Wilhelm van Haersolte

Anyone delving into the history of the Lordship of Bredevoort will inevitably come across the name Wilhelm van Haersolte tot Elsen. His name is forever linked to one of the most devastating disasters to strike the Achterhoek in the seventeenth century. As an administrator and military officer, he was at the helm of the region during a time of political tension, but it was a natural phenomenon that abruptly ended his life and that of his family.

Wilhelm van Haersolte was born in Zwolle around the year 1596, the son of Harmen van Haersolte and Anna van Hoeclum. He descended from a prominent noble family from Overijssel and, as was customary in those circles, chose a military career. As an infantry captain, he served in the States Army, the armed forces of the young Republic of the Seven United Provinces.

On 2 February 1630, he married Catharina van Brakel, with whom he would raise a large family. Eight children were born from their marriage, including Anthony (1637), Gerrit (1641), Assuerus (1643), Arent (1644) and Lodwich (1645). Furthermore, in 1638, a year after his appointment, Wilhelm and Catharina purchased the Elsen manor (havezate), which explained the addition of ‘tot Elsen’ to his name.

His bond with the Achterhoek was sealed in 1637. Following the death of his older brother, Arent van Haersolte, Wilhelm was granted the honourable and responsible position of drost and richter (drossard and magistrate) of the Lordship of Bredevoort. This meant that he held both the military command over the fortified town and the civil and judicial administration over the surrounding area, which at the time also included Aalten, Winterswijk and Dinxperlo. For his new role, Van Haersolte and his family moved into the imposing castle of Bredevoort.

Fate on a summer’s day

For nine years, Van Haersolte governed the region with a firm hand. The end of his term of office — and his life — came entirely unexpectedly, however, on 12 July 1646. That day, a severe thunderstorm swept across the Achterhoek. A fierce lightning strike hit the castle’s gunpowder tower, where vast quantities of gunpowder were stored at the time for the defence of the border region.

The ensuing explosion was catastrophic. The castle was virtually wiped off the map in a single blow, and the surrounding town sustained monumental damage. In total, 49 people lost their lives in this Gunpowder Tower Disaster (Kruittorenramp). Among the victims were Wilhelm van Haersolte himself, his wife Catharina and almost all of their children who were present in the castle at that moment.

Following this tragic death, Wilhelm was succeeded as drossard of the Lordship of Bredevoort by Georg Nicolaas van der Lawick.

The family’s legacy

The disaster almost brought an end to this branch of the Van Haersolte family. Only one son, the then six-year-old Anthonie, survived the drama because he happened to be staying elsewhere that day. Thanks to him, the family line did not die out; all modern-day noble descendants bearing the name Van Haersolte are directly descended from this young survivor.

Although the castle was never rebuilt to its former glory, the traces of Wilhelm van Haersolte are still tangible in the region. In the Sint-Joriskerk (St George’s Church) in Bredevoort is a fire bell that he donated to the community in 1644. In addition, during restoration work in the church, the historical tombstones of the drossard and his family members were rediscovered and restored to a place of honour, keeping the memory of this fatal history alive for the residents of the former Lordship of Bredevoort.