Battle of the Grebbeberg

The Battle of the Grebbeberg () was a major engagement during the Battle of the Netherlands, which was a part of the World War II Operation "Fall Gelb" in 1940.
Background.
In the 1930s, the Dutch government pursued a policy of strict neutrality. After World War I, the Dutch parliament supported a disarmament policy because it was generally thought that World War I had been "the war to end all wars". When the threat of Nazi Germany became more apparent the Dutch government decided to reinforce and retrain their Armed Forces. In case of a violation of neutrality by Germany, the strategy of the Army Command was to fall back on the Water Line, which formed part of Fortress Holland, the Dutch national redoubt and to await Allied assistance from France and the United Kingdom. To defend the redoubt, it was necessary to slow the German advance down in order to give as many Dutch forces as possible the chance of assembling in Fortress Holland.
To this effect, several defensive lines had been constructed throughout the country. The Maas Line and the IJssel Line had been constructed along the Maas and IJssel rivers and served to detect German incursions into Dutch territory and to delay the Germans in the first hours of an invasion. The fortress at Kornwerderzand on the narrow Afsluitdijk guarded the northern approach to Fortress Holland while the Peel-Raam Line in North Brabant guarded the southern approach. Any attempt to approach Fortress Holland through the central part of the country would be delayed at the Grebbe line.
At the beginning of 1940, Chief of Staff General Henri Winkelman redesignated the Grebbe Line the Main Defence Line, because defending the East Front of Fortress Holland would bring the major city of Utrecht into the frontline and the enemy too close to the Dutch capital Amsterdam.
The Grebbe Line was built in 1745 and had been used for the first time in 1794 against the French. It was maintained throughout the 19th century, but had been neglected ever since because it was thought to have become obsolete. In 1926, most fortifications were disbanded. When Germany became a potential threat the Dutch government had the Line recommissioned.
At the end of the 1930s, a series of pillboxes and casemates were constructed in the area south of the IJsselmeer and north of the Rhine. The Line was constructed according to French military principles from World War I which had proven to be successful then, but had, unknown at the time of construction, become obsolete. There were major flaws in the design of the pillboxes, which were difficult to defend against attack from the flanks and rear. The (fixed) weapons were antiquated, many of them dating back to World War I. Because the Dutch government did not want to antagonise local residents, permission to remove buildings and trees in the line of fire was refused, which greatly reduced the effectiveness of the defences and gave attackers plenty of cover. The trench system was also based on World War I principles. It consisted of a line of outposts ("voorpostenlijn"), a Frontline ("frontlijn"), a Stopline ("stoplijn") and a Final Line ("ruglijn").
Another dangerous mistake was the lack of serious security measures at the construction sites. The government did not want to interrupt tourism as the local economy of Rhenen was dependent on revenues from the Ouwehands Dierenpark, a zoo located on a hill near Rhenen, the Grebbeberg. In the months leading up to the invasion, German officers in civilian clothes visited the zoo and used its lookout tower to survey the local defences. The government estimated that the Line would be completed in November 1940 and in May 1940 the bomb-proof pumping station at the Grebbeberg—which was necessary for the control of local flooding—had not been completed. Because of the lack of inundation, the German spies realised that the Grebbeberg would be a vulnerable spot in the Grebbe Line.
The battle.
At 03:55 local time on 10 May 1940, the German Army Group B invaded the Netherlands. The 207th Infantry Division—commanded by Karl von Tiedemann—and part of the 18th Army had been tasked with overrunning the Grebbeberg within a day. Resistance at the IJssel Line near Westervoort was fiercer than anticipated and it was dusk by the time the Germans had occupied Wageningen, the city directly to the east of the Grebbeberg. The 207th Infantry Division—reinforced with the SS-brigade "Der Führer"—made preparations to assault the hill next morning.
11 May.
The outposts fall.
