During the time of Prince Maurits of Orange, then 22 year old Jan van der Merwede lived with his family in Vianen. Proud and with great promise he served his family and country as the Standard Bearer in the regiment of Cassiopijn in the year 1624.

Nobleman Jan was the young son of the Mayor of Vianen. He also had an older half-brother named Hendrik from the first marriage of his father Daniël. Hendrik later became the head of the Groningen branch of the van der Merwede's. Hendrik was Magistrate of Vianen and was the representative of Walraven III van Brederode during his absences and frequently stayed at the Batestein in Vianen.

In 1603 Hendrik became the captain of Groningen and in 1621 Lieutenant-Colonel in Heidelberg. In 1626 he became Colonel in the state army of Earl Reinaert van Solms, family of the wife of Prince Frederik Hendrik van Orange Nassau.

Colonel Hendrik had the reputation of a "harsh military man", who had the greatest possible contempt for the citizenry. He was feared when he stayed in their city, as there were occasions, face red with anger he walked towards, and was frequently aggressive towards them. He was renowned as an eccentric potentate, but also as a notoriously brave officer; someone who entirely lived for his nobility, country and militarism. Thus he had to promise to his superiors that he would obey their orders at all times so as to receive his appointment in Groningen. Hendrik had, as it happens, the inclination to act entirely without authorization. Not only Hendrik had to make these promises but also his brother Carel van der Merwede, another half-brother of Jan. He had, in writing, to promise his father Daniël "to behave himself". So they would not forget, Daniël told them it would mean that they would lose their complete inheritance. Nobleman Carel never quite managed to keep that promise.

Colonel Hendrik and his brother Carel were the sons of lord Daniël van der Merwede and Vrouwe Margaretha van de Pas. Daniël was the son of lord Jan van der Merwede who was a member of the Knighthood of the Netherlands and was married to Vrouwe Elisabeth van Santwijck, daughter of lord Hendrik Sweerts Assuerusson van Santwijck. His brother Cornelis van Santwijk governed then as the Mayor of Vianen. It is clear how the van der Merwede's in Vianen rightly belonged to the ruling class.

Aforementioned knight Jan, in 1540 accompanied emperor Karel V of Spain during his travels in the Netherlands. In 1559 he presided over the welcome in Dordrecht of Philip II of Spain, presenting Philip II to the entire Dutch nobility. Jan died in 1580 at the ripe age of 92!

(Image at left is that of Karel V of Spain.)

Then lord Daniël van der Merwede, after his first wife had died, gave all the children from that marriage their portion of the inheritance: farms and land in Megen, and the city Ravensteyn that was under their jurisdiction.

In 1599 Daniël married again, this time in The Hague, with Vrouwe Johanna van Cassiopijn. She was the daughter of lord Dominicus Thomasson van Cassiopijn and Vrouwe Eva Cornelis van Santwijck. Both originated from rich regent families. Vrouwe Eva’s father was captain, and later mayor of the same city, and very well known in Vianen.

The Green Standard Bearer:


Approximately a year after the marriage of Daniël and Johanna a child was born that they named Eva. Two years later the next child came, this time a son. He was named Jan. Twelve years after his birth Daniël died in August 1614. He was ceremoniously buried in the church of Vianen in a richly decorated tomb. Above his tomb, also to his memory, a splendid shield hung with the family arms of the van der Merwede's.

Now we come to Jan, with which this tale has started. In contrast with his half-brothers, Jan had a totally different nature because he missed the arrogance in his character, something that his brothers received a “small” surplus of.

Jan, as history shows us, would have been better served staying at home with mother in Vianen. Below we can read what he himself has filed on the 30 September 1624 to Mr. Warmenhuyzen who was the notary in The Hague at that time.

In the month of May, 1624 this young man of a rich family was often thirsty and headed for a tavern in Heusden, always to the same inn owned by the Coppenhagen family. Margriete, the innkeeper, always had designs for Jan and her daughter. With that in mind they got him frequently drunk, so that that one day he was taken by the mother and daughter "with wine and beer in hand", secretly from the Protestant sector of Heusden to the pastor of the Roman Catholic sector to be married.

So that the marriage was certain, the mother had the marriage repeated once more in the Protestant sector in Vianen. The family van der Merwede did not know of the marriage until that Sunday morning as it was declared from the pulpit. They immediately went into an uproar. Jan, being a gentleman and despite his families objections felt obliged to fulfill his marital obligation.

Jan and his new wife did not live together in the beginning due to the family problems caused from the union. Jan gradually started to go to Heusden to visit his wife. As it turned out his new bride was not as innocent as he thought. His bride frequently entertained men from the garrison that were regularly housed there. Jan had been greatly disappointed. He wished such a marriage could be annulled. Young Jan decided that they would never receive an inheritance from him! He willed everything he owned to his blood sister Eva. Here is his signature from the authenticated certificate.

Unfortunately history never told us how things went from this point on for the bride and her mother after they had discovered that their plans had not worked as expected. Embarrassed, Jan left Heusden with his regiment on a ship under the guidance of his cousin captain Dominicus Cassiopijn, with the destination of the West Indies. Two years later a letter arrived for the family; Jan had died and had been buried in the West Indies, at only 24 years old.

Epilog:


Eva received the inheritance of her brother. Because there was nothing more in Vianen for her, she established herself in The Hague. There she lived together with her mothers family Cassiopijn. With them she found the comforts she left behind in Vianen. Always dwelling on her suffered experiences, her brother Jan always in her thoughts, Vrouwe Eva have never married. She became somewhat of a spinster, because documents tell us that she was still alive and unwed in 1670.

The family of Cassiopijn originated in Spain. Don Sancho Cassiopijn was born in Laredo in North Spain and traveled in the late 15th century to Middelburg. His son Thomas became Procurator-General in The Hague. The family was soon considered to be among the regent families of The Hague. The Cassiopijn family was partly Protestant and partly Catholic. Painter Anthonie of Dijck, Peter Pauwel Rubens and Hugo large were good friends of the family. The Cassiopijn family lived in The Hague at Kneuterdijk, Noordeinde 66.

Captain Dominicus van Cassiopijn survived his travel to the West Indies and afterwards became major in the regiment of Prince van Orange and also commander of Fort Crevecoeur. Later he became Lieutenant-Colonel, commander of a regiment infantry and at the end of his career was the governor of Geertruidenberg and Willemstad, where he lived royally in the former hunting destination of Prince Maurits, also called "Prinsenhof". He died there on 6 January 1651.