The age of the first Kingmas

So what was Friesland like when the first Kingmas lived there?

In those times, Friesland was torn apart by quarrelling and strife, in the absence of any form of overarching authority to restore order. The chieftains, along with their armed servants, constantly waged wars among themselves, often calling to arms their entire entourage, i.e. all those who depended on the chieftains, such as tenants and servants. The stone houses (stinsen) inhabited by the nobles would often be set on fire, women were kidnapped and held hostage, and fights to the death were not uncommon. In the late 15th century, this ultimately escalated into an all-out war between two parties: the Schieringers and the Vetkopers. In that civil war, the Sjaerda chieftains of Franeker, already mentioned, played an important role on the Schieringer side. After 1498, when the Schieringers enlisted the help of Maximilian I, the Holy Roman emperor, through Duke Albert III of Saxony, these chaotic, virtually anarchic times came to an end. Although the arrival of Duke Albert III officially brought the legendary Frisian Freedom to an end, he would also establish an orderly administration, allowing peace to return.

Ancestor Jelle (born around 1450) and his son Pieter (born around 1480) will have experienced these events first hand. Perhaps the Kingmas were called upon to fight alongside the Sjaerda family, and their farm may also have been among those that were burnt down.

Pieter was born on the sate and lived there until his death around 1556. He was succeeded as the farmer by his son, Jelle Pieters Kingum.

One of these descendants of the very first Jelle Kingum acquired ownership of the sate.

Around 1600 the inhabitants of the sate had improved their social position to the extent that people begin to speak of a state. By then Pieter Jelles, a great-grandson of ancestor Jelle, lived at the state; from 1601 to 1606 he was a member of the Provincial Executive (Gedeputeerde Staten) of Friesland.

By that time the family name had changed from Kingum to Kingma, by way of forms such as Kinguma: ‘the one of Kingum’, named after the place where the family lived (see Where the name comes from).

Over the course of the centuries, the Kingmas continue to climb the social ladder of Frisian society. Among the descendants of ancestor Jelle we find various prominent family members, such as Saeckle Intes van Kingma († 1652), a representative of the Frisian Court of Auditors, his son Ignatius († 1700), who was a Brigadier and Colonel of the Cavalry of the United Republic of the Netherlands and the final member of the Kingma family to reside at Kingma State, and Saeckle’s brother Jan Intes († 1645), a member of the Provincial Executive (Gedeputeerde Staten) of Friesland.

Many Kingmas from this period are buried in the Regina Church in Zweins. The drawing of the family tree on the Genealogy page shows where their graves lie in the church.

Inte (or Ynte) is a very common name in the family, and Ignatius is the Latinised form of this name.

In 1611 Saeckle van Kingma and his wife bought one half of the state from his uncle Hendrick Jelles Kingma; the other half went to his uncle Ryurdt Saeckles. For a more extensive history of the Kingma State, please see How the estate began.

Historical research has told us more about Saeckle’s life and, in particular, that of his son Ignatius. An important source for that research is the archive that survived the demolition of the state. This archive, contained in boxes that span almost 20 metres, is held at Tresoar, the archive of the province of Friesland in Leeuwarden (access number 319). It is an indispensable source of historical documents from the late sixteenth century onwards.

Saeckle van Kingma was a delegate in the Court of Auditors in Friesland, which was established on 28 July 1582 and was based in Leeuwarden, the capital. Each provincial ‘quarter’ (Oostergo, Westergo, Zevenwolden, and the Eleven Cities) had one seat in the Court. Apparently, Saeckle was a comptroller who represented the Westergo area, of which Franeker was the capital. Members of the Court of Auditors had a two-year term of office. We don't know how many terms Saeckle served. The Court of Auditors was set up, among other things, to gain administrative control over provincial tax revenues.