain Edmund Sheffield, 1st Earl of Mulgrave, 3rd Baron Sheffield, (7 December 1565 – 6 October 1646) was an English peer and member of parliament, who served as Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire from 1603 to 1619 and Vice-Admiral of Yorkshi ...

governed the town from 1598. In 1617, these cities returned to the Netherlands.

Twin cities

Brielle is twinned with:

Notable people

Anneke Esaiasdochter Anneke Esaiasdochter (also ''Anna Jansz'', ''Anneken Jans'' or ''Anneke van Rotterdam''; 1509–1539), was a Dutch Anabaptist executed as a heretic and at the time regarded as a Protestant martyr. Life Anna Jansz was born in Brielle on the Dutch i ...

(1509 in Brielle – 1539), a Dutch

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

executed as a heretic, a Protestant martyr. *

Willem Bloys van Treslong Willem Bloys van Treslong (1529 – 17 July 1594) was a nobleman from the Southern Netherlands and military leader during the Dutch war of Independence. He was best known as one of the leaders of the Sea Beggars who captured Den Briel on 1 April ...

(1529–1594), a nobleman, led the

Sea Beggars ''Geuzen'' (; ; ) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called ''Watergeuzen'' (; ; ). In the Eigh ...

and the

in 1572. *

Maarten Tromp Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp or Maarten van Tromp (23 April 1598 – 31 July 1653) was an army general and admiral in the Dutch navy during much of the Eighty Years' War and throughout the First Anglo-Dutch War. Son of a ship's captain, Tromp spe ...

(1598 in Brielle – 1653), a Dutch army general and admiral in the Dutch navy *

Witte de With Witte Corneliszoon de With (28 March 1599 – 8 November 1658) was a Dutch States Navy officer who served during the Eighty Years' War and the First Anglo-Dutch War. Early life and childhood De With was born on a farmstead in the hamlet of ...

(1599 in Hoogendijk – 1658), a Dutch naval officer during 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 ...

and the

First Anglo-Dutch War The First Anglo-Dutch War, or First Dutch War, was a naval conflict between the Commonwealth of England and the Dutch Republic. Largely caused by disputes over trade, it began with English attacks on Dutch merchant shipping, but expanded to vast ...

Ludowyk Smits Caspar Smits, also known as Ludowyk Smits or Gaspar Smitz, with the surname sometimes spelt "Smith", and the Latin form "Casparus" sometimes used (1635–probably 1688), was a Dutch Golden Age painter, whose main interest today is that he was ...

(1635 in Zwartewaal – 1707), a

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 ...

painter *

Philips van Almonde Philips van Almonde (29 December 1644 – 6 January 1711) was a Dutch States Navy officer who served in his nation's maritime conflicts of the 17th and early 18th centuries. Philips was born in Brielle, Den Briel, the son of Pieter Jansz van ...

(1644 in Den Briel – 1711), a Dutch

Lieutenant Admiral The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centuries, the Dutch States ...

* Constantijn van Daalen (1884 in Brielle – 1931), a Dutch gymnast who competed in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were originally schedu ...

Toon Tellegen Antonius Otto Hermannus (Toon) Tellegen (born 18 November 1941) is a Dutch writer, poet, and physician, known for children's books, especially those featuring anthropomorphised animals, particularly those about an ant and a squirrel. His writings ...

(born 1941 in Brielle), a Dutch writer and poet, known for children's books and a physician

Gallery

Image:Brielle, Sint Catharijnekerk positie2 foto1 2011-06-26 14.21.JPG, Brielle, church: de Sint Catharijne kerk Image:Brielle, het Wellerondom foto5 2011-06-26 14.04.JPG, Brielle, monumental houses at the Wellerondom File:Briele 9-10-2004 - panoramio.jpg, Brielle - panoramio Image:Brielle, voormalig weeshuis in monumentaal pand RM10647 foto3 2011-06-26 14.16.JPG, Brielle, former orphanage Image:Brielle, monumentaal panden aan de Vischstraat 21 en 23 2011-06-26 13.07.JPG, Brielle, monumental houses Vischstraat

References

External links