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Heeswijk Castle () is a
moated castle A water castle, sometimes water-castle, is a castle which incorporates a natural or artificial body of water into its defences.Forde-Johnston (1979), p. 163. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbo ...
near Heeswijk in the Dutch province of
North Brabant North Brabant ( ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, Dutch Brabant or Hollandic Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to ...
.


Location

Heeswijk Castle was built on a meander of the small River Aa. The 20th century canalized Aa now flows at some distance of the Castle. However, in the early decades of the 21st century the original bed of the Aa closer to the castle, was restored and now gets enough water. The Aa was crucial for transporting heavy goods between
's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...
and
Helmond Helmond (; called ''Hèllemond'' in the local dialect) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of ...
, and perhaps even somewhat higher upstream. This gave an economic reason to build the castle on the river. On the other hand, the Aa was a barrier for east–west movement, especially by armies. This also gave the castle a strategic position, which it would keep for centuries.


The Building

The main castle has been built on top of an old
motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortificati ...
. In the cellar there is a
loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...
layer containing fragments of
bog iron Bog iron is a form of impure iron deposit that develops in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in solution. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite (FeO(OH)). Iron-beari ...
and
tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock co ...
, remnants of the first castle. There are also 14th century wall fragments visible in the cellars. Here the outer walls reach a thickness of three meters. Aboveground most of the main castle is 15th and 16th century, but the semi-circular form of the older parts still betrays its motte origin. The old part has two round towers on the corners, and one old overhanging tower. The bridge leading to the inner courtyard ends on the base of a disappeared square gate tower. The big round tower, the gallery connected to it, and the armory to which the gallery connects are all nineteenth century additions. This is also the case for the round tower pasted to the eastern façade. Nevertheless, the big tower was built on top of older foundation. Therefore, these additions probably did not enlarge the ground plan of the castle that much, even though they may have made it more square. The
outer bailey An outer bailey or outer ward is the defended outer enclosure of a castle.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 22. It protects the inner bailey and usually contains those ancillary bui ...
is a fine example of sixteenth century construction. It was built of alternating rows of brick and stone, creating a striped façade. It also has nice features like
stepped gable A stepped gable, crow-stepped gable, or corbie step is a stairstep type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building. The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the top of the brick or stone wall is stacked in ...
s and
cross-window A cross-window is a window whose lights are defined by a mullion and a transom, forming a cross.Curl, James Stevens (2006). ''Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture'', 2nd ed., OUP, Oxford and New York, p. 214. . The Late ...
s. The bailey is surrounded a wall in the same striped façade style.