In order to mount a direct assault on the Grebbeberg, the Germans had to breach the line of outposts ("voorpostenlijn") which covered a wide area directly in front of the Grebbeberg, which had not been flooded. The line was manned by two companies of the third battalion of the 8th Infantry Regiment (III-8 RI), which was part of the 4th Division and the 2nd Corps. In the early hours of 11 May, German artillery opened fire on the line of outposts, disabling the telephone system of the Dutch defenders. Now that communication with the other defensive lines had become impossible, the Dutch were deprived of artillery support. At dawn, the SS brigade launched a direct assault on the outposts. The defensive positions at the outposts were mostly improvised and consisted of sandbags and wooden obstacles. The field of fire of the Dutch defensive positions did not overlap. German forces were able to neutralise them one by one by sending two teams of machine gunners to attack a single position. One team would provide covering fire while the other would use the blind spots to launch a flanking attack.
In the northern part of the line, on the edge of the inundated area, the Germans ran into a section of the Dutch 19th Infantry Regiment (19 RI), which—because it was part of a different unit—had trouble co-ordinating its actions with the other Dutch positions. This section broke after a short skirmish and retreated westward, thereby creating an open flank which the Germans exploited by encircling the more southern Dutch sections. Near the Rhine the Germans used a dike to approach defending forces from the rear unhindered. Dutch supporting fire from the Frontline was largely ineffective because the area between the frontline and the line of outposts was carpeted in orchards, which kept the Germans out of sight. Now that the SS forces had succeeded in approaching the Dutch forces from the rear, the line of outposts could be neutralised. At 18:00, the last Dutch section surrendered and the "voorpostenlijn" fell into German hands.
The Dutch counterattack.
In the evening, German armored cars tried to attack the hill itself but were repelled by a anti-tank gun. That evening, Chris Meijer—an artillery sergeant who had been arrested for abandoning his post—was brought in and subjected to a court-martial and executed by firing squad. After the war, this court-martial would become controversial because of possible undue influence by the commander of 2nd Corps, General Harberts. This incident—and unfounded rumors of a massive rout in the line of outposts—incited Harberts into setting an example for other Dutch forces. At 21:00, he ordered the second battalion of 19 RI to initiate a counterattack under the cover of darkness against the outposts. Harberts estimated that about a hundred Germans were in the line of outposts, but in reality II-19 RI faced 3,000 SS troops. At the stopline, which was situated directly on the Grebbeberg, II-19 RI was fired upon by other Dutch troops who had not been informed of the impending counterattack. The confusion that followed caused the attack to lose momentum before it had made contact with the enemy and by the time order had been restored, dawn had broken and the counterattack was called off. One positive side-effect of the counterattack had been that Dutch artillery support forced the Germans to abandon their own planned night attack.
12 May.
Capture of the Frontline.
After the seizure of the outposts the previous day, the focus of the German force was on capturing the Frontline, which ran along the eastern slope of the Grebbeberg. Von Tiedemann decided to initiate a powerful attack on the hill. It was defended by four companies from II-8 RI and I-8 RI. They were reinforced by a machine gun company and an anti-tank unit which occupied the casemates nearby. There was a much larger number of Dutch machine guns in the frontline, so that this time there were no blind spots in which German units could hide. Von Tiedemann realised that an all-out assault like that of the day before would not work and ordered an artillery barrage which lasted for the better part of the morning. The artillery bombardment did not destroy the defensive works, but did undermine the morale of the Dutch units, which were mainly composed of conscripts.
After 12:40, the German guns ceased firing and the SS brigade attacked the "Hoornwerk", an 18th-century fortification which had to be seized first. The defenders' ammunition supply was low because of skirmishes with German forces the night before and in the early afternoon the Dutch started to give way. After a short engagement, the Hoornwerk fell and the Germans stormed the hill. The Germans threatened to out-flank the Dutch casemates which could only put fire onto the area directly in front of them. A fierce battle ensued on the wooded slope, but the automatic weapons of the SS gave them an advantage. The Dutch did not have sufficient forces in reserve to initiate a counterattack.
