Lenaert Jansz de Graeff
Lenaert Jansz de Graeff was a member of the family De Graeff and the son of Jan Pietersz Graeff, a rich cloth merchant from Amsterdam.
Lenaert Jansz de Graeff was one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation at Amsterdam, friend of Henry, Count of Bréderode, the" Grote Geus", and perhaps ident with" Monseigneur de Graeff", a captain of the Sea Beggars during the Capture of Brielle.
Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek
Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek( Amsterdam, August 28, 1833 – 27 June 1916, The Hague) was a successful Dutch diplomat in Japan.
From July 1863, he held the post of Consul General and Political Agent in Japan.
De Graeff became a Diplomat, Generalconsul and Dutch minister in Japan.
He was the most important representative of the Dutch government and played a major part in the many negotiations between Japan and various Western countries.
De Graeff van Polsbroek was advisor to Emperor Meiji and laid the foundation stone for a modern western( European) diplomacy in Japan.
He played also a major part in the many negotiations between various Western countries and Japan.
He represented Denmark, Sweden and Norway in Japan and temporally Prussia and Switzerland.
Gerrit de Graeff (I.) van Zuid-Polsbroek
Gerrit de Graeff( I.) van Zuid- Polsbroek( February 27, 1711 in Amsterdam – November 10, 1752) was a member of the De Graeff – Family from the Dutch Golden Age.
De Graeff was" known for his wealth and notorious for his stinginess."
Johan de Graeff
Johan de Graeff, also" Jan de Graeff"( October 29, 1673 in Amsterdam – April 12, 1714)- Lord of the semisouverain Fief Zuid- Polsbroek and Lord of the castle Ilpenstein- was a member of the De Graeff- family from the Dutch Golden Age.
Cornelis de Graeff
Cornelis de Graeff, also Cornelis de Graeff van( Zuid) Polsbroek( 15 October 1599 – 4 May 1664) was the most illustrious member of the De Graeff family.
He was a mayor of Amsterdam from the Dutch Golden Age and a powerful Amsterdam regent after the sudden death of stadholder William II of Orange.
Like his father Jacob Dircksz de Graeff, he opposed the house of Orange, and was the moderate successor to the republican Andries Bicker.
In the mid 17th century he controlled the city's finances and politics and, in close cooperation with his brother Andries de Graeff and their nephew Johan de Witt, the Netherlands political system.
Cornelis de Graeff followed in his father footsteps and, between 1643 and 1664, was appointed mayor some ten times.
De Graeff was a member of a family of regents who belonged to the republican political movement also referred to as the ‘ state oriented ’, as opposed to the Royalists.
Cornelis de Graeff was also the founder of a regent dynasty that retained power and influence for centuries and produced a number of ministers.
He was Lord of the semisouverain Fief(" allodiale hoge heerlijkheid")
Zuidpolsbroek and an(" Lord of the Manor") of Sloten, Sloterdijk, Nieuwer- Amstel, Osdorp and Amstelveen, near Amsterdam, and castlelord of Ilpenstein.
De Graeff was also President of the Dutch East Indies Company, and a chiefcouncillor of the Admiralty of Amsterdam.
Like his brother, Andries De Graeff, he was an art collector and patron of the arts.
During his life De Graeff was often called Polsbroek or Lord Polsbroek.
Jan Bicker
Jan Gerritsz.
Bicker (1591–1653) was a merchant, a mayor (burgomaster) and a member of the Bicker family, an influential patrician family from Amsterdam.
The son of Gerrit Bicker, he was a shipbuilder and merchant in Amsterdam.
His trade mainly was focussed on the Levant.
Jan Bicker was the cities inspector of the ropes, and in 1647 he became Schepen.
His brothers Cornelis and Andries Bicker were influential merchants and burgemeesters of the city.
His older brother Jacob was lord of Engelenburg.
When stadtholder William II attacked the city in 1650, one of his demands was that the Bickers voluntarily resigned their positions.
The brothers were never burgemeester at the same time, but they had made agreements about an alliance, the so-called "Bickerse ligue".