History


Medieval times

The original motte-and-bailey castle was erected in 1080. The first mentioned Lord of Heeswijk was Amelricus van Heeswijk mentioned in the twelfth century. Later that century a Hubertus van Heeswijk was mentioned. In the thirteenth the Lords that gave their name to the castle were succeeded by Walraven of Bentheim from the family of the
Counts of Bentheim Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
. Walraven was still alive in 1308. That year Count Jan of Megen was in control of the lordship, and he remained so till his death in about 1346. After that Jan van Bentheim grandson of Walraven, became Lord of Heeswijk. In a 1359 act
Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg Wenceslaus I (also ''Wenceslas'', ''Venceslas'', ''Wenzel'', or ''Václav'', often called Wenceslaus of Bohemia in chronicles) (25 February 1337 – 7 December 1383) was the first Duke of Luxembourg from 1354. He was the son of John of Bohemi ...
and his wife
Joanna, Duchess of Brabant Joanna (24 June 1322 – 1 December 1406) was a ruling duchess of Brabant from 1355 until her death. She was duchess of Brabant until the occupation of the duchy by her brother-in-law Louis II of Flanders. Following her death, the rights to the ...
declared that Heeswijk and half of Dinther were within Brabant, but that Jan van Benthem had joined the war against
County of Flanders The County of Flanders was one of the most powerful political entities in the medieval Low Countries, located on the North Sea coast of modern-day Belgium and north-eastern France. Unlike the neighbouring states of Duchy of Brabant, Brabant and ...
voluntarily. That is, his goods were
allod Allod, deriving from Frankish language, Frankish ''alōd'' meaning "full ownership" (from ''al'' "full, whole" and ''ōd'' "property, possession"; Medieval Latin ''allod'' or ''allodium''), also known as allodial land or proprietary property, was ...
, i.e. not on loan from anybody. (The other half of Dinther was owned by Jan van Berlaer, Lord of Helmond). Such a voluntary involvement did create enemies, and in 1371 and 1372 Heeswijk Castle was attacked by
Guelders The Duchy of Guelders (; ; ) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in present-day Germany. Though the present pr ...
and the
Duchy of Jülich The Duchy of Jülich (; ; ) comprised a state within the Holy Roman Empire from the 11th to the 18th centuries. The duchy lay west of the Rhine river and was bordered by the Electorate of Cologne to the east and the Duchy of Limburg to the wes ...
. Jan van Benthem could maintain himself in Heeswijk, and so he 'sold' to Knight Dirk de Rover in 1374. Walraven of Bentheim son of Jan regained the estate in 1379, and so the transaction might not have been a final sale. Walraven sold the lordship to Willem van der Aa. Willem van der Aa was
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'' ...
of 's-Hertogenbosch in 1388, 1392 and 1401. He was also a knight, and Lord of
Nieuw-Herlaer Castle Nieuw-Herlaer Castle is a manor in Sint-Michielsgestel, the Netherlands. It contains a tower which was part of the preceding castle. Location Nieuw-Herlaar Castle is on the east bank of the Dommel, about a hundred meters from the hamlet Hald ...
. He fought in the 1371
Battle of Baesweiler The Battle of Baesweiler (22 August 1371) was a conflict between the duke of Luxembourg- Brabant and the Duke of Jülich. Background Attacks on Brabant's commercial interests in the territory of the Duke of Jülich had almost caused war in Nov ...
, and was captured and ransomed during that war. In 1387 he made the Lordship of Heeswijk and half of Dinther a loan of Brabant, and then also received the other half of Dinther. In 1398 Guelders troops burned down the villages of Heeswijk and Dinther, but could not conquer the castle. Willem van der Aa sold the Lordship of Heeswijk and Dinther in 1405. By 1409 he was dead. Knight Hendrick van der Lek (1354–1427) would become the next lord. His father was the influential
John II, Lord of Polanen John II, Lord of Polanen ( – 3 November 1378 in Breda) was Lord of Polanen, Lord of De Lek and Lord of Breda. Known as Lord of Polanen, Lord of the Lek, and Lord of Breda In late Medieval times, noblemen were generally known for the most ...
(c. 1325–1378). As a younger son Hendrick did not succeed to the main part of his father's estate, which included the Lordship of Breda. In 1401 he was imprisoned by the citizens of 's-Hertogenbosch. It led to a conflict which ended with the Duchess paying a ransom for him. In 1405 Hendrick bought Heeswijk and Dinther. Hendrick became Hofmeister of
John IV, Duke of Brabant John IV, Duke of Brabant (11 June 1403 – 17 April 1427) was the son of Antoine, Duke of Brabant, Antoine of Burgundy, Duke of Brabant, Duke of Brabant, Lothier and Limburg and his first wife Jeanne of Saint-Pol. He was the second Brabantian ...
. He also fought for his master, and was a member of the
Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Blessed Lady The Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Blessed Lady (Illustre Lieve Vrouwe Broederschap) was a religious confraternity founded in 1318 in 's-Hertogenbosch to promote the veneration of the Mother of God. The brotherhood was organized around a carved woo ...
in 's-Hertogenbosch. Hendrick first married Maria of Diest, which marriage remained childless. He next married Joanna of Ghistelles. Hendrick van der Lek had two daughters by Joanna of Ghistelles. The oldest, Jeanne became Lady of Heeswijk and Dinther in 1427. She married Jan van Cuyck Lord of Hoogstraten. Jeanne did without offspring in 1454 and was buried in 's-Hertogenbosch. The younger daughter Elselina married Eustache de Bousies lord of Vertaing, Feluy, Gosselies, Rommeries etc. in 1446. Their second son Pieter de Bousies lord of Vertaing would inherit all of his aunt Jeanne's estate. In 1471 he was appointed as high
schout In Dutch language, Dutch-speaking areas, a ''schout'' was a local official appointed to carry out administrative, law enforcement and prosecutorial tasks. The office was abolished with the introduction of administrative reforms during the Napoleon ...
of 's-Hertogenbosch and the
Meierij The Meierij van 's-Hertogenbosch (; Dutch for "Bailiwick of 's-Hertogenbosch") was one of the four parts of the Duchy of Brabant, the others being the Margraviate of Antwerp, the County of Brussels and the County of Leuven/Louvain. Located in th ...
, but his investment was prevented by him not having been born in the Meierij. In 1473 he married for the second time, to Margaretha of Culemborg heiress of Jan van Culemborg Lord of Boxmeer and Spalbeek. Pieter led the militia of 's-Hertogenbosch in many wars against Guelders. In one of these he died near
Heerewaarden Heerewaarden is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Maasdriel, and lies about 8 km south of Tiel. Heerewaarden was a separate municipality until 1999, except for a short period between 1818 and ...
on 22 April 1479. Margaretha of Culemborg, widow of Pieter de Bousies remarried to Willem van Egmond Stadholder of Guelders. Their daughter Anna brought Boxmeer, Haps, Stevensweert and Spalbeek to the Counts of 's-Heerenberg by marrying Willem III van den Bergh. The property of Pieter de Bousies could did not move with his widow, but was inherited by his sisters: Margaretha, Anthonia, Johanna and Isabella. The first three sisters died as a member of a religious order. In 1485 the Count of Oettingen became lord of Heeswijk and Dinther on account of his wife being a daughter of Isabella.


