Graff, Jacob Dirks de

Jacob de Graff was born in Emden to the family of Diderik (Dirk) Jans Graff and Agnis Pitresdr van Nek. He spent his childhood in Emden, and later in Amsterdam, on the street Nizel, near Oude kerk .

During the Golden Age, the de Graff dynasty was strongly opposed to the power of the Orange dynasty in the Netherlands. Together with Republicans Andris , Cornelis and Jan Bikker , de Graffs sought to abolish the statehood. They wanted complete sovereignty of individual provinces in the form in which the Dutch Republic would not be ruled by one person. Instead of a sovereign (Shdgalter) political and military power was to be represented by the General States and regents of cities. Both sons Jacob, Cornelis and Andris became the most influential regents of Holland during the First Period without a stadgalter . ^{[5] [6]}

As a representative of the de Graff dynasty and regent and mayor of Amsterdam, Jacob had the titles of Lord Zuid-Polsbruk, Lord Slothen, Niever-Amstel, Osdorp and Amstelveen . Jacob was also the owner of the land in Seype- and Hasepolder, Watergraves and Wimermere. ^[7]

De Graff studied ancient languages ​​at Leiden University . In 1597, he married Altye Bulens Lung, among their children were Cornelis, Andris, and Agneta de Graff van Polbrook , mother of Wendela Bikker , wife of Jan de Witt . De Graff was a merchant, after he became Scheffen in 1598, he was a member of the city council in 1603, and in the period up to 1638 he was elected mayor of Amsterdam six times, ^[8] first taking this post in 1611. ^[9]

As a deputy in the States of Holland and West Friesland (1615–1617), de Graff was sympathetic to Oldenbarnevelt . In 1618, as regent and mayor of Amsterdam, Jacob de Graff was deeply involved in a political crisis that swallowed the Oldenbarnevelt regime and put him on the verge of collapse. ^[8] Amsterdam was one of the cities in Holland, whose regents took the side of remonstrants and agitated for the Ostress Resolution of 1617, which allowed the city government to hold private armies called wardgelders . Counter -repairmen were against this, and Stadthall Moritz of Orange viewed this policy as a challenge to his authority as Commander-in-Chief of the US Army. On August 23, 1618, by order of the States General, Oldenbarnevelt and his main supporters, such as Hugo Grotius , Gilles van Ledenberg, Rombout Hogerbetts, were arrested. Jacob de Graff lost his political influence in the government for several years. After the political collapse of the royalist Reinier Pau in 1627, de Graff regained power. In the late 1620s and in the 1630s, he ruled the political life of the city in close cooperation with his nephew Andris Bikker . ^[eight]

De Graff died in Amsterdam, his tomb is in Oude kerk. After his death, his son Cornelis and staunch Republicans brothers Andris and Cornelis Bickers took over his duties in the city council. ^{[5] [6]}