Digitale versie - Afbeeldinge ende Levens beschryvinge van de ...

Afbeeldinge ende Levensbeschrijvinge van de
Heeren en Graven van Egmondt.
This Book describes the successive Lords and
Counts of the illustrious House of Egmont from
750 till 1707.
The House of Egmont belonged to one of the
most important early-feudal noble Houses in
Holland. The Lords and Counts of Egmont were
descendants of Kings of the old Frisian Kingdom
who ruled the Northern Territories for
almost one thousand year.
The Family of Egmont was held in great respect.
The rulers in Holland at that time, the Counts of
Holland, considered the Egmonts as loyal
advisers.
The early-feudal nobility in Holland did not
have titles. A nobleman usually was “Heer van”.
In 1486 Johan (Jan) III became Count of
Egmont through Emperor Maximiliaan I of
Habsburg. On this occasion Count Johan III
commissioned an artist to paint 24 man’s high
portraits of his ancestors in his Castle at
Egmond. This series of portraits began with
Radbodus II/I who died in 792.
The paintings (fresco’s) unfortunately were
destroyed during the looting of the Castle in
1573 by the Geuzen who were under the
command of Diederik van Sonoy, General under
Willem of Orange.
Fortunately in 1562, before the destruction of
the paintings took place, delineations have
been made for the Adelskroniek of Dirick
Woutersz.. This Adelskroniek has been preserved.
The Counts of Egmont attached great value to
the series of paintings which they considered as
a status-symbol. Therefore, Count Lamoraal I
ordered to reproduce a series of copies for his
Court in Brussels Belgium. This collection of
36 paintings with also the portrait of the last
Count of Egmont who died in 1707 finally
disappeared, however, before this happened, the
collector Kornelis van Alkmade had these
paintings delineated in Brussels.
Engelstalig Resumé
Summary
Willem de IIe, Zoon van Gerard de IIe. Heer van Egmond,
troude Ada Blancha Maria, Dochter van den Hertog van
Milanen, Prins van St. Piere, gelogeert in het Paleijs vande
welgemelde Hertog op zijn tweede reijs van Jeruzalem, bij
welke hij gehad heeft een Zoon Gerard, en twee Dochters,
Aleid getroud met de Heer van Ligtenburg, en Helena die
de Vrow is geweest van den Burggraaf van Leijden;
Hij was een onvertraagd ende strijdbaar Prins. Hij is verkoren
tot Generaal en Stadhouder vande Graven van Holland,
Zeeland, ende Heerlijkheid van Vriesland, geduerende de
minderjaarigheid van dezelve. Hij is gestorven den 29
Maart 1304, hebbende geregeert 62 jaaren, en begraven
inde Abdije.
The Adelskroniek of Dirick Woutersz. with the
inserted delineated portraits has already been
published once before in 1968 in the Yearbook
of the Zottegemse Cultural Foundation. The
delineations of van Alkemade have never been
published. The intention came up to prepare a
renewed publication of the Adelskroniek
because the first publication only had limited
copies and therefore hardly available for those
concerned.
Hfdst. 71 - Bl. 01
586