16th century

Cornelis of Glymes Cornelis of Glymes or Cornelis of Bergen (1 April 1458 – 1508/1509) was an Admiral of the Netherlands. He was born in Wouw, the second son of John II of Glymes (1417–1494), Lord of Bergen op Zoom, and his wife Margaretha of Rouveroy. His elde ...
called 'De Berges' (1458-1508/1509) Lord of Zevenbergen became the next lord by purchase in 1499. Cornelis fought in the Battle of Tienen in 1482. He was the Hofmeister of
Philip the Fair Philip IV (April–June 1268 – 29 November 1314), called Philip the Fair (), was King of France from 1285 to 1314. By virtue of his marriage with Joan I of Navarre, he was also King of Navarre and Count of Champagne as Philip I from ...
, and became a Knight of the
Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...
in 1500. In 1513 Cornelis became governor of Grave. He also became lord of Melun and Grevenbroeck. He married Maria Magdalena van Strijen lady of Zevenbergen, Noordeloos, Heemskerk and Capelle aan de IJssel. All of which were added to his estate. After the death of Cornelis de Glymes most of his estate went to his sons, and finally his younger sister Maria de Glymes married to Louis de Ligne Baron of Barbançon. The Lordship of Heeswijk and Dinther first went to Cornelis' oldest son Maximilian. He was invested in December 1509. During his rule the Guelders army invaded and burned the area in 1512–1513, but did not succeed in capturing Heeswijk Castle. Maximilian was succeeded by his brother Leonard de Glymes, who became lord in 1521. He died in 1523 and was succeeded by his younger brother
Corneille of Berghes Corneille of Berghes or de Glymes-Berghes (1490?–1560?) was Prince-bishop of Liège between 1538 and 1544. Corneille of Berghes was the youngest son of Cornelis of Glymes, Admiral of the Netherlands and Maria Margaretha van Zevenbergen. First ...
(1490?-1560?), prince bishop of Liège in 1538. Corneille sold Heeswijk and Dinther in 1555 to Johan I of East Frisia, a non-ruling count of that house. For 60,000 guilders the count also got: a watermill in Middelrooy and a windmill in Schijndel with the farm of Veerdonc and others. Johan married Dorothea of Austria (1516–1572) a bastard of
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death in 1519. He was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed hi ...
, heiress of Falkenburg, Durbuy and Halem, lady in waiting to Queen Maria of Hungary.


