De Graafschapper, 7 June 1948
During his visit to East Gelderland next week, Prince Bernhard will also visit the old fortress of Bredevoort. Bredevoort has been a pledged city of the House of Orange since Frederick Henry conquered it for the States, and the current members of the House of Orange still hold the title of Lord of Bredevoort. In connection with this, we recently visited Bredevoort, where we had an interview with one of the local historians, who shared interesting details about the past of this ancient town.
Little is known about the earliest history of Bredevoort. It was traditionally a possession of the Lords of Anholt. It is likely that a church was established around the 14th century near the castle, which probably dated back to much earlier times. The region was impoverished, which was hardly surprising, as bands of wandering soldiers regularly moved back and forth robbing and plundering, with the defenseless rural inhabitants suffering the most. During the Eighty Years’ War, before the Twelve Years’ Truce, it even occurred that the residents of Winterswijk had to seek safety within the walls of Bredevoort.
The conquest by Prince Maurice
In 1598, Prince Maurice laid siege to Bredevoort and captured it after a siege; however, Bredevoort paid a heavy price for its newly acquired freedom, as the entire town burned down, with the exception of the Castle, which stood on the site where the Dutch Reformed school is now located. To replace the Church, which also burned down completely at that time, the Church that still stands in Bredevoort today was built. A unique feature of this Church is that the tower, unlike those of other churches, was not built next to the Church but on top of it, resting entirely on an oak base. During the upcoming church restoration, this will be replaced with concrete. The historical value of this Church is also evident from the fact that it is listed as a national monument, meaning this institution will also contribute to the restoration costs.
Frederick Henry also conquers Bredevoort
Around 1600, Bredevoort changed hands again as the Spaniards retook possession of the fortress. To them, Bredevoort was nothing more than a den of thieves from which they terrorized the region. This situation lasted until 1627, when the States commissioned Frederick Henry to reconquer Bredevoort. He performed his task in such a manner that the States, in appreciation of his services, granted him the Seigniory of Bredevoort as private property. From that time on, the House of Orange has always held the title of Lord of Bredevoort.
This also explains why East Gelderland, specifically Winterswijk, Aalten, and Dinxperlo, extends so far into Germany. This entire area belonged to the Seigniory of Bredevoort and thus came into the possession of the House of Orange, and consequently the Netherlands, with the conquest of Bredevoort.
One might wonder why Frederick Henry did not also conquer Anholt, which was also connected to Bredevoort, but the explanation lies in the fact that the Lords of Anholt were related to the House of Orange, and he likely spared them for that reason.
Seigniorial rights
Through the possession of Bredevoort, the House of Orange acquired Seigniorial Rights here, such as the milling right. This meant that within the Seigniory of Bredevoort, milling was only permitted at the mill in Bredevoort, the watermill at De Pol in Aalten, and the watermill near Den Helder in Winterswijk. Regarding the milling right, it is known that in 1868, an official lease agreement signed by Frederick himself was still in the possession of the Heusinkveld family in Bredevoort, granting them the right to lease the mill in Bredevoort from generation to generation. It is a pity that this lease agreement has been lost.
Naturally, other members of the House of Orange were also Lords of Bredevoort. Well-known stewards came from the Roelvink family, which is still known today, and some of its members later served as Mayor of Aalten.
William V in Bredevoort
It is known that Stadtholder William V also once visited Bredevoort. The minutes of the Dutch Reformed Church mention that he donated several Golden Riders for the poor of Bredevoort.
The French Period
During the French period, everything belonging to the Seigniory was sold. Large-scale landownership, as it is still known today around Winterswijk, dates from that time. Entire areas were then sold for sometimes only a few guilders. Some of the new owners found themselves in difficulty with their newly acquired property because they were unable to cultivate everything, so they planted forests instead; thus, large areas of forest near Winterswijk date from that time, which is consistent with the fact that most of the Winterswijk forest is approximately 150 years old. After the French period, the House of Orange never regained these lands, so they have only held the title since then.
The House of Orange does not appear to have made any official visits to Bredevoort since that time, likely because Bredevoort is relatively poor in historical buildings and institutions. However, that the ties were never completely severed was evident in 1900 when H.M. Queen Wilhelmina made ƒ 100 available for the restoration of the Church in Bredevoort.
H.R.H. Prince Bernhard in East Gelderland
Yesterday, the final day of H.R.H. Prince Bernhard’s visit to East Gelderland flew by once again as the Prince’s open Cadillac traveled under the radiant summer sun through one of the most scenic parts of our country, past ripening grain, busy farmers, cheering and singing schoolchildren, and an enthusiastic population; once again, the Wilhelmus sounded many times, and the Prince raised his hand in greeting countless times with a charming smile on his tanned face; once again, it became a true triumphal procession.
On this third day, H.R.H. departed from Ruurlo, arriving in Zieuwent around a quarter to nine at the farmhouse of farmer Weelink, which dates from 1737. After the Prince had briefly toured the farm, he proceeded at pace to Harreveld, where a group of young people waited in suspense at the Roman Catholic Reformatory; surrounded by hundreds of pupils from the Reformatory, H.R.H. was received and addressed by the chairman of the Reformatory board.
Lichtenvoorde prepared a grand welcome for H.R.H.; many thousands, again adorned with the national colors, saw the procession arrive in the thousand-year-old town, preceded by ten motorcyclists from the local Motor Club. The Prince stepped out in front of the Roman Catholic rectory. Inside the rectory, the Prince listened for about fifteen minutes to the Pastor-Dean of Groenlo, who gave a presentation on Roman Catholic spiritual life in East Gelderland.
Preceded once again by the Lichtenvoorde motorcyclists, the procession left the old town. At the border of the municipality of Aalten, Mayor E. S. van Veen took a seat beside the Prince, and they proceeded to Bredevoort, the old pledged city of the House of Orange; the Prince stopped here for only a few moments, where he spoke briefly with baker Helmink.
