Pier Gerlofs Donia
Pier Gerlofs Donia of Kimswerd (1480? - October 28th 1520) was a warrior clippings, a Pirate, a rebel and a popular hero. It is more known under the names clippings Grutte Pier , Dutch Grote Pier or Lange Pier or Latin Pierius Magnus . These nicknames refer to its big exceptional size and its physical force. If its life is known today for us mainly thanks to legendary accounts, there is however no doubt as for the reality of its existence.
While being based on a description of a contemporary of Pier, Petrus Thaborita, the historian of the 19th century Conrad Busken Huet wrote that, according to annals, “Pier was solid like a tower, extremely like an ox, of dark dye, broad of shoulders and wore a long black beard. A frank humorist of nature, which by unfortunate circumstances was transformed into rough dreadful. On the way of personal revenge for the bloody injustice which struck it (in 1515) with the murder as of his and the destruction of its property, he became a combatant of the legendary freedom of stature. ”
Youth and family
Grutte Pier is born Pier Gerlofs Donia (or more simply Pier Gerlofs), roughly in 1480 in Kimswerd, Wonseradeel, in Frise. It belongs to a phratry of at least four newborns of the union of Gerloff Piers and Fokel Sybrants Bonga About 1495 it marries Rintze Syrtsema, which gives him two children: a girl, Wobble, born with the neighborhoods of 1500, and a son, Gerlof, born in 1506. The sister of Pier, Tijdt Gerlofs and her husband, Anne Pijbes, would become later the guards of the children of Pier. Pier and his Anne brother-in-law join to cultivate the grounds of the field of Meylsmastate with Kimswerd. Pier is downward direct powerful chief clippings Haring Harinxma (1323-1404) by the branch of Heeg, potentate of Westergo He is moreover the cousin with the third degree of Jancko Douwama
Reasons of its combat
Pier Gerlofs is in the beginning a simple farmer of the north of the Plank of the 16th century, living at the village of Kimswerd, close to the town of Harlingen. Its village is plundered in 1515 by Zwarte Hoop, a band of mercenaries, at the time of a Civil war between Schieringers and Vetkopers. The first are opposed to the joint domination of the Bourguignons and Habsbourg S on the Netherlands, while the seconds are partisans. During the setting with bag of Kimswerd, one supposes that the woman of Pier Gerlfos, Rintze Syrtsema, is Viol ée and assassinated. For this reason, Gerlofs launches out in a Guerilla against the party of Burgundian and is combined with Charles d' Egmond, duke of Gelre (1492 - 1538), more enthusiastic opposing of the duke of Burgundy Philippe Ier de Castille (1494 - 1506) and of its son after him, Charles Quint (1515 - 1555).
A group of warriors
The faction armed with Piers Gerlofs, known under the name of Arumer Zwarte Hoop, is a group of Pirate S mainly active on sea against their fellow-citizens Dutch and the Burgundian ones. Many ships English and Netherlander fall between their hands, mainly in the Zuiderzee. At the time of the greatest battle of its career, in 1515, Piers Gerlofs captures twenty-eight Dutch ships, which is worth to him to be seen called “the Cross of the Dutchmen”. It autoproclame then “King of the Clippings”.
The following years, he plays a great part in several naval actions of Zuiderzee and is particularly active in 1517, when he uses his “vessel-beacons” to attack ships in the area of the Western Friesian coast towards which he embarks troops of the duke of Gelre. He decides to be installed on the shore with Medemblik. Gerlofs dedicates a savage hatred as well at the town of Medemblik as to its inhabitants, since a few months before, soldiers originating in the city collaborated with the Dutch armies, then under the control of Charles Quint. June 24th, 1517, Grutte Pier and its Arumer Zwarte Hoop, consistent in some: 4000 men of Plank and Gelre, sail for the Western Plank, doubling Enkhuizen to unload with Wervershoof and finally to make walk on Medemblik. The city falls in little time; many inhabitants are killed, of many other captive facts. Some are released in exchange of strong Rançon S. Enfin, a small portion of the population of the city will seek refuge with the castle of Medemblik. The lord of the manor, Joost van Buren, succeed in keeping the attackers in-outside walls of the building. Realizing that they would not take the castle, Arumer Zwarte Hoop plunder the city, plus burn. The majority of the houses being made of wood, all the city, there-included/understood church, monastery and town hall, are reduced in ashes. Following this half-victory, Grutte Pier and its men also devastate the castles of Nieuwburg and Middleburg, that again they plunder and burn. This destruction marks the end of these powerful defensive constructions which will never be rebuilt.
Always in 1517, Arumer Black Hoop take the town of Asperen, massacring almost all the inhabitants. They use then the imposing fortifications of the city to shelter their base there, until the Stathouder of Holland expel.