At 16:00, the Dutch troops at the Stopline on top of the Grebbeberg encountered the first German units. A frantic attempt was made to drive the Germans back to the Frontline, but the Dutch counteroffensive was no match for German firepower. North of the Rhenen-Wageningen road, Major Johan Henri Azon Jacometti—commander of II-8 RI—personally led a counterattack, but it failed after Jacometti was killed. To stall the German advance, reinforcements were necessary, and II-19 RI—the same battalion that executed the aborted counterattack the previous night—was ordered to advance to the Frontline. The battalion, however, suffered the same fate as the night before when nervous Dutch troops once again opened fire on the battalion. The demoralised soldiers withdrew to safety and the attack petered out.
Due to its concentration, the SS brigade became vulnerable to Dutch artillery. As the German advance was largely dependent on the strength of the SS brigade, the destruction of a large part of the brigade could turn the tide of the battle. However, the Dutch artillery—to avoid hitting their own troops—executed a mainly pre-arranged fire plan aimed at the interdiction of German reinforcements. Firing on the German concentration was limited to some individual commanders using their own initiative. There was also some effective fire from mortars.
Infiltration of the Stopline.
In the late afternoon and early evening, the SS brigade cleared the area between the Stopline and the Frontline of all resistance. By 20:00, the penetrated area was still quite limited with a depth of and a width of . There was no great higher level pressure on Von Tiedemann to make haste as the main German attack was near Rotterdam. The commander of the third battalion of the SS brigade—"Obersturmbannführer" (Lieutenant Colonel) Hilmar Wäckerle—was not satisfied with the limited progress and considered the fact that the Grebbe Line had not yet been breached to be a stain on his personal honor. Furthermore, he noticed that the Dutch Stopline had lost most of its cohesion because of the exhausting counterattacks. Completely in line with his impetuous character and the fearsome reputation he wished to create for the "Waffen-SS", Wäckerle—contrary to his orders, moved two companies of his battalion forward into the Stopline. An improvised attempt was made to penetrate the Stopline in two places: the first attempt was made by Wäckerle himself near the Rhenen-Wageningen road and the second further south near the Rhine. The first attempt succeeded and Wäckerle infiltrated the Stopline and immediately advanced unopposed for with a company, driving the disheartened Dutch defenders before him. He then stumbled on the final line ("ruglijn"), which was formed by the Rhenen-Veenendaal railway. The disadvantage of the rapid SS advance now became apparent. Because the other German units had not participated in the advance, it was not exploited and most of the Stopline held firm, leaving Wäckerle surrounded deep in enemy territory. His only hope for a further breakthrough now rested on a spontaneous collapse of the Dutch defences.
Dutch reserves arrive.
At the same time, the Dutch situation seemed to improve as Dutch reinforcements arrived. II-19 RI had reassembled itself along the final line and a battalion of the 46th Infantry Regiment (I-46 RI) had been dispatched from the Betuwe to assist in the defence of the Grebbe Line. The 3rd and 4th Regiment Hussars arrived on the scene from the north. The only way into Rhenen was the viaduct underneath the railway. The viaduct was defended by units from the Royal Marechaussee led by Captain G.J.W. Gelderman. The Royal Marechaussee was tasked with preventing any units from getting past the railway, be they Germans or retreating Dutch forces. Gelderman was in the process of convincing withdrawing Dutch forces to resume fighting when Wäckerle's SS company reached his position. Gelderman gave the order to open fire and many Dutch and German soldiers were hit. The SS company was successfully contained in a factory located between the railway and the Rhine.
The reinforcements were sent in by the commander of the Field Army—Baron van Voorst tot Voorst—to stabilise the front. Van Voorst also decided to take additional measures. The number of troops at his disposal was very limited because most reserve forces were involved in repelling an airborne attack near The Hague. He could deploy seven battalions: II-11 RI, I-20 RI and five battalions of the newly arrived Brigade B. The safest option was to give up the Stopline and to regroup at a new defensive line, but the Dutch Army lacked the Engineer capacity to quickly create one and thus Van Voorst ordered the forces in the Stopline to recapture the Frontline. A captain from the General Staff sent to the 4th Division—A.H.J.L. Fiévez—drew up an attack plan on the night of 12 May.
