Pier Gerlofs Donia

Pier Gerlofs Donia (* 1480 ; † October 18, 1520 in Sneek ), also known as ( Dutch ) Grote Pier or ( West Frisian ) Grutte Pier (German: Großer Peter) because of his legendary body size and strength , was a Frisian pirate and freedom fighter .

Legendary life

His life is shrouded in legend. His contemporary Petrus Thaborita described it as follows, as the historian Conrad Busken Huet noted in the 19th century: According to it, Grote Pier was a tower of a person as strong as an ox, of dark skin, broad shoulders, with a long black beard and mustache . A natural gross humorist who, through unfortunate circumstances, turned into a terrible beast. In personal revenge for suffering bloody injustice in 1515 with the killing of his wife, he became a legendary freedom fighter.

Grote Piers exact date of birth is unknown. He was originally a farmer and seaman from the village of Kimswerd near the port city of Harlingen in the Netherlands . As part of the Saxon feud , his court was destroyed by mercenary troops of the Black Guard in 1515 . His hatred of his wife's murderers drove Gerlofs to wage war on his own against the oppressors of his homeland. To this end, he concluded an alliance with the Duchy of Geldern . He supported its duke, Karl II von Geldern , during a war against Holland . With his own troop he went on a pirate voyage .

With his pirate ships he ruled the Zuiderzee . Right at the beginning of his "career" he managed to conquer 28 Dutch ships, for which he rewarded himself with the title "King of the Frisians " .

In 1517 he transferred Gelders troops to Medemblik . When the castle was not captured, he plundered and pillaged the city. Asperen and a few other castles also fell victim to his gang of pirates, the Arumer Black Heap named after a Frisian village .

In 1518 he defeated a fleet of the Dutch governor near Hoorn . The crew of the applied ships were a shibboleth subject: Who , brea en Griene tsiis Buter: wa't dat net sizze kin, is gjin oprjochte Fries (butter, bread and green cheese. Anyone who can not say no upright Friese) could not pronounce correctly, was killed as a non-Frieze.

But when he noticed that Charles II von Geldern actually did not want to support the Frisian cause, he broke the alliance and in 1519 withdrew in resignation. A year later he died peacefully in bed and was buried in the Church of Sneek .

There are many legends about its shape. He was credited with tremendous strength and incredible fighting skills. In the Frisian Museum of Leeuwarden is a 2.13 m long and 6 kg of heavy sword , a two-handed , built up that should have belonged to the Groten Pier. A helmet is also attributed to Donia, which is kept in the town hall of Sneek / Friesland.

Representations in art

Illustration in a book, 1622
Painting by Johannes Hinderikus Egenberger , 19th century
Sculpture (1985) by Anne Woudwijk in Kimswerd (municipality of Southwest Fryslân )

literature

Jacob Jetses Kalma: Grote Pier van Kimswerd. Leeuwarden, De Tille, 1970, ISBN 978-90-70010-13-3

Web links

Commons : Pier Gerlofs Donia - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Cd. Busken Huet, Het land van Rembrand. Studiën over de Noordnederlandsche beschaving in de zeventiende eeuw (2 delen in 3 bands). HD Tjeenk Willink, Haarlem 1882-1884

personal data
SURNAME	Donia, Pier Gerlofs
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Grote Pier
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Frisian freedom fighter and pirate
DATE OF BIRTH	1480
PLACE OF BIRTH	unsure: Kimswerd
DATE OF DEATH	October 18, 1520
Place of death	Sneek

[1] Cd. Busken Huet, Het land van Rembrand. Studiën over de Noordnederlandsche beschaving in de zeventiende eeuw (2 delen in 3 bands). HD Tjeenk Willink, Haarlem 1882-1884