Pier Gerlofs Donia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pier Gerlofs Donia
Etching of Grutte Pier, from Chronycke ofte Historische Geschiedenis van Frieslant, published in 1622.
Born	1480 Kimswerd, Frisia
Died	28 October 1520 (aged c. 40) Sneek, Frisia
Nationality	Frisian
Other names	Grutte Pier
Occupation	farmer, pirate
Known for	Leading a Frisian rebellion between 1515 and 1519
Spouse(s)	Rintsje Syrtsema
Children	Gerlof Piers Donia and Wobbel Piers Donia
Parent(s)	Gerlof Piers Donia and Fokel Sybrants Bonga

Pier Gerlofs Donia (born around 1480, died October 28, 1520) was a famous Frisian rebel leader and a pirate. He was known as Grutte Pier (which means "Big Pier" in West Frisian). People called him this because of his amazing size and strength. Many stories about him are now legends.

Pier's Early Life

Pier Gerlofs was born around 1480 in a village called Kimswerd. This village is close to the city of Harlingen in what is now Friesland, Netherlands.

Pier was one of at least four children. His parents were Fokel Sybrants Bonga and Gerlof Piers. Pier's mother, Fokel, came from a noble family.

Pier married a woman named Rintsje Syrtsema. They had two children together. Their son was named Gerlof, and their daughter was named Wobbel. Both children were born around 1510.

Pier died in 1520. A few years later, in 1525, Pier's mother made a will. She asked Pier's brother, Sybren, to take care of Pier's children. This was because they were still young.

Why Pier Rebelled

Pier's village, Kimswerd, was about 7 kilometers (4 miles) from the city of Franeker. In Franeker, there was a group of soldiers called the Black Band. These soldiers worked for George, Duke of Saxony.

The Black Band was supposed to stop a civil war in the area. This war was between two groups: the Vetkopers and the Schieringers. The Vetkopers did not want to be ruled by the Habsburg family.

The Black Band soldiers were known for being very violent. If they didn't get paid enough, they would take things from local villagers. Pier's farm was attacked by these soldiers. They also killed his family.

Because of this terrible event, Pier wanted revenge. He started a guerrilla war against the Habsburgs. He also became friends with Charles of Egmond, Duke of Guelders.

Pier's Rebel Group

Pier's armed group was called the Arumer Zwarte Hoop. This means "Black Hope (or Heap) of Arum". They were mostly pirates. They fought against the people from Holland and Burgundy.

Pirating on the Zuiderzee

Pier and his group were very active on the Zuider Zee. This was a large inland sea, now called the IJsselmeer. They captured many English and Dutch ships.

In 1517, Pier used his ships to attack the coast of West Frisia. He also brought soldiers from Guelders to land there. They landed near Medemblik. Pier especially disliked Medemblik. Earlier, soldiers from Medemblik had helped the Holland army.

On June 24, 1517, Grutte Pier and his Arumer Zwarte Hoop attacked Medemblik. They had about 4,000 soldiers from Frisia and Guelders. They sailed past Enkhuizen and landed near Wervershoof. Then they marched to Medemblik.

They quickly took over Medemblik. Many people were killed, and many others were taken prisoner. Some prisoners were set free if they paid a lot of money. Some people in the town ran away to Kasteel Radboud, a castle. The castle's leader, Joost van Buren, kept Pier's group out of the castle.

Since they couldn't take the castle, the Arumer Zwarte Hoop robbed the town. Then they set it on fire. Most houses were made of wood, so the town was completely burned down. This included the church, a monastery, and the town hall.

After this, Pier and his army attacked two more castles. These were Nieuwburg and Middleburg Castle, near Alkmaar. They robbed and burned these castles too, leaving only ruins.

Battles on Land

In 1517, the Arumer Zwarte Hoop also captured the town of Asperen. They killed almost everyone there. They used Asperen as a base for a while. But then the Stadtholder of Holland drove them out.

To stop Pier's attacks, the Stadtholder of Holland decided to build a war fleet. This was in July 1517. The fleet was led by Anthonius van den Houte. He was called "Admiral of the Zuiderzee." He promised to get rid of the Frisian and Gelder pirates.

At first, van den Houte had some success. Some of Pier's ships were burned near Bunschoten. But Grutte Pier fought back. In 1518, he captured 11 of Holland's ships in a battle near Hoorn.

Soon after this victory, Pier defeated 300 Hollanders in Hindelopen.

Pier's Later Years and Death

Even with his victories, Pier couldn't stop the powerful Habsburg family. He became disappointed and retired in 1519. Wijerd Jelckama took over command of Pier's forces.

Pier died peacefully in his bed on October 28, 1520. He was in the Frisian city of Sneek. Pier is buried in the Groote Kerk (Great Church) in Sneek. His tomb is on the north side of the church.

Pier's son, Gerlof, never married and had no children. His daughter, Wobbel, married three times. She had children with her last husband, Popta. So, Pier has many descendants through his daughter.

Stories of Pier's Strength

Pier Donia was known for being incredibly strong and large. People said he was so strong that he could bend coins with just his thumb, index, and middle finger.

A very large sword is said to have belonged to Pier. It is now on display at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden. This sword is about 2.13 meters (7 feet) long. It weighs about 6.6 kilograms (14.5 pounds). People say Pier could use this huge sword so well that he could cut off the heads of many people with one swing. However, this sword was likely a special ceremonial sword, not one used in battle.

There is also a huge helmet that people say belonged to Grutte Pier. It is kept in the town hall of Sneek.

See also

In Spanish: Pier Gerlofs Donia para niños