According to the plan, three of the seven available battalions were to reinforce the troops at Grebbeberg, the Stopline and the final line, while the other four were to execute a flanking attack from the village of Achterberg, located north of the Grebbeberg. The purpose of this flanking attack was not just to drive the German forces from the hill, but also to stabilise the local situation. In the late evening, the situation north of the Grebbeberg had worsened considerably, and the counterattack also served the purpose of reversing the situation there. As night fell, a single Dutch section still occupied the Frontline; it would only surrender after the Dutch Army capitulated.
13 May.
The counterattack fails.
On the morning of 13 May, Von Tiedemann had lost all contact with Wäckerle and the situation on the Grebbeberg was very confusing to him. He assumed that Dutch reinforcements were being assembled on the hill but noticed that the defences north of the Grebbeberg had deteriorated. He decided to open a second axis of attack in this sector. For the first time, the "207. ID" itself was to be deployed, not against the endangered Dutch sector north of the Grebbeberg, but on the Grebbeberg itself, to pin Dutch forces there down and to purge the Stopline of defenders. The job of attacking the Dutch troops north of the hill was given to the two remaining battalions of the SS brigade, which had seen continuous action for the past two days. At the same time, the Dutch were preparing their own attack in the very same sector.
The attacks of both sides were supported by indirect fire. The Dutch requested air support from the British Royal Air Force, but they were unable to divert any planes from the ongoing battle in France. Instead, the Royal Netherlands Air Force dispatched the last aircraft it could spare: four old Fokker C.X light bombers, which were protected by the last operational fighters. Thirty bombs were dropped on the German artillery positions in front of the Grebbeberg, and the bombers—together with the fighters—continued to strafe the Germans along the Rhenen-Wageningen road until they ran out of ammunition. The Dutch used artillery too, but its effectiveness was diminished by the old fear of hitting their own forces. The Germans would use artillery too, when their attack started late in the morning.
The Dutch counterattack near Achterberg should have started at 04:30 but it was delayed until 08:00. Brigade B, which had arrived the evening before, supplied four battalions (I-29 RI, III-29 RI, II-24 RI and I-20 RI). They were ill-prepared and exhausted from having marched all day on 12 May. It was often unclear to the troops what their exact objectives were, what the terrain in front of them looked like and what resistance they could expect. The battalions were made up of middle-aged men (as the high regimental numbers show), who had not been retrained for service and had not been able to create strong bonds of comradeship. These factors contributed to less cohesion in the ranks, which would prove fatal in the battle to come.
At first, little opposition was encountered as the Dutch advanced to the Stopline and reoccupied positions which had been abandoned too hastily the evening before. But the situation deteriorated after the advance had passed the Stopline. The Dutch advance walked into a German artillery bombardment which preceded an attack by the SS. While it would have been best for the Dutch to move into defensive mode and repel the attack, the Dutch divisional command was unaware of the German intentions and it ordered the advance to continue. Many troops were killed by German artillery and by supportive fire from their own machine guns. The confused battalions—many of which had lost their NCOs—started to retreat to the Stopline at noon. A second attack wave faltered and also started to fall back and at some places the Stopline was abandoned. The retreat was exacerbated at 14:00, when 27 Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bombers launched an attack. Though the attack was not aimed at Brigade B, but rather at the positions on the Grebbeberg itself, it was enough to cause panic in the retreating battalions. A "sauve qui peut" mentality took hold of the Dutch troops and the defence mounted by the 4th Division effectively collapsed as events on the Grebbeberg itself had taken a turn for the worse.
The Stopline is penetrated.
