Thierk Hiddes de Vries ( West Frieze. Tsjerk Hiddes de Vries , Netherlands. Tjerk Hiddes de Vries ; Sexbirum , August 6, 1622 - Vlissingen , August 6, 1666 ) - Frisian admiral and naval hero of the 17th century.
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Childhood and Youth
Thierck was born in 1622 in the province of Friesland , in the village of Sexbirum , in the family of a poor farmer nicknamed Hidde Siurds and his wife Swab Tierirkdohter. From the age of twelve he began to work at sea. In 1648, he married Nannetye Atses; the couple settled in Harlingen , the main port of Friesland. He began his career in the merchant navy and in 1654 he received the rank of skipper.
Fleet Career
During the Northern War, Thierk was appointed captain of the ship for transporting Judit troops, which in 1658 was part of the expeditionary fleet under the command of Lieutenant Admiral Jacob van Wassenar Obdam to lift the Swedish siege from Copenhagen . In a battle in Öresund, Judit sailors boarded and captured three Swedish ships. Thierck was awarded for this promotion to the deputy captain of the Admiralty of Friesland, one of the five autonomous admiralties of the Netherlands. In practice, however, he remained a merchant.
During the Second Anglo-Dutch War on March 27, 1665 Thierck was already appointed captain. He commanded d'Elf Steden in the Battle of Lowoft , showing great personal courage to free his ship from its hitch with other Dutch ships that were burning, set ablaze by English firewalls. This battle ended in a severe defeat for the Dutch, especially for those who stood out against the background of total incompetence during the battle with their courage. Such heroes have earned popular fame. Thierk sharply criticized his deceased Supreme Commander-in-Chief van Wassenar Obdam in a written report. In particular, he wrote about the reasons for the defeat: "First of all, the Almighty Lord deprived our commander in chief of reason - or never gave him from the beginning." The Council of the Admiralty of Friesland, due to the need to replace also the murdered lieutenant admiral of the Navy of Friesland, Auke Stellingwerf , and also taking into account the mood of the public, on June 29, 1665 appointed Tierk as lieutenant admiral of Friesland. Thus, he was immediately promoted to two ranks, which was not uncommon in the Netherlands fleet of that century.
Typically, the Frisian fleet was relatively small, but due to the emergency situation, the province made a significant contribution to the navy by building 28 new ships. Thierk oversaw the formation of the most powerful naval forces ever equipped with Friesland.
In the Four-Day Battle, Thierk, now calling himself de Vries ("frieze"), was the second oldest in command of the squadron of Zeeland Lt. Admiral Cornelis Evertsen Sr. After Evertsen was killed on the first day of the battle, Thierck became commander of the squadron, remaining on his flagship Grotto Frisia . He fought especially well on the last, fourth day of the battle, making a significant contribution to the victory of the Netherlands. Six weeks later, in the Battle of St. Jacob's Day, he was killed, being the second oldest in command of the squadron of Lieutenant Admiral Johan Evertsen , when the squadron was unable to reorganize into the correct wake line during the calm and was scattered by Prince Rupert's squadron. Tierka was shot at his arm and leg, while he unsuccessfully tried to rally his forces. His crippled ship drifted away, and only the next day he was found by the Dutch rearguard under the command of Cornelis Tromp . The wounded Frisian admiral was quickly brought ashore to Vlissingen , but died of wounds on his birthday on August 6, 1666.
After death
Thierk Hiddes was buried at the Grotto Kirk in Harlingen; his tombstone was later destroyed. Four days after his death, his son, Thierk Hiddes Jr., was born, who was soon pre-recorded as captain by the admiralty in memory of his father, and Thierk Jr. really became a captain. De Vries as lieutenant admiral of Friesland on March 16, 1667 was replaced by Baron Hans Willem van Aylva.
Thierk in the 18th and 19th centuries gained fame as a Frisian national hero. In 1932, a Dutch writer wrote a book about him: Thierk Hiddes, Frisian naval hero.
- ↑ Tjerck Hiddes de Vries - 2009.