Kindred History of Amsterdam

Annals of Amsterdam

An overview of both Kindred and Kine history of the City of Amsterdam for the benefit of Neonates and Ancillae alike, in coming to an understanding of our fair city. As written and researched by Ferdinand de Meer of Clan Mekhet, 1999

Introduction; Thank you for picking up a copy of my first published research on Kindred history, and congratulations! You are about to see the history of the Domain in a way that thus far no one has been able to. While i freely admit that most of the actual history itself has been lost to the fog of time, and obscured through other means, i firmly believe this to be the most comprehensive work on the subject of Amsterdam's Kindred history. At least, until my upcoming work is published, which will detail the findings contained herewithin to much greater detail than i could embark upon within this document. - Ferdinand de Meer 1)

Little is known about the first Kindred who inhabitated the city, and when he got there. Some of the earliest Kindred records of the city, penned by one of the first Invictus Kindred who arrived in the city, make mention of him briefly in a letter dated 1291;

'The Nosferatu who dwells within one of the houses on the Amstel, whose mindless predation upon the citizens of this town without care have brought considerable peril upon the chances of our continued existence, has finally been put to the Final Death. It is perhaps somewhat fortunate that we have been able to commit this deed during the same night as that riotous mob seemed keen on hanging some of the Count's flunkeys. Indeed i wonder how many years they'll let themselves owe allegiance to that man, they grow more restless with each passing year it seems.' - De Kooger

This Kindred, known only as 'De Kooger', is the only identified Kindred from this time. His disparate writings, in so far as they have been recovered, indicate that he was either the Prince or one of his trusted advisors, though most Kindred historians contend that he was indeed the Prince of Amsterdam up until the middle of the 14th century. From his own writings we can conclude that he and his coterie arrived in the area now known as Amsterdam sometime after 1280, having arrived from the Bishopdom of Utrecht. Unfortunately, no records remain of their time before having arrived in the Amstel region.

The 14th century was a period of growing prosperity for Amsterdam. Shortly after the turn of the century it was bestowed with City Rights, allowing it to set up it's own court and official city positions of government. It also allowed the city to set up it's own regional market, collect tolls, and build fortifications including city walls. It's growing brewery industry led to close trade relations with the city of Hamburg, and thus trade with the Hanseatic League, greatly increasing the wealth which flowed into the city coffers, and starting the city upon it's rise as the most prominent of the Dutch trading cities.

This growing prosperity, in turn, brought the city to the attention of the Invictus of neighbouring cities, who resented De Kooger's rule over what was quickly turning into a major trade-hub. Scattered writings offer a glimpse into the war of influence that the members of the covenant waged with one another, but few modern Kindred have laid eyes on these surviving documents. The Invictus guards any evidence of such division within it's ranks with utmost zeal. Only a few oral accounts of the existence of these documents have reached non Elder-Invictus ears. As such, it's impossible to determine how, exactly, the non-local Invictus managed to ultimately snatch power from De Kooger and his followers. However, the writings of a sole Sanctified missionary who kept some records of note might lend a clue, particularly the following passage from his journal, dated the 12th of July, 1365;

'Those wicked creatures who spend their days and nights below the waters of the nearby bogs and lake came ashore the night prior; leaving destruction in their wake as they slew the ruling body of Kindred in these parts and feasted on their Vitae. This much, i witnessed with my own two eyes. I had ofcourse, as all others, heard the rumors of their existence, and even practices as wicked and vile as no God, Pagan or True, would allow under his stars to take place. But to see these beings for myself, i knew the rumors to be true. Not a shred of civilization lies within their flesh-clad bodies. It is without a doubt, curious, that they would find the whereabouts of the local Court's proceedings; some punishment handed down on a fledgeling who broke the Prince's rule in some manner or another; and that they would find it with such ease, for it was within a short span of time after the proceedings had begun that they broke in and singled out the Prince and his advisors. Were it not for the clearly superior potency of one amongst them, i am certain that we would've stopped them from committing their grim crime. Alas, all amongst the survivors were forced to flee that sight, to find nothing but ashes upon our return, and a trail of blood leading back outside to one of the newly dug canals. I have already dispatched word of this curious band of Kindred to the Arch-Bishop of Utrecht, imploring him to send Crusaders to root out these obvious creatures of heresy and crime. I have no doubt that he will agree with me in regards to the neccesity thereof.' - Fredericke Peterszoon

It is my belief, that the non-local Invictus, orchestrated this attack in some manner, having made a deal with these Kindred who i assume to be an odd cult of Acolytes. I have been able to find no other mention of this peculiar cult in local historic texts, though i did manage to find a reference to them, or so i believe, in the records held by the Sanctified of Utrecht. It's undated, though it would appear to date from the late 14th century or early 15th century;

'The leader of this heathen group, who called themselves “Nehellenii”, we bound by chains and stone, placing sturdiously, a stake within her heart, so that no wave nor motion of fish might wrench it free from her chest. And we buried her in her precious waters, casting stones of great size and mass ontop of her and around her, a prison that is hers for eternity. For the fate of the slumber she now endures in those cold dark depths must surely be an apt punishment for a creature as vile as she.' - Anamius, Kruis.