The success of a Dutch counterattack had also depended on whether the Stopline on the Grebbeberg itself would hold, for elimination of the Stopline would remove all chance of a successful defence. To make sure the line would hold, it was necessary to send in fresh troops to reinforce the line. Communication was made difficult because of the presence of Wäckerle's pocket of SS troops. The day before, many trenches south of the Rhenen-Wageningen road had been abandoned by Dutch forces. Fièvez—who did not have a clear picture of the situation near the Stopline—had designated the final line ("ruglijn") near the railway in Rhenen as the main line of defence. This caused the Stopline to be undermanned. Furthermore, as the final line served only as an assembly area for incoming reinforcements rather than as a true defensive perimeter, the final line could not be developed into a fully fledged defensive position. By the time these mistakes became apparent, it was too late to reinforce the endangered Stopline.
The fatal decision not to cut down wooded areas near the Stopline now became detrimental to the defenders, who were unable to keep German forces at bay due to the cover the trees provided. The Stopline was intended as the last real line of defence to serve as a point from which an enemy breakthrough could be countered; it thus had no deeper positions. Once the stopline was breached, the Grebbe Line would be jeopardised. After a brief artillery barrage the Germans launched their first attack. Although it was generally unsuccessful, some German units managed to break through the line. Most of the German troops in this attack were older and less experienced and they panicked. But the German commanders were aware of this possibility and after a second artillery bombardment another attempt was made by the second echelon. This attempt proved to be successful shortly after noon, and—using the earlier penetration—the Stopline was largely put out of action. A fierce struggle ensued in the woods as the German forces started their descent into Rhenen. Most Dutch command posts were located behind the stopline and they now came under attack. One command post was valiantly defended by the commander of I-8 RI—Major Willem Pieter Landzaat — who gave his men the order to "stand firm behind the rubble" and to "resist until the last bullet". Once the defenders had run out of ammunition, Landzaat thanked and dismissed his men and continued to defend the command post. His body was found after the battle by his wife. After the war, Landzaat would be posthumously awarded the Order of William, the highest Dutch military honor. The attacking Germans had become nervous, and it took quite a few hours before the area between the Stopline and the railway was cleared of Dutch soldiers. At 17:00, the German forces started to reform for an attack on the final line. But Dutch morale had broken to such an extent that such an assault was no longer necessary.
Rout at the final line.
There were a lot of Dutch soldiers in and around Rhenen, but most were in scattered groups guarding the railway. There was little co-ordination and the different commands in the area overlapped so that all oversight was lost. Most troops were exhausted and nervous because of the continuous artillery bombardment. Overall command in the sector had devolved to "jonkheer" De Marees van Swinderen, the commander of the 4th Hussar Regiment. He had not been informed of the situation in the Grebbeberg and did not send any reinforcements to the Stopline. Instead, he sent some troops back to Elst—some west of Rhenen—to form a mobile reserve. This caused the cohesion of the Dutch forces in Rhenen to further decrease. As the day progressed, more troops would leave the battlefield to retreat westward.
In the meantime, Wäckerle's stranded SS company had spent an uncomfortable night in the factory. They made two attempts to break through the final line, during which Wäckerle violated the laws of war. The first attempt involved the use of Dutch prisoners of war as a human shield and subsequently he ordered his men to advance in Dutch uniforms. The Royal Marechausse unit under Captain Gelderman—with orders to shoot all men moving in the wrong (westward) direction—repelled both attempts. During the second effort, the masquerading SS troops were given away by their distinctive boots. Wäckerle's manoeuvering had failed, the Dutch forces destroyed the viaduct. Wäckerle himself was badly wounded, he was relieved by German forces in the afternoon and went to Wageningen for treatment.
The same air attack that had caused Brigade B north of the Grebbeberg to turn tail and run, also hit parts of the final line. It had the same effect — little physical damage but a complete breakdown of morale. Most Dutch troops started to leave the battlefield at this point. At 16:00, Captain Gelderman noticed to his amazement that only 15 men remained in his vicinity while he had ordered food for 600 earlier that morning. By this time, the entire Dutch 4th Division had come to the conclusion that it had suffered a defeat and that only a retreat could save their formation. The reserves behind the line were caught in the withdrawal after rumors spread that an official retreat had been ordered. One exception to this massive rout was a company of the 11th Border Battalion, the last Dutch reinforcements sent to the Grebbeberg. In the evening, it crossed the final line and evicted German forces from the railway station. In the end, their deployment did not make any difference and the battalion withdrew as Rhenen was being destroyed by fire.
