Elisabeth van den Berg

Elisabeth van den Berg also known as Lijsken/Lysken Becx (1552 – 1619) was a Dutch innkeeper of De Wilde Man in Helmond.

Biography
Van den Berg was born in Helmond in c. 1552 as the daughter of Joost Janszoon van den Berg (died Helmond 1572) who worked as a city secretary (from 1547) and bailiff (from 1556) and Maria (also Margriet). She had one sister. Elisabeth van den Berg married innkeeper Jan Becx. They had at least two daughters and four sons together.

Through her marriage she became the landlady of the prominent inn De Wilde Man on the market square of Helmond. At this place prominent people like the magistrate of Helmond often met. After the death of her husband, she continued the business, as is evident from the payments made to her. In 1603, captains of the garrison stayed at De Wilde Man. She heard that they were planning to attack Eindhoven out of dissatisfaction with the payment. Van den Berg quickly wrote a note to the stadtholder of Kempenland to warn him. Due to her the attack was prevented.

Van den Berg died in Helmond in 1619.

Van den Berg is addopted in 1001 Vrouwen uit de Nederlandse geschiedenis, a compilation of 1001 biographies of famous women of the Netherlands.

References

Category:Dutch people
Category:1552 births
Category:1619 deaths
Category:People from Helmond