Gerrit de Graeff (III.) van Zuid-Polsbroek

Gerrit de Graeff (III.) van Zuid-Polsbroek (February 24, 1766, Amsterdam – December 16, 1814) was a member of an influential regent family of Amsterdam, who have played an important role in the Dutch Golden Age.

De Graeff was a son of Gerrit de Graeff II., regent of Amsterdam, and Christina Baroness van Herzeele. In 1794 he was married to Emilia Henriette Stadlander (1766–1826). They couple had four children:

• Christina Elisabeth de Graeff (born 1795), who married Jacob Gerrit van Garderen (1803–1856), and lives at castle Ilpenstein
• Gerrit de Graeff (IV.) van Zuid-Polsbroek (1797–1870), who married Carolina Ursulina Stephania Engels (1795–1864)
• Anna Margaretha de Graeff (1798–1824)
• Cornelia Maria de Graeff (1800–1876)

The family lived at Herengracht in a mansion now the Tassenmuseum Hendrikje. Most of the time he resided at his castle Ilpenstein, and he also owned the country estate Bronstee near Heemstede. At Ilpenstein De Graeff has owned a big art collection, including paintings from Rembrandt van Rijn, Gerard Ter Borch and Jacob van Ruisdael. The collection some very famous pictures like Catharina Hooft with her Nurse, painted by Frans Hals, and the Pickenoys representative Marriage portraits from Cornelis de Graeff and Catharina Hooft. Both are seen now at the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.

Zuid-Polsbroek was an allodiumand a vrije en hoge heerlijkheid ("free and high Lordship"), a type of local jurisdiction with many rights. Since 1610 the vrije en hooghe heerlijkheid was a possession of his family. As a "free an high Lordship", Zuid-Polsbroek was an independent (semisouverain Lordship) of the provinces Holland or Utrecht.

Since 1155 the lords of Polsbroek are able to speak the high (blood court)middle and low justice over their territory. Zuid-Polsbroek was a half-independent (semi-sovereign) entity of the provinces Holland or Utrecht, like the larger Barony of IJsselstein to the east. During the late middleages it became unsure if Zuid-Polsbroek belong to the States of Holland or to the province (unie) of Utrecht. Polsbroek paid their dutys to the States of Holland. But in 1795, when the French introduced the municipal system in the Netherlands, the rights of the heerlijkheid were largely abolished, although the heerlijkheid itself existed until the early 20th century. Afterwards Zuid-Polsbroek became a separate municipality in the province of Utrecht.

Gerrit de Graeff van Zuid-Polsbroek died only three years after his father at his citypalace at Amsterdam. His only son Gerrit succeeded him as Lord of Zuid-Polsbroek in 1814.

Noble titles

• Graeff, P. de (P. de Graeff Gerritsz en Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek) Genealogie van de familie De Graeff van Polsbroek, Amsterdam 1882.
• Bruijn, J. H. de Genealogie van het geslacht De Graeff van Polsbroek 1529/1827, met bijlagen. De Bilt 1962-63.
• Moelker, H.P. De heerlijkheid Purmerland en Ilpendam (1978 Purmerend)