Aftermath.
The fall of the Grebbeberg was a huge blow to the Dutch. Defeat at this location meant the collapse of the entire Grebbe line and forced the Dutch to a full retreat of six divisions to the East Front of the Waterline. This was quickly and successfully executed during the afternoon and late evening of 13 May and finalized in the morning of 14 May, the German forces being unaware the Dutch lines had been abandoned until that morning.
Casualties.
Dutch casualties were heavy. In total, 18 officers and 399 NCOs and men had lost their lives during the three days of battle. German casualties were lower, but this has led to some contention since many eye-witness reports do not match those figures that the Germans released. The official number is 238 KIA, but estimates move between 250 and 300 killed.
Fall of the Netherlands.
The East Front of Fortress Holland would never be attacked, as in the evening of 14 May 1940, the Dutch, after the Bombardment of Rotterdam surrendered in all provinces except Zeeland, where they continued to resist.


Jan van Druten

Martinus Johannes (Jan) van Druten (Nijmegen, 4 April 1916 – Amsterdam, 18 July 1993) was a Dutch painter, sculptor and ceramist.
Life and work.
Van Druten was initially cafe owner in Nijmegen. He studied, with some interruptions, between 1939 and 1949 at the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam and devoted himself to painting. According to the Netherlands Institute for Art History in 1946 he won the Prix de Rome. He was a member of the Algemeen Kristelijk Kunstenaarsverbond (General Catholic artists association).
Van Druten bought in 1963 a condemned house in Schellinkhout, which he renovated into a house and workshop. In 1965 he switched to sculpture. His images were collected after his death and on loan to the municipality Venhuizen.


Thomas Bastiaan Pleyte

Thomas Bastiaan Pleyte (23 October 1864 in Leiden – 25 March 1926 in The Hague) was a Dutch politician.
Pleyte was minister of Colonies in the Cort van der Linden cabinet. He became known as a liberal minister who founded the People's Council in 1916, a move that is widely regarded as the important first step to give the native population of the Dutch East Indies (now known as Indonesia) an equal say in government. Pleyte was fluent in Malay and Javanese.


Peter Canisius

Peter Canisius (; 8 May 1521 – 21 December 1597) was a renowned Dutch Jesuit Catholic priest. He became known for his strong support for the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The restoration of the Catholic Church in Germany after the Protestant Reformation is largely attributed to the work there of the Society of Jesus, which he led. He is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church.
Life.
He was born in 1521 in Nijmegen in the Duchy of Guelders, which, until 1549, was part of the Habsburg Netherlands within the Holy Roman Empire and is now the Netherlands. His father was a wealthy burgermeister, Jacob Kanis. His mother, Ægidia van Houweningen, died shortly after Peter's birth. He was sent to study at the University of Cologne, where he earned a master's degree in 1540, at the age of 19.
While there, he met Peter Faber, one of the founders of the Society of Jesus. Through him, Canisius became the first Dutchman to join the newly founded Society of Jesus in 1543. Through his preaching and writings, Peter Canisius became one of the most influential Catholics of his time. He supervised the founding and maintenance of the first German-speaking Jesuit colleges, often with little resources at hand. At the same time he preached in the city and vicinity, and debated and taught in the university. Due to his frequent travels between the colleges, a tedious and dangerous occupation at the time, he became known as the Second Apostle of Germany.
Canisius exerted a strong influence on the Emperor Ferdinand I. The king's eldest son (later Maximilian II) appointed Phauser, a married priest, to the office of court preacher. Canisius warned Ferdinand I, verbally and in writing, and opposed Phauser in public disputations. Maximilian was obliged to dismiss Phauser and, on this account, the rest of his life he harboured a grudge against Canisius.