After William II died in that same year, the Bickers regained their position during the First Stadtholderless Period.
When Andries died, Jan was given the position of burgemeester, but did not keep it for long.
Jacob Dircksz de Graeff
Jacob Dircksz de Graeff( 1579/ 1571 – 6 October 1638) was one of the most illustrious members of the De Graeff family.
He was a powerful member of the States Faction, regent and mayor of Amsterdam after the political collapse of Reinier Pauw in 1627.
In the mid 17th century, during the Dutch Golden Age, De Graeff controlled the city's politics in close cooperation with his nephew Andries Bicker.
Together with Bicker he was also the leader of the Arminian faction of the city.
Jacob de Graeff was very critical of the Orange family's influence.
He was a member of a family of regents who belonged to the republican political movement also referred to as the ‘ state oriented ’, as opposed to the Royalists.
Andries de Graeff
Free Imperial Knight Andries de Graeff( 19 February
1611 – 30 November 1678) was a very powerful member of the Amsterdam branch of the De Graeff- family during the Dutch Golden Age.
He became a mayor of Amsterdam and a powerful Amsterdam regent after the death of his older brother Cornelis de Graeff.
Like him and their father Jacob Dircksz de Graeff he opposed the house of Orange.
In the mid- 17th century he controlled the finances and politics.
Andries de Graeff followed in his father's and brother's footsteps and, between 1657 and 1672, was appointed mayor some seven times.
De Graeff was a member of a family of regents who belonged to the republican political movement also referred to as the ‘ state oriented ’, as opposed to the Royalists.
Andries was called the last regent and mayor from the dynastie of the" Graven", who was powerful and able enough to ruled the city of Amsterdam.
De Graeff was a Free Imperial Knight of the Holy Roman Empire, an Ambachtsheer( Lord of the manor) from Urk en Emmeloord, during the late 1650s chiefcouncillor of the Admiralty of Amsterdam, chieflandholder of the Watergraafsmeer and dijkgraaf van Nieuwer- Amstel.
Together with his broether Cornelis De Graeff became an illustrious Patron and Art collector.
Agneta de Graeff van Polsbroek
Agneta de Graeff van Polsbroek (Amsterdam, 10 November 1603 – 3 or 4 March 1656), was a patrician woman from the Dutch Golden Age.
She became famous as the mother-in-law of Johan de Witt.
Agneta was born as the oldest daughter of Jacob Dircksz de Graeff and Aeltje Boelens Loen (?–1620).
In 1625 she was married to Jan Bicker.
The couple had two daughters: Wendela Bicker and Jacoba Bicker;
the first married Johan de Witt and the second married her cousin Pieter de Graeff.
The couple lived at their country houses
"De Eult" at Baarn, "Akerendam" and "Duynwijck" in Beverwijk.
Between the city of Amsterdam they owned a cityhause at Herengracht and an island, called Bickerseiland.
In 1663/64 Agneta was painted by Wallerant Vaillant.
Her tomb chapel is located at the Westerkerk.
Cornelis de Graeff II.
Cornelis de Graeff( 23 August 1671, Amsterdam – 16 February 1719, Ilpendam) was a member of the family De Graeff, a prominent regent family from the Dutch Golden Age.
His parents were Pieter de Graeff and Jacoba Bicker, his younger brother was Johan de Graeff, the Lord of the semisouverain Lordship Zuid- Polsbroek.
Cornelis never married.
Cornelis de Graeff was a Canon of St. Pieter at Utrecht.
Most of the time he resided at his castle Ilpenstein.
He also owned" Bronstee", a country estate near Heemstede.
At Ilpenstein castle De Graeff had a famous art collection, including Rembrandts" Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph"( the sitters were Wendela de Graeff and her two sons) and the" Portrait of Andries de Graeff".
The two famous paintings, both by Rembrandt, can be seen today at Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel.
De Graeff also owned Frans Halsens painting" Catharina Hooft with her Nurse".

Question: Who is the father-in-law of Agneta De Graeff Van Polsbroek?
Answer: Gerrit Bicker