A 1585 claim for unpaid lumber delivered to the Haarlem council provides the primary documented evidence of Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer’s economic life. While later centuries transformed her into a martial folk hero, official records from the Habsburg Netherlands portray a pragmatic merchant and shipbuilder who operated within complex trade networks across the sixteenth-century North Sea.
Early Life and Family Business
Born in 1526, she was the daughter of Simon Gerrits, a brewer in Haarlem, and Guerte Koen Hasselaer. She married Nanning Gerbrandsz Borst around 1544, with whom she had four children: Guerte, Margriet, Lubbrich, and Gerbrand. Following her husband's death in 1562, she assumed control of the family business. She maintained active professional connections, notably becoming the sister-in-law of Hadrianus Junius, which assisted in her expansion into the grain trade through a contract with the Delft brewer David Jansz.
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Take the IQ test →The Siege of 1573
During the 1573 Spanish siege of Haarlem, archival accounts indicate she participated in defense efforts by transporting earth to the city walls. Although later folklore depicted her as a combatant who deployed tar wreaths against enemy soldiers, contemporary reports emphasize her labor in maintaining fortifications. Historical scrutiny by Dr. C. Ekama in 1872 noted that she was not listed among those identified as war criminals by the Spanish, distinguishing her from her relative Pieter Dirksz Hasselaer.
Professional Expansion and Disappearance
After the siege concluded, she relocated from Haarlem and transitioned into administrative and mercantile roles. In 1574, she secured the post of Weighing House Master and Collector of Peat in Arnemuiden. By 1579, her activities included shipyard involvement alongside her son Gerbrand. She eventually invested in a vessel for the Norwegian timber trade. During a 1588 voyage, she disappeared under circumstances involving a legal dispute in 1589, where her daughters sued a skipper regarding the fate of the ship and its owner.
Fast facts
- Born: 1526, Haarlem
- Died: 1588
- Citizenship: Habsburg Netherlands
- Occupations: merchant, shipbuilder, entrepreneur
- 1574 appointment: Weighing House Master and Collector of Peat
- Film appearance: Monic Hendrickx portrayed her in 2014
Questions readers ask
Did Kenau lead an army of 300 women?
No. This claim emerged during the 19th century and is not supported by period documentation.
What is the origin of the term kenau?
While it originally signified female courage, the word evolved in Dutch to describe a shrew.