Cornelis Hooft

Cornelis Hooft (* 1547 in Amsterdam, † 1627 ibid ), was at the beginning of the era of the Golden Age a major city Amsterdam regent, who came from a patrician family of Hooft.

Biography

Cornelis Hooft was born as the son of merchant Pieter Hooft Willemsz. As Cornelis returned from Königsberg in the Netherlands in 1574, he established himself first as a dealer in Hoorn. 1578 Hooft returned back to Amsterdam, and from there moved on from a thriving Baltikumhandel.

Cornelis Hooft was elected in 1584 as a member of the Amsterdam city government, whose board he was in 1588 for the first time. In the years before and after the turn of the century Hooft was the most powerful Amsterdam regent, he was appointed a total of 12 times to the Governing Mayor. Under his reign the city of Amsterdam was extended three times; that they experienced the last necessary impetus for its leadership position in the Republic, which she obtained in the mid-17th century. Outside of his mighty city Hooft worked at the provincial level, he was a delegate to the States of Holland, and an important member of the Dutch States General.

Politically Hooft was on the side of the Republican Regents, and was therefore against an increase in power of the Orange governor, the proposed earldom of Holland he could help. In 1618 - the year in which Holland vormaliger Grand Pensionary Johan van Oldenbarnevelt directed - he was ousted at the initiative of Governor Maurice of Orange and the powerful regent Reinier Pauw together with Jacob de Graeff Dircksz from politics.

His son Pieter Hooft Corneliszoon gained as a poet great influence on Dutch literature, and his niece Catharina was married to Cornelis de Graeff.