Meindert van Ham (Meinhard von Hamm, or Meinert van (den) Hamm(e)) ( 1470 – after 1545) was an army commander from

Hamm Hamm may refer to: Places ;Germany: * Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia, a city north-east of Dortmund * Hamm (Sieg), a municipality in the eponymous ''Verbandsgemeinde'' in the district of Altenkirchen, Rhineland-Palatinate * Hamm, Bitburg-Prüm, part ...

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

. He commanded an army of

Landsknechts The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were German mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line was f ...

and offered his services to several rulers. He fought for

Balthasar Oomkens von Esens Balthasar Oomkens von Esens (c. 1500 – 1540) was an East Frisian nobleman who died during the siege of his castle in Esens by the Bremen army. He was described by his partisans as the last true Frisian freedom fighter, although some decried hi ...

Christian III of Denmark Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...

George, Duke of Saxony George the Bearded ( Meissen, 27 August 1471 – Dresden, 17 April 1539) was Duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539 known for his opposition to the Reformation. While the Ernestine line embraced Lutheranism, the Albertines (headed by George) were ...

and

Charles of Guelders Charles II (9 November 1467 – 30 June 1538) was a member of the House of Egmond who ruled as Duke of Guelders and Count of Zutphen from 1492 until his death. He had a principal role in the Frisian peasant rebellion and the Guelders Wars. Lif ...

. He was a contemporary of

Maarten van Rossum Maarten van Rossum ( 1478 – June 7, 1555) was a military tactician of the duchy of Guelders who became field marshal in the service of Charles, Duke of Guelders. He was greatly feared outside his home country for the ruthless manner in wh ...

and served several years as his right hand. In 1536, during the

Guelders Wars The Guelders Wars (, German: ''Geldrische Erbfolgekriege'') were a series of conflicts in the Low Countries between the Duke of Burgundy, who controlled Holland, Flanders, Brabant, and Hainaut on the one side, and Charles, Duke of Guelders, ...

, Meindert van Ham occupied and terrorized the

Ommelanden The ''Ommelanden'' (; ) are the parts of Groningen province that surround Groningen city. Usually mentioned as synonym for the province in the expression ("city and surrounding lands"). The area was Frisian-speaking, but under the influence ...

with 3,000 men, until he was defeated in the

Battle of Heiligerlee (1536) The Battle of Heiligerlee (5 August 1536) was a battle during the Guelders Wars, in which the Danish allies of Charles of Guelders, under command of Meindert van Ham, were defeated by Habsburg forces under Georg Schenck van Toutenburg. In 1 ...

Georg Schenck van Toutenburg Georg Schenck van Toutenburg (German - ''Georg Schenk von Tautenburg'') (1480 – 2 February 1540) was Stadhouder of Friesland (1521-1540). Later he was also Stadholder of Overijssel, Drenthe and Groningen. His son Frederick was the firs ...

and Philip de Lalaing. He was captured and was held prisoner at Vilvoorde for a long time. What became of him after his release is unknown.Van der Aa, Biographisch woordenboek der Nederlanden, 8/1 (Haarlem, 1867), 127–128. He also composed some poems and songs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ham, Meindert Van 1470s births 16th-century deaths 16th-century German military personnel History of Groningen (province) Year of death uncertain Military personnel from Hamm 16th-century people from the Holy Roman Empire