In response to the attacks of Medemblik and Alkmaar and to the failure of the General Captain of Amstelland, Waterland and Gooiland to defend the grounds entrusted to its protection, the States of Holland decide to constitute a fleet of war in July 1517. Equipped in the ports with Zuiderzee and paid on the war treasure of Stathouder of Holland, the fleet is placed under the supreme command of Anthonius van den Houte, lord of Vleteren, which is made “Admiral of Zuiderzee”. In the name of Charles Quint, van den Houte announces that it will release the area of the pirates Frisons and Geldiens. Although its countryside is originally crowned with some success, with the destruction of some Frisons vessels close to Bunschoten, Grutte Pier answers by capturing eleven Dutch ships at the time of a battle close to the coasts to Hoorn, in 1518.
Little time afterwards, Pier demolishes three hundred Dutchmen with Hindelopen.
According to the legend, in order to make the sorting enters Frisons truths and the Dutchmen and Germains infiltrated its rows, Grutte Pier the force to repeat this shibboleth: “ To butt, brea in griene tsiis: wa' T dat Net sizze kin, is gjin oprjochte Fries ” (“butter, bread and green cheese: if you cannot say that, you are not true Clippings. ”
In spite of its successes, Grutte Pier cannot reverse the Burgundian ones and Habsbougs and is withdrawn, disillusioned, in 1519. He dies peacefully in his bed in the Friesian city of Sneek, on October 18th, 1520]]. He is buried in Groote Kerk or Martinikerk, church dating from the {{XVe century}} {{nl}} '' Geldersche Volks-Almanak '' published in 1853.. Its tomb is in the northern part of the édifice {{nl}} '' Vaderlandsch Woordenboek '' by Jacobus Kok, published in 1791 at J. Allart, pages 17 with 21.. With died of Pier, it is its Wijerd nephew (or Wierd or Wijard) who takes the command of his troupes.
==Une stature and a force out of the commun==
In 1791, Jacobus Kok writes that above the '' portaal '', i.e. the entry or '' porticus '' of the New Town hall of [[Leeuwarden]], are found two [[sword]] S broad which one says that they belonged to Grutte Pier and its nephew, Grutte Wierd. Nowadays, one [[Swordfish (arms) swordfish]] which one allots to Grutte Pier is exposed to Fries Museum of Leeuwarden. It measures 2,15m length for a weight of 6,6kg. Only a man of a common size and a force is not very able to use such a weapon; Pier was precisely extremely strong and known for the facility with which it could fold a coin between three of his fingers. One [[heaume]] of exceptional proportions, which passes to be that of Grutte Pier, is preserved at the town hall of Sneek.
==Grutte Pier in the culture populaire==
The stories circulating in connection with Grutte Pier were transformed into legends, and share several topics with the stories of other men of exceptional force of the heroic literature Germanique. For example, there exists a legend according to which it would have drawn itself it [[plow]] to cultivate its grounds, rather than to use horses, and another saying that he would have raised his plow of only one hand to indicate his house to the men come to assassinate it, for then killing them all out of only one gesture.
With the number of the other fabulous stories circulating with proposes of Grutte Pier, it is still which says that it was able to raise a horse above its head during several seconds. The text which follows is due to Fiveval, Clippings which also told the legend according to which Pier would have killed out of a blow the five men sent to kill it:
: '' Greate Pier wie in hiele sterke keardel. COp in kear wied er custom oan 'T ploeijen. Hy tamper 'T hynder foar of ploege spand. 'T Wie noch in âlderwetske ploege mei in houten balke. Doe kom DER in fremde man COp him your out of Dy frege: “Wite OJ hwer' T greate Pier wennet? ” Doe sloech Pier it hynder foar of ploege wei. In hy naem of ploege yn 'E rjochterhân in tilde him in ein fan 'E groun in doe wiisde er mei of ploege COp in hûs. In hy sei: “Sjoch, DER wennet er. ” Mei of oare fûst sloech er himsels COp it boarst in sei: “To hjir stiet er of It”. ''
: Grutte Pier was a man of an extraordinary force. One day it was occupied plowing. It had attached its horse to the plow. It was a hurdy-gurdy plow with a wood plowshare. Then a foreigner approached and asked him: “do you know where saw Grutte Pier? ” Then Grutte Pier detached the plow of its horse, raised it ground, then pointed, with the plow, in direction of its house and known as: “looks at, it saw over there. ” Of different sound hand, it struck the chest and added: “and it is held here. ”
In [[years 1970]], in [[televised series]] the Dutchwoman '' Floris '', Pier Donia is a central figure, played by the actor [[Hans Boskamp]]. At the time of the first diffusion, it was one of the most popular characters, although he was a savage enemy of the hero. He was particularly appreciated children who looked at the series. He made it possible to the character of Grutte Pier to make his return in the popular culture of the country, and to the children to learn some more on him, although in a historically incorrect way. In the '' remake '' [[Germany German]] of the series, Grutte Pier was again seen offering a role of importance, although it was less popular than its Dutch counterpart.
==Notes and références==
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