In 1547 he attended several sessions of the Council of Trent. Canisius was an influential teacher and preacher, especially through his "German Catechism", a book which defined the basic principles of Catholicism in the German language and made them more accessible to readers in German-speaking countries. He was offered the post of Bishop of Vienna in 1554, but declined in order to continue his traveling and teachings. He did, however, serve as administrator of the Diocese of Vienna for one year, until a new bishop was appointed for it.
He moved to Germany, where he was one of the main Catholic theologians at the Colloquy of Worms in 1557, and later served as the main preacher in the Cathedral of Augsburg from 1559 to 1568, where he strongly witnessed to his faith on three or four occasions each week. Canisius was renowned as a popular preacher. In 1562 he founded what was to become the University of Innsbruck.
In "Christ The King – Lord of History" by Anne W. Carroll, it states:Protestantism had made much headway in Germany because many intellectuals had adopted it, making Catholicism appear to be the religion of the ignorant. By his debates, his writing and his teachings, Peter showed that Catholicism was thoroughly rational, that the Protestant arguments were not convincing.By his efforts, Peter won Bavaria (southern Germany) and the Rhineland (central Germany) back to the Catholic Church. He also won converts in Austria, Hungary, Bohemia and Poland. Poland had become largely Protestant, but thanks to the efforts of Peter and other Jesuits, it returned to the Church and is still Catholic today despite Communist persecution.
By the time he left Germany, the Society of Jesus in Germany had evolved from a small band of priests into a powerful tool of the Counter-Reformation. Canisius spent the last twenty years of his life in Fribourg, where he founded the Jesuit , which trained generations of young men for careers and future university studies.
In 1591, at the age of 70, Canisius suffered a stroke which left him partially paralyzed, but he continued to preach and write with the aid of a secretary until his death in Fribourg.
He was initially buried at the Church of St Nicholas. His remains were later transferred to the church of the Jesuit College, which he had founded and where he had spent the last year of his life, and interred in front of the main altar of the church; the room he occupied during those last months is now a chapel open for the veneration of the faithful.
Pastoral strategy.
Canisius lived during the height of the Protestant Reformation and dedicated much of his work to the clarification of the Catholic faith in light of the emergence of the new Protestant doctrines. His lasting contribution is his three catechisms, which he published in Latin and German, which became widespread and popular in Catholic regions. In his fight with German Protestantism, he requested much more flexibility from Rome, arguing:
He rejected attacks against John Calvin and Melanchthon: "With words like these, we don't cure patients, we make them incurable."
Mariology of Canisius.
Canisius taught that, while there are many roads leading to Jesus Christ, for him the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the best. His sermons and letters document a clear preoccupation with Marian veneration. Under the heading "prayer" he explains the "Ave Maria" (Hail Mary) as the basis for Catholic Marian piety. Less known are his Marian books, in which he published prayers and contemplative texts. He is credited with adding to the Hail Mary the sentence: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners." Eleven years later it was included in the Catechism of the Council of Trent of 1566.
Canisius published an applied Mariology for preachers, in which Mary is described in tender and warm words. He actively promoted the sodalities of our Lady and the rosary associations.
Theologically, Canisius defended Catholic Mariology in his 1577 book, "De Maria Virgine Incomparabili et Dei Genitrice Sacrosancta Libri Quinque". The book was ordered by Pope Pius V to present a factual presentation of the Catholic Marian teachings in the Bible, the early Christians, the Church Fathers and contemporary theology. Canisius explains and documents Church teachings through the ages regarding the person and character of Mary, her virtues and youth. He traces historical documents about the perpetual virginity of Mary, and her freedom from sin. He explains the dogma of "Mother of God" with numerous quotations from the fathers after the Council of Ephesus. He shows that Church teaching has not changed. He answers the "sola scriptura" arguments of Protestants by analyzing the biblical basis for mariology. Book five explains the Catholic view of the assumption as living faith for centuries, supported by most prominent Church writers. In addition he justifies the cult of Mary within the Catholic Church.
