Cornelis Witteszn de Witt

Witte de Witt, in de regeering voor. Deze was veertig in 1496, raad in 1493 en daarna meerdere malen, en bovendien dijkgraaf van Mijnsheerenland; hij huwde in 1483 met Maria Boem en stierf 6 Sept. 1504. Van twee zijner kinderen, Jan (1) (kol. 1458) en Cornelis (1) (kol. 1449), stammen de beide takken van het geslacht, die we sedert het begin der 16e eeuw geregeld in de regeering te Dordrecht aantreffen

1. Note: Two of his great-great grandsons were the brothers Johan(Jan)and Cornelis de Witt of Dordrecht. Johan,born 1625,murdered'72,was one of the most important European statesmen of the 17th century.He consolidated the nation's naval and commercial power.When the Orangists gained control in 1670,he retired from power as Grand Pensionary,losing it to William III of Orange(later King of England).Johan went to visit brother Cornelis in prison at The Hague,arrested for treason. The unfortunate brothers were then hacked to pieces by a frenzied Orangist mob on 28 Aug.1672. Voltaire mentioned the brothers;see Story of Civilization IX,The Age of Voltaire,by Will and Ariel Durant.

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