De Graeff

De Graeff Graeff / De Graeff van Polsbroek
noble and patrician family
Country	Netherlands
Parent house	Von Graben
Titles	knight, jonkheer
Founded	15th century
Founder	Pieter Graeff (born 1484)
Ethnicity	Dutch

De Graeff (Dutch pronunciation: [dəˈɣraːf]; also: Graeff and De Graeff van Polsbroek) is an old Dutch patrician family, which according to – unverified – family tradition descends from the Austrian Lords Von Graben. Allegedly one Wolfgang von Graben came 1483 to Holland. The family was founded by Pieter Graeff (born around 1484). Since 1885 the family belonging to the Dutch nobility with the honorific of jonkheer

The family have played an important role during the Dutch Golden Age. They were at the centre of Amsterdam public life and oligarchy from 1578 until 1672.

During the Dutch Golden Age, the De Graeff family was very critical of the influence of the House of Orange. the De Graeffs belonged to the republican political movement, also referred to as the ‘state oriented’, as opposed to the Royalists. Together with the Republican political leaders, the Bicker family and Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt, the republican-minded brothers Cornelis and Andries de Graeff strived for the abolition of stadtholdership. They desired the full sovereignty of the individual regions in a form in which the Republic of the United Seven Netherlands was not ruled by a single person. Instead of a sovereign (or stadtholder) the political and military power was lodged with the States General and with the regents of the cities in Holland.

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Wikipedia