From today's perspective, Canisius clearly erred in some of his sources, but, because of his factual analysis of original sources, it is considered as representing one of the best theological achievements in the 16th century.
Veneration.
Canisius was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1864, and later canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church on 21 May 1925 by Pope Pius XI. His feast day was included in the General Roman Calendar in 1926, for celebration on 27 April. In the liturgical reform of 1969, it was moved to 21 December, the anniversary of his death, the normal day for celebrating a saint's entry into heaven (although it is still kept by the Society of Jesus on 27 April).
Legacy.
In recognition of Canisius' early work in the establishment of Jesuit education, there are multiple educational institutions named for him. Among them is the Canisius College for seminarians in Vienna, Austria, the first institution named for him, as well as Canisius College, a Jesuit secondary school in his hometown of Nijmegen and the alma mater of Peter Hans Kolvenbach, a recent Superior General of the Society of Jesus. Another Canisius College, a university, and Canisius High School, a secondary school, are located in Buffalo, New York. Furthermore, a Jesuit-run Canisius Kolleg can be found in Berlin, Germany. There are also two secondary schools named after Canisius, Kolese Kanisius ("Collegium Canisianum" or "Canisius College"), in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Canisianum Roman Catholic HS in the Omusati Region of Namibia, Africa.
In addition, there is a primary school: Basisschool Petrus Canisius in Puth in Limburg, Netherlands. In 1850 the Canisius Hospital was established on the corner of the Houtmarkt and the Pauwelstraat in Nijmegen. In 1974 it merged with Wilhelmina Hospital located at the Weg door Jonkerbos in Nijmegen, to become Canisius-Wilhemina Hospital.
The "Apologetische Vereniging St. Petrus Canisius" (St. Peter Canisius Association for Apologetics) was founded in the Netherlands in 1904 to defend the Catholic Church against socialism and liberalism.
From the middle of the nineteenth century on German churchmen, including Michael Cardinal von Faulhaber (1869–1952), considered Canisius as a new "Apostle of Germany", a successor of Saint Boniface, for his importance for German Christianity.
Works.
The longer version (with quotes from authority):
Sources.
In addition to the listed institutions worldwide, there is Peter Canisius College in Sydney, Australia (suburb of Pymble at 102 Mona Vale Road).


Melodifestivalen 2009

Melodifestivalen 2009 was a Swedish song contest held between February and March 2009. It was the selection for the 49th song to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, and was the 48th edition of Melodifestivalen. Five semi-finals were held in the Swedish cities of Gothenburg, Skellefteå, Leksand and Malmö, with Norrköping hosting the final "Andra Chansen" (Second Chance) round.
After the five semi-finals 11 songs had qualified to the final of the contest, contested in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, at the Globe Arena. After the voting of 12 juries and a public televote had been revealed, the final winner was opera singer Malena Ernman with pop/opera song "La voix", which received top marks from the public televote, despite only placing eighth after the votes of the 12 juries.
The 2009 edition of Melodifestivalen implemented a number of new rules which changed the dynamics of the contest, including an increase in the number of people allowed on stage, the allowance of pre-recorded backing vocals, and a new international jury who selected an eleventh finalist, and voted in the final.
Rules.
The current rules for Melodifestivalen were first implemented in 2002 – the format consists of five semi-finals held every year: the first four semi-finals each consist of eight songs, in which the top two songs directly qualify to the final of the contest, while the third and fourth-placed songs qualify to the final semi-final, the "Andra Chansen" (Second Chance) round. Eight songs compete in the Second Chance round, competing in a knock-out format until two songs are left, which qualify to the final. These songs are chosen by a public televote held on the night of the contest. The final consisted of 10 songs, who are awarded marks by 11 regional juries of Sweden, alongside televoting, with each constituting 50% of the total result.
28 songs are selected from a public call for songs by SVT. These are chosen from a large number of entries, with over 3000 entries being received by SVT in past contests. These songs are reduced by the Swedish Music Publishers Association ("Svenska musikförläggareföreningen"; SMFF), who reduce this large number to around 1