At this point, references to this group of Kindred vanish, and i have been unable to learn more about them in my cursory study of them. Perhaps a subject for another thesis. In any event;

The first mention of the new Prince of Amsterdam dates to 1369, from a brief journal entry, likewise penned by Peterszoon. The contents of this entry are largely irrelevant and uninteresting views of the motions of court, although this and other entries do present an intruiging look into medieval Kindred court-life. The entry is noteable only for the name of the Prince; Haco van Amsterdam. During later texts we learn that he belonged to the Ventrue Clan, and was the first to introduce the modern Primogen system in Amsterdam, appointing Primogen for each of the clans, and later adding a sixth to represent the Lancea Sanctum, as it's numbers swelled.

This century is noteable in the city's Kindred history primarily for the rapid rise of the Lancea Sanctum. While the mortals of the low lands had been christianized quite a few centuries earlier, there were still plenty of pagan Kindred who held considerable land and power for themselves. Not only that, but the Sanctified teachings themselves were slow to spread aswell. Most Kindred had been raised as Christian in a time when belief in church doctrine was absolute. The notion that the man who pierced the flesh of Jesus upon the cross was to be the dark savior of the Kindred was a notion which repelled many Dutch Kindred, including many Invictus.

Fredericke Peterszoon had paved the way, and had managed to convert a number of Kindred (although the exact number is never given in any historic texts) to his cause. The arrival of more Sanctified from Utrecht as Kindred 'colonizers', sparked an increasing political tension between Invictus and Sanctified. Before the arrival of these Sanctified Kindred, there were at most, a half dozen Kindred operating within Amsterdam and the surrounding lands, not counting the spikes of population in the previous centuries. But the arrival of new Kindred from Utrecht brought a strain on the food supply with it. Resulting in near all-out war between the two covenants during a particular heated argument in Elysium in the winter months of 1489. In order to come to a workable solution, both Covenants agreed to place a number of members in voluntary Torpor, an arrangement which would last for nearly two centuries, as Prince Haco and Fredericke Peterszoon, who had become Bishop by then, strived to maintain a carefully planned feeding pattern for the Kindred population.

They jointly instituted a complex and detailed system of vassalage which was less geared towards individual profit and more towards the ultimate well-being of the city's mortal population, lest that of the Kindred fall to infighting and hunger. Ofcourse, as with all things in Kindred society, there were those who perverted the system towards their own end. There are a number of records of Neonates and even Ancillae who met their demise in struggles with other Kindred over issues of domain. Despite such disruptions of the almost scientific precision that the system had enacted on feeding within the city, it worked as intended; The Kindred were assured of enough food to survive until the explosive population growth of the 17th century made it possible to ease up on the many restrictions. Nonetheless, the modern feudal system of feeding rights and domain can be directly traced to the system enacted by Haco and Peterszoon.

The two had some help by natural events however; in 1421, and then later in 1452, a great fire erupted which left three quarters of the city in ruins. Some Kindred undoubtedly found their Final Death during these times, though we know from the records that many, if not perhaps most, survived; having made their haven below ground, and in the stone places of the city, rather than the wooden structures which were so common in those days.

The 16th century would prove to be a tumultuous one for the Netherlands. In 1566, the Iconoclastic Beeldenstorm, or 'statuestorm', rushed over the Netherlands as the Protestant Reformation that had started at the at dawn of the century rose in popularity. A wave of destruction that took place between the 10th of august and october washed over the country, including Amsterdam, as angry mobs wrecked destruction upon roman-catholic sanctuaries, churches, abbeys, and monastaries. Statues, altars, artwork, chalices, books, robes, and other items were completely ravaged in many cases. In the case of Kindred, we know of at least one case in the city, where this had a direct impact upon the local Sanctified, as written in Peterszoon's personal journal at the time;

'The ravenous mob, having lost their wits to a new mortal heresy, have in their rage destroyed not only several texts of significance to us, but have also indirectly caused the Final Death of one of my underlings. I lament his fate ofcourse, as he was quite an asset within the court, but he really should have taken better care in securing his haven within the abbey. This strange new time for the Kine is to be watched carefully, as it will no doubt lead to further consequences for us down the road.'

The beeldenstorm of 1566 can be regarded as the principle catalyst behind the Dutch revolution against the Catholic-Spainish rule, along with excessive taxation. The year following the revolution, King Feliphe II of Spain, sent Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba to the Netherlands with an army of 10.000 men and 'unlimited' authority to squash the unrest. Immediately after his arrival he founded a special court, known as the Conseil des Troubles, in order to prosecute and sentence influential members who were working against the interests of Catholic Spain. In 1568, as an example, two popular members of the Dutch nobility, Counts Egmont and Horne, were publically beheaded in Brussels, an event which should have included William of Orange (considered to be the founder of the modern Netherlands), but he had managed to evade capture.

Initially, the officials of Amsterdam sided with the Spanish despite it's populace having enthustiastically participated in the beeldenstorm, and supplied the Duke of Alba with several ships in 1568 for the first sea battle of the revolution, against the so called 'Watergeuzen', a civilian fleet of mostly criminals, pirates, and exiles, who had pledged their support to William of Orange. The superior numbers of the Watergeuzen decimated the Duke's Fleet. The victory was to be shortlived however, as the revolution continued on (indeed, it is today known as the Eighty Years war). Land and cities exchanged hands frequently. Amsterdam wouldn't join the side of the revolution until 1578.

This turn of heart was known as the Alteration. The Catholic rulers of the city were deposed on the 26th of may and a new council was installed on the 29th of that same month, consisting of 30 Calvinists and 10 Catholics. Despite social actions taken against Catholics and the Spanish, nobody was reported to have been injured or killed during this change of hands.

When in 1581, the Dutch rebels declared the independence of the Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden (republic of seven united netherlands), Amsterdam was poised to become the greatest trading city the world had ever known, as the new degree of religious, cultural, and scientific freedoms that the Republic would usher in resulted in a great rise in wealth and knowledge.

The Kindred did not look upon these changes with disinterest. The Sanctified had become quite worried indeed about the religious changes taking place in the country, and the Invictus for it's part, was becoming concerned about the loss of prominence amongst the nobility, and the rise in influence of the merchant-class. Yet it would still take them many decades to fully come to appreciate that these changes were not merely a temporary phase in mortal society.

The Dutch Golden age was also that of Amsterdam. The city became the greatest trading city on the planet, and a great cultural center aswell. At it's height, the Dutch Republic had a fleet of merchant and naval ships alike that was bigger than those of England and France combined. It had colonies and trading posts on nearly every continent, and the power and wealth of the VOC (The united east india company, the world's first multinational corporation, and the first business to issue stock) was unrivalled by even the British East India Company. The Republic waged numerous wars with the other European powers, most noteably England. And it did all this while it was still technically at war with Spain. Only a few short years after the declaration of independence from Spain, the Republic had power and influence everywhere. And this was exemplified nowhere, as much as it was in Amsterdam.

Thus it was no wonder that it would also become a sort of golden age for the Kindred. The city grew quickly and in great numbers afterall, and this meant an easier time was to be had with feeding. Soon, new Kindred would arrive from all over europe, each seeking a piece of the pie, hoping to gain some measure of influence over the Kine that were situated in Amsterdam, and who were so powerful in the mortal affairs of the world. The wealth of the Dutch Invictus grew with leaps and bounds, which we can only assume led to a number of altercations between their members, though evidence for that is sporadic at best; for an examination of such evidence, i direct you to my upcoming work, which details the history of the city to a much larger extent.

What we do know, is that House Hellengraf, likely dates from this period, or at least, they are first mentioned in certain documents dating from the start of the Century, making their home amongst the many Jews who had fled persecution in other parts of Europe.

Despite the city's wealth however, it too, could not escape from the Black Death. The Plague claimed the lives of some 34.000 people in Amsterdam between 1663 and 1664, and there is some evidence that i have located that suggests this indeed led to a degree of chaos and civil unrest amongst the Kindred. A young Invictus neonate was blamed for spreading the plague amongst the Kine by the Prince and his court, yet a number of other Kindred, also of the Invictus, denounced these claims, and it's safe to say that the period between 1664 and 1669 can be considered a civil war, as at least a half dozen Kindred met Final Death. Needlessly to say, the Prince remained in power, but it might prove an interesting casestudy as being an early example of Carthian principles in effect. I shall ofcourse be dedicating a full chapter to this in my upcoming work, as mentioned previously.

A lightning strike in 1679 led to the destruction of a large part of the southern Jordaan area, a neighbourhood which at the time was mostly inhabitated by poor workers. The fact that it was also the location where a prominent Invictus regent made his Haven was the cause of a small but significant period of accusations made between the Invictus and Sanctified. The Invictus argued that it was far too convenient that the Haven would be so directly struck (the lightning struck the building in which the regent made his haven, and then spread) by lightning, and that only the Blood magic of the Sanctified could do such a thing. But the Sanctified instead, argued that they had no knowledge of any rituals capable of such a thing, and blamed remaining Acolyte elements. After several months of heightening tensions, the Lancea Sanctum finally managed to convince the Invictus that Acolytes were to blame, and in early 1680, a succesful joint-raid by both covenants on an acolyte cult in what's now known as Amstelveen took place. It is unclear what the truth of these accusations are ofcourse, and it could as easily have been mere coincidence as it could have been an acolyte, sanctified, or even invictus ploy.

During most of this century, the growth of Amsterdam was tempered, though not stagnating completely. In the first half of the century, the economy had slowed down, and the Regents sought a new strong individual to lead the Republic. In 1747 they installed Stadthouder Willem IV, who gained power almost equivalent to that of royalty, much to the dismay of many ordinary citizens. His rule lasted only 4 years until his death, but his son, Willem V took his title instead. His attempts to hold on to his 'royal' powers would divide the country into Orangists (those who supported the Stadthouder), and the Patriots (those who wanted a return to the glory days of the Republic).

It wasn't until the Fourth Anglo-Dutch war which followed the Dutch recognition of American Independence that the country's Golden Age truly ended, and the British truly ruled world trade. The war had left the Netherlands in fiscal ruins, and ripe for civil unrest and invasion by the French. When the Batavian revolution, instigated by those members of society who wanted a fairer and more democratic republic, occured in 1794, French troops invaded and with their help, the Batavian rebels declared the Batavian Republic in 1795. This Batavian republic was not a particularly stable one however, as several internal coups took place during this time, a development which greatly displayed Napoleon, who had by then become ruler of France. Thus, in 1806, he reformed the Netherlands (including modern day Belgium), into the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with his brother, Leopold, as king.

For the Kindred, this period was largely uneventful, the only noteworthy event that i shall include in this overview, is the voluntary stepping down of Bishop Peterszoon in 1767, who retired into the background of the Covenant, while a new Bishop would take the nightly reins of the Covenant; a Daeva by the name of Marinus van Acoleyen, who would later become the sire of our current Prince.

Leopold's dedication to the needs of the Kingdom over those of France did not please Napoleon however, and in 1810 the Netherlands were inducted into the French Empire. When Napoleon was defeated in 1814, Willem I had already returned to the Netherlands after fleeing to England during the Batavian revolution. And in 1815 he was instated as monarch of the Netherlands during the Congress of Vienna.

In 1830, modern-day Belgium declared independence from the Netherlands and in 1848 the country was reformed into a Constitutional Monarchy. The later half of the century was marked primarily by a brutal strengthening of the remaining Dutch colonies, primarily Indonesia, through wars against the native populations of the islands there. The first political parties also formed towards the end of the century, with the three main issues being Socialism (in regards to laborers), Emancipation, and Education.

For Amsterdam, the century could be described as somewhat of a second rennaisance, as the Industrial revolution came to the Netherlands. After the Belgian independence, Amsterdam is awarded a monopoly over trade with the colonies, and the digging of new canals, greatly improve the position of Amsterdam as a port. From 1870 or so, as the Industrial revolution truly took hold, the city grew explosively, leading to ghetto forming for laborers, much as we see in other european cities of the time. After 1875 therefore, we see massive new construction of housing taking place, for the first time seeing significant construction taking place outside of the 17th century city walls. And finally, in 1889 we see the opening of the central train-station, an iconic structure which still today, dominates the old city.

The Kindred, however, were not so blessed. In 1805 the domain collapsed. Prince Haco and all of his outspoken supports, including Bishop Peterszoon, are destroyed by a coterie of five Invictus Ancillae calling themselves a 'Kerzian Council'. Taking their cue from what was going on in mortal Dutch society at the time, they declared themselves unwilling to abide by accepted Kindred tradition, and went to work laying out a system of Republic Rule. Their rule was short, as six months later, three members of the Council had been assasinated by Invictus interests. The two remaining, would flee the city, one of them, Francisca de Graaf, made her way to Belgium, where she would initiate the Carthian Movement with her speeches. (The name Carthian is often regarded as a bastardization of the way she pronounced Kerzian, i've discovered)

Despite having retaken power, the Invictus was now a weak, almost broken Covenant. It had lost most of it's elders, and with them, the influence in mortal society. Other elements, particularly the Sanctified; but also the unaligned, and perhaps even these so called 'Dragons' one often hears about but never seems to meet; gained a greater degree of influence and power.

A new Invictus Prince rose to power, a Ventrue by the name of Cornelis Hendriks, who ruled by carefully distributing power in such a way as to foster suspicion between potentially rebellious elements, rather than have their ire aimed at the court. He continued many of the policies of the previous court which had proven effective, while wisely loosening up certain conventions of tradition, in order to avoid a repeat of 1805.

The temporary loss of Invictus power, and the explosive growth of the mortal population, meant that in this period, more unaligned entered the city than ever before, tempted by the great opportunities that were to be had now that the total dominance of the Invictus had come to an end.

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