The Eighty Years' War

The Eighty Years' War reached the environs on 's-Hertogenbosch in 1572-1573 when first
Gorinchem Gorinchem ( ), pronunciation respelling, also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality 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 . The munici ...
and
Zaltbommel Zaltbommel (), also known, historically and colloquially, as Bommel, is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. History The city of Zaltbommel The town of Zaltbommel was first mentioned as "Bomela" in the year 850. Zaltbommel received ...
, and then
Geertruidenberg Geertruidenberg () is a city and municipality in the province North Brabant in the south of the Netherlands. The city, named after Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, received city rights in 1213 from the count of Holland. The fortified city prospered u ...
joined the Dutch Republic. In 1578 Heeswijk Castle got a Republican garrison of 20 men under Jaques de Wale. The mighty fortress 's-Hertogenbosch finally joined the Spanish side in 1579. For the defense of the countryside it then had to rely on a string of castles and sconces and a few small cities. Heeswijk Castle had switched sides by the end of 1579, and was one of these. Maximilian of Ostfriesland (1553-1591?), son of Johan and Dorothea became lord of Heeswijk and Dinther in 1574. Maximilian was governor and captain-general of Luxembourg. He married Barabara de Lalaing, sister of the stadholder of Groningen. Maximilian at first succeeded in taking responsibility for Heeswijk's defense. He had a son Werner and a daughter named Dorothea. Werner succeeded his father. He was married to Johanna of Merode Houfalize. in 1599 the governor of 's-Hertogenbosch took command of the castle. On 1 November 1601 the army of
Maurice of Nassau Maurice of Orange (; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death on 23 April 1625. Before he became Prince of Orange upo ...
appeared before Heeswijk Castle. As usual the garrison was summoned to surrender. The subsequent refusal to surrender was kind of exceptional for a castle. An assault followed, but was repealed. A few days later the castle was found to be deserted. This was not so strange, because the garrison could not expect quarter after this. In the end 's-Hertogenbosch and Heeswijk stayed on the Spanish sided till the 1609 truce. Near the end of the
Twelve Years' Truce The Twelve Years' Truce was a ceasefire during the Eighty Years' War between Habsburg Spain, Spain and the Dutch Republic, agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609 and ended on 9 April 1621. While European powers like Kingdom of France, France began tre ...
(1609-1621) new rulers were appointed at Heeswijk. Werner of Ostfriesland died in 1620, and left only a bastard Maria. His sister Dorothea married lieutenant general James 't Serclaes (?-1624) older brother of
Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly (; ; ; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League's forces in the Thirty Years' War. From 1620 to 1631, he won an unmatched and demoralizing string of important victo ...
and got Jan Werner. Jan Werner 't Serclaes Count of Tilly, Bannerman of Marbaix, Lord of Montigny (?-1668) became the next Lord of Heeswijk and Dinther in 1621. Maria of Ostfriesland, the bastard of Werner also acceded in 1621. In 1629
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Frederick Henry (; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from his older half-brother's death on 23 April 1625 until his ...
captured Heeswijk Castle and 's-Hertogenbosch. Maria of Ostfriesland married Hendrik van den Berg, and died in 1633. Jan Werner 't Serclaes then also succeeded to her part in 1633. He became the prime heir to his famous uncle. On 14 March 1633 Jan Werner married Maria Françoise de Montmorency, but the next generation of the Tilly's would not get Heeswijk, in 1647 it was sold.


