Zoudenbalch - The Zoudenbalchs As Lords of Urk

The Zoudenbalchs As Lords of Urk

The Zoudenbalchs came into possession of the lordship of Urk through their opposition to the Burgundian dynasty's disregard for ancient property rights. Urk was a strategic island in the Zuiderzee (now the IJsselmeer) which could effectively block access to the trading IJssel cities and Amsterdam. The island had been in the possession of the Kuinre dynasty for many generations but Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, decided to grant the island to one of his favourites, Gerard Entz, the mayor of Enkhuizen, without any regard to the rights of the Van Kuinres. The legitimate Lady of Urk, Alijt van Kuinre, refused to accept this travesty of justice but after the death of her husband Evert Freijs van Stroewijck in 1575 did not have the means to combat the Duke. On 17 December 1475 after a period of long negotiations she bequeathed the island of Urk to her distant but powerful relative, Evert Zoudenbalch (see above), who then successfully re-claimed his seigneurial rights to High and Low Lordships of Urk.

Evert remained Lord of Urk until 1495 when he passed on his rights to his nephew, who was also called Evert. Upon this Evert's death the Lordship of Urk passed to Johan Zoudenbalch (died 1558) and from him to his son Gerrit (died 1599), the last male Zoudenbalch of the senior branch of the family. Gerrit's wife, Barbara van Essenstein, was Lady of Urk until her death in 1614 when the island was sold to Jonker van de Werve. The Lordship of Urk thus remained in the possession of the Zoudenbalch family from 1475 until 1614 and the Zoudenbalchs witnessed many tribulations on Urk during the period of their rule there. In the early 16th century the island was plagued by pirate raids led by guerilla leaders from the Duchy of Gueldres, Karel van Gelder and Grote Pier. Then, in 1536, Urk was hit by the Black Plague and a large part of its population decimated. In 1570 the All Saints flood (Allerheiligenvloed) destroyed much of the infrastructure of the island and claimed many lives.