Merwe Castle and the Origin of My Name

The Merwede, Merwe in medieval Dutch, is a river in the Netherlands. It flows from  a branch of the Rhine to the sea and has changed course several times due to huge floods. So Van de Merwe means from the Merwede River.

In 1015 Count Dirk III of Fresia founded the city of Dordrecht, now in the Netherlands, and built a castle on the bank of the Merwede. The knights of Merwede fought in the first four crusades and brought back many relics. A Lord Daniel took the first tower of Constantinople. When he returned he commenced building a second castle outside the City of Dordrecht. Lord Daniel V built an expansion of the castle in 1335. Daniel VII died without a male heir in 1403 ending the direct line. 

The castle was partially destroyed during a siege in 1418 in a war over the Countship of Holland. Later that year a huge flood devastated the countryside. Three years later the St. Elisabeths flood caused massive destruction in South Holland, 72 villages were submerged. The strong ice of that winter cracked the castle walls which eventually collapsed. The people of Dordrecht took bricks fallen from the castle to build their cathedral and restore the city walls. Only a remnant of the keep facing the city remained standing. The ruins stood in water for the next 600 years until the area was reclaimed in the early 20th century. In 1940 archeological excavations began, and in 1971 the remaining walls were stabilized.