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Some Roobol Biographies
Roobol the pirate
Cornelis Geerlofszn Roobol was born in Delft. He fought in the
army of count Lodewijk in Groningen in 1568, and fled after the defeat of his
army at Jemmingen to Emden in Germany. In the spring of 1569, Cornelis was one
of the first watergeuzen (translated literally: sea beggars) to get a kaperbrief
(written permission to become a pirate) of the prince of Orange. In march 1571
he is a captain, and becomes a luitenant of Bloys van Treslong soon thereafter.
It takes not long for hime to become the admiral of the fleet at Emden, and
sails on a stolen merchant vessel from Emdens. On 23 june 1571 the watergeuzen
are defeated at Emden harbour by Boschuizen, but Cornelis escapes. He robs at
the East-Frisian coast, his wife sells the loot. In a violent thunder storm, his
ship is lost, and Cornelis is forced to travel by land. Doing this, he gets
captured and is sentenced to death by the Spanish. On 17 october 1571, 3 days
before his capital punishment is to be carried out, he escapes and joins the
watergeuzen again. In april of 1572 he takes part in capturing the city of den
Briel, a turning point in the 80 year war (the freedom war of the Dutch, against
the king of Spain). After that, he makes a marauding expedition through
Zuid-Holland. He is brave but rude, looting is his lust and his life. In the
second half of 1572 he is captured again by the Spanish at Haarlem, and executed
after all.
Roobol the vicar
In the dutch royal library we find the Roobol Collection.
This collection is named after the Rev. Johan Willem Roobol, clergyman at Egmond
aan Zee and former citizen of Dordrecht. Mr. Roobol died in 1979 and left his
library (abt. 100 old volumes), together wih a sum of money, to the Stichting
Verenigde Openbare Bibliotheken Dordrecht, who has placed the collection at
the royal library.
The Roobol collection consists of some three hundred books, two thirds of which
were published before the year 1800 gedrukt werd. The largest part of the
collection is about French protestantism.Amongst the authors we find leading
French protestants like Pierre Du Moulin (1568-1658), Samuel Des Marets,
Theodore De Bèze, Jean Claude (1619-1687), Pierre Jurieu (1637-1713), Jean
Daillé, André Rivet and Jacques Saurin (1677-1730). In the collection we find
next to rare print from (amongs others) Genève, Charenton,Sedan, La Rochelle en
Saumur, which were famous centres of French protestantism, also work of Hugenots
who have fled their country, and published their thoughts in Antwerp, Dordrecht,
Rotterdam, Delft, Den Haag, Leiden and Amsterdam.
An artistic family
Christoffel, a Roobol from Dordrecht, born in 1773, moves
around his wedding in 1805 with Sophia Cuntz to den Haag, this branch has lived
there for a century. His oldest son was called Cornelis Roobol (1806-1870), a
later son was called Dirk Waandert Roobol (1808-1883).
Cornelis becomes an actor, and spent the most of his life in Amsterdam. He
became director of the city theatre, and in 1859 he offered together with his
fellow directors a prize for the best play that whey would receive, the winning
play would be performed in their theatre. On 22 september 1859, W. J. C. van
Hasselt tells Multatuli (one of the most celebrated dutch novelists and play
writers) about this , and gives him the advice to send in his play "De
Bruid" (the Bride). The directors Roobol, Tjasink en Peters staged
Multatuli's play march 1863.
Dirk Waandert becomes hoofd commies (chief clerk) at the finance
departement in den Haag, but is next to that a valued painter, specializing in
Gothic script. His daughter Suze (1854-1923) becomes famous as the writer Suze
La Chapelle - Roobol , she wrote (amongst other things) a series of children's
book in which "Stijfkopje" (a stijfkop is an obstinate person,
the ending -je is the diminuative, indicating Stijfkopje was a girl), published
by Holkema, Amsterdam
Cornelis Roobol
The city of Amsterdam has a "Cornelis Roobolstraat",
zip code: NL-1067 AG. This street was called after the pirate/freedom fighter
Christiaan Geerlofsz. Roobol.
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