Boelens Loen

The members of the Boelens family, through their long tenure in the city government, were able to complete the formation of a solid oligarchic elite within Amsterdam.

[3] The reason for the loss of their prominent position was also due to the family's religious attitude, including in the Baptist rebellion.

Due to his long tenure and the resulting concentration and development of power, Boelens is considered the progenitor of the Amsterdam regents of the Dutch Golden Age, who largely claimed descent from him.

They established the Boelens Loen line from which several mayors of the city emerged and were related to the great regent families of the Dutch Golden Age, De Graeff and Bicker, who came to power after the Alteratie of Amsterdam in 1578.

[7] Thus, in the course of the 16th century, a dense network of related patrician and noble families emerged in Amsterdam, who divided power and offices among themselves.

As in a real dynasty, members of the two families frequently intermarried in the 17th century in order to keep their political and commercial capital together.

Andries Boelens (1455-1519), longtime burgomaster of Amsterdam and the most illustrious member of the Boelens family
Boelens-Den Otter chapel in the Nieuwe Kerk at Amsterdam
Descendants of Andries Boelens . Overview of the personal family relationships of the Amsterdam regent-dynasties Boelens Loen, De Graeff , Bicker (van Swieten) , Witsen and Johan de Witt in the Dutch Golden Age