17th and 18th century

On 20 April 1647 Dirk van Cattenburgh, presiding schepen of 's-Hertogenbosch and Joost van Hedickhuysen, Lord of Eckart bought the Lordship of Heeswijk and Dinther. Dirk had been schepen of 's-Hertogenbosch 1640-1643 and in 1646 he became presiding schepen. He died in 1653. Joost van Hedickhuysen was of unknown origin. He lived at close by Seldensate Manor, but died already in October 1647. Jonkheer Matthijs van Asperen, captain in the Dutch army then bought Heeswijk and Dinther in 1649 and became the official lord in May 1650. Matthijs later became a colonel and commander of 's-Hertogenbosch. In 1655 he gave a guarantee on Heeswijk to his creditor Geraert Maes, a jeweller from The Hague. In 1672 the
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
king
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
stayed at Heeswijk Castle during his campaign against 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 ...
. Geraert Maes' widow Elisabeth Lasson became the next proprietor in 1679. In 1684 Jacobus van der Hoeven succeeded to Heeswijk. He married Agatha Briel, related to the Van Beresteyn's (cf. Maurick Castle) and died in 1691. His widow succeeded. In 1699 their son Jacob van der Hoeven became Lord of Heeswijk. He was in turn succeeded by his son Jacob, who became lord in 1719 and who died in 1739. Mr. Cornelis Speelman became the next lord in 1740, because he had married Jacob's sister Agatha van der Hoeven in 1716. Cornelis was a grandson of
Cornelis Speelman Cornelis Janszoon Speelman (2 March 1628 – 11 January 1684) was Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1681 to 1684. Cornelis Janszoon Speelman was the son of a Rotterdam merchant. He was born on 2 March 1628. In his 16th year, he left ...
(1628-1684),
Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies The governor-general of the Dutch East Indies (, ) represented Dutch rule in the Dutch East Indies between 1610 and Dutch recognition of the independence of Indonesia in 1949. Occupied by Japanese forces between 1942 and 1945, followed by the ...
. Cornelis became schepen in 's-Hertogenbosch, and died in 1746. He was succeeded by mr. Jacob Speelman (1722-1787), who made an impressive career in Leiden. In 1788 he was succeeded by his son mr. Cornelis Jacob Speelman (1747-1825). During his tenure the French general
Pichegru Jean-Charles Pichegru (; 16 February 1761 – 5 April 1804) was a French general of the Revolutionary Wars. Under his command, French troops overran Belgium and the Netherlands before fighting on the Rhine front. His royalist positions led to h ...
used the castle as his headquarters. The French period also meant the abolition of the feudal rights. Cornelis Jacob was succeeded by his son Abraham Florentius (1784-1840), but in 1834 the family sold their property in Heeswijk and Dinther.


Collector Baron van den Bogaerde van Terbrugge

In 1834, Baron Andreas van den Bogaerde van Terbrugge, governor of North Brabant, bought Heeswijk Castle, which by then had fallen into disrepair. He immediately started reconstruction works on a large scale. The castle was also enlarged with an armory. He also added the so-called 'Iron Tower'. Here the growing collection of art objects and curiosities collected by the baron and his sons, Louis and Donat was stored. In 1836 Van den Bogaerde van Terbrugge and six others founded the , a society that would grow to become the Noordbrabants Museum.


The Museum

The castle was restored in 2005. The current castle museum attempts to reflect the life and traditions of the middle of the 19th century. Following the recent restorations, guided tours of the castle are offered. The armory of the castle is used as a wedding location by the municipality
Bernheze Bernheze () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. It was formed as a rename of Heesch, Netherlands, Heesch in 1995. The municipalities of Heeswijk-Dinther and Nistelrode ...
. Under the promenade cellar roofs (wedding) receptions can be held and the
carriage house A ''carriage house'', also called a ''remise'' or ''coach house'', is a term used in North America to describe an outbuilding that was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and their related tack. Carriage houses were often two ...
of the castle accommodates training facilities as well as congress and presentation rooms.


See also

*
List of castles in the Netherlands This is a list of castles in the Netherlands per province. Overview of castles in the Netherlands Drenthe See also '' List of havezates in Drenthe'' Flevoland Friesland See '' List of stins in Friesland'' Gelderland Groningen See '' Lis ...


References

* * *


Notes


External links


Castle Heeswijk
extensive website (in Dutch).
TV series De Wandeling, Season 1
by Omroep Brabant in (in Dutch). The cellars and exterior.
TV series De Wandeling, Season 6
by Omroep Brabant in (in Dutch). Mostly about the interior. {{Authority control Culture of the Netherlands Historic house museums in the Netherlands Castles in North Brabant Museums in North Brabant Rijksmonuments in North Brabant Bernheze