Person:Tjerk De Vries (1)

     
Tjerk Hiddes De Vries
b.6 Aug 1622 Sexbierum
Facts and Events
Name Tjerk Hiddes De Vries
Alt Name Tjerk Hiddes
Alt Name Kiërkides _____
Gender Male
Birth? 6 Aug 1622 Sexbierum
Marriage 2 Jul 1648 Harlingen, Friesland, Netherlandsto Nannenke Ates
Military? 1665 luitenant-admiraal van de Friese Admiraliteit
Other? 4 Aug 1666 Wounded
Death? 6 Aug 1666 Vlissingen, Zeeland, Netherlands
Burial? 18 Aug 1666 Harlingen, Friesland, NetherlandsIn de Grote Kerk in Harlingen

Contents

Birth

Tjerk Hiddes was one of the eleven children of Hiddes Sjoerds and Swop Jacobs, Born in Place:Sexbierum, Barradeel, Friesland, Netherlands, Friesland, Netherlands. His parents were a poor farming couple during an era of patronymic naming in the Netherlands; at birth therefore Tjerk was known simply as Tjerk Hiddes, using the first name of his father as a surname. Later in life he would adopt the name De Vries, meaning "The Fries," naming himself after the region in which he was born.


Marriage

He married Nannenke Ates. His only son, Tjerk Hiddes the younger, was born shortly after his death. The couple lived in Harlingen.


Career

Tjerk began a career in the Friesland Navy and by 1654 was a Captain. In 1658 he was in the service of Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam as a captain of a troop barge the Judith. He distinguished himself by taking three hostile ships and was soon appointed his own war ship. In the wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Anglo-Dutch_War, he was appointed on 27 March 1665 as ordinary captain. On 29 June 1665 he was appointed as Luitenant-Admiraal of Friesland.


Death

During the Anglo-Dutch wars at the St. James Day Battle, Tjerk was at the command of the Groot Frisia. Lieutenant-Admiral Tjerk Hiddes de Vries had an arm and a leg shot off during this battle, yet still tried to bring cohesion to his force even as he was moved from his ship to the home of his equipmentmaster Abraham Bishop in Vlissingen, where he died. During this battle, his brother Barent also commanded the ship Elf Steden.


The Pride of Friesland

Tjerk is one of the most beloved men in the history of Friesland. Several naval ships, a street, multiple organisations, a hotel and many more are named after Tsjerk Hiddes. Propably the most known, the Tsjerk Hiddes lock in Harlingen. There has been also postal stamp has issued in his honor. In Harlingen a large monunent reminds of Tsjeerk Hiddes.

More information on Tjerk can be found on the Dutch version of Tjerk Hiddes de Vries.

Image Gallery
References
  1.   Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.