Maria van Antwerpen
Encyclopedia
Maria van Antwerpen was a Dutch
soldier
and cross dresser. She is perhaps the most famous and well-documented example of a female cross dresser enlisting in the army
as a man. She also married twice to women. Two biographies
were published about Maria in her own lifetime, one by Franciscus Lievens Kersteman in 1751.
, the daughter of a brewer
. She was orphaned at thirteen and worked as a servant maid
until she was fired in the middle of winter in 1745. She enlisted in the military as Jan van Ant in 1746 and married the sergeant
daughter Johanna Cramers in 1748. Recognised by a former employer in 1751, she was put on trial for making a mockery of marriage and by entering an illegal marriage, and sentenced to exile from all garrison
cities. She worked as a seamstress until 1762, when she married Cornelia Swartsenberg, pregnant after a rape, and enlisted again. A son was baptised with her as a father. In 1769, she was recognised by someone who knew her as a seamstress, and put on trial again. Cornelia fled and Maria was exiled to the area of Holland. She died in Breda at the age of 62.
in the Dutch fleet during the first English-Dutch war when she was discovered in 1653, and an unnamed woman, also a soldier, who was discovered after having been killed in a fight with knives in 1710.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and cross dresser. She is perhaps the most famous and well-documented example of a female cross dresser enlisting in the army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
as a man. She also married twice to women. Two biographies
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
were published about Maria in her own lifetime, one by Franciscus Lievens Kersteman in 1751.
Biography
Maria van Antwerpen was born in BredaBreda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
, the daughter of a brewer
Brewer
Brewer may refer to:*Brewer, someone who makes beer by brewing*Brewer , a disambiguation page that lists people with the surname Brewer*Brewer, Maine, a city in southern Penobscot County, Maine, United States, near the city of Bangor...
. She was orphaned at thirteen and worked as a servant maid
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
until she was fired in the middle of winter in 1745. She enlisted in the military as Jan van Ant in 1746 and married the sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
daughter Johanna Cramers in 1748. Recognised by a former employer in 1751, she was put on trial for making a mockery of marriage and by entering an illegal marriage, and sentenced to exile from all garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
cities. She worked as a seamstress until 1762, when she married Cornelia Swartsenberg, pregnant after a rape, and enlisted again. A son was baptised with her as a father. In 1769, she was recognised by someone who knew her as a seamstress, and put on trial again. Cornelia fled and Maria was exiled to the area of Holland. She died in Breda at the age of 62.
Others
Other examples of Dutch women posing as men include Adriana la Noy, who served as a sailorSailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
in the Dutch fleet during the first English-Dutch war when she was discovered in 1653, and an unnamed woman, also a soldier, who was discovered after having been killed in a fight with knives in 1710.
Literature and references
- Isa Edholm: kvinnohistoria, Alfabeta Bokförlag AB, Stockholm, Falun 2001. ISBN 91 501 0054 8. (Swedish)
- Antwerpen, Maria van, Instituut voor Nederlandse Geschiedenis (Dutch)
- Rudolf Dekker & Lotte van de Pol. Vrouwen in mannenkleren; De geschiedenis van een tegendraadse traditie; Europa 1500-1800. Amsterdam, Wereldbibliotheek, 1989. (Dutch)