34 Facts About Constantijn Huygens

Sir Constantijn Huygens, Lord of Zuilichem, was a Dutch Golden Age poet and composer.

Constantijn Huygens was born in The Hague, the second son of Christiaan Huygens, secretary of the Council of State, and Susanna Hoefnagel, niece of the Antwerp painter Joris Hoefnagel.

Constantijn Huygens learned French, Latin and Greek, and at a later age Italian, German and English.

Constantijn Huygens learned by practice, the modern way of learning techniques.

Constantijn Huygens received education in maths, law and logic and he learned how to handle a pike and a musket.

In 1614 Constantijn Huygens wrote his first Dutch poem, inspired by the French poet Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas, in which he praises rural life.

In 1616, Maurits and Constantijn Huygens started studies at Leiden University.

Constantijn Huygens was the only member of the legation who could speak Italian.

Constantijn Huygens is often considered a member of what is known as the Muiderkring, a group of leading intellectuals gathered around the poet Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, who met regularly at the castle of Muiden near Amsterdam.

In 1619 Constantijn Huygens came into contact with Anna Roemers Visscher and with Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft.

In 1623, Constantijn Huygens wrote his Printen, a description of several characteristics of people.

In 1622, when Constantijn stayed as a diplomat for more than one year in England, he was knighted by King James I This marked the end of Constantijn's formative years, and of his youth.

In 1626 Constantijn fell in love with Suzanna van Baerle after earlier courtship by the Huygens family to win her for his brother Maurits had failed.

Constantijn Huygens wrote several sonnets for her, in which he calls her Sterre.

Constantijn Huygens describes their marriage in Dagh-werck, a description of one day.

Constantijn Huygens worked on this piece, which contains almost 2000 lines, during the entire time they were married.

The new stadtholder, William II of Orange, greatly appreciated Constantijn Huygens and gave him the estate of Zeelhem, but he died too in 1650.

The emphasis of Constantijn Huygens' activities moved more and more to his presidency of the Council of the house of Orange, which was in the hands of the young Prince inheritor, a small baby.

Constantijn Huygens traveled frequently during that time, in connection with his work.

In that same year Constantijn Huygens became seriously ill, but healed in a miraculous manner.

Constantijn Huygens started a successful career despite his grief over the death of his wife.

In 1643 Constantijn Huygens was granted the honor of displaying a golden lily on a blue field in his coat of arms.

In 1634 Constantijn Huygens received from Prince Frederick Henry a piece of property in The Hague on the north side of the Binnenhof.

The land was near the property of a good friend of Constantijn Huygens, Count Johan Maurits of Nassau-Siegen, who built his house, the Mauritshuis, around the same time and using the same architect, Constantijn Huygens' friend Jacob van Campen.

Constantijn Huygens became friends with John Donne, and translated his poems into Dutch.

Constantijn Huygens was unable to write poetry for months because of his anguish over his wife's death, but eventually he composed, inspired by Petrarch, the sonnet Op de dood van Sterre, which was well received.

Constantijn Huygens added the poem to his Dagh-werck, which he left unfinished: the day he has described has not ended yet, but his Sterre is already dead.

Constantijn Huygens corresponded with Margaret Croft and Elizabeth Dudley, Countess of Lowenstein, ladies in waiting to Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, and Mary Woodhouse, a friend made in London in 1622.

From 1650 to 1652 Constantijn Huygens wrote the poem Hofwijck in which he described the joys of living outside the city.

Constantijn Huygens still tried to find time to publish more of his work.

In 1661, a grandfather by now, Constantijn Huygens was sent to France by the circle of tutors of William III, to recover possession of the county of Orange.

The county was returned to the family of Orange-Nassau in 1665 and Constantijn Huygens returned to the Netherlands.

On his return, Constantijn Huygens designed the new sand road in The Hague, running through the dunes to Scheveningen.

Constantijn Huygens had already planned this road in 1653, and wrote about it in his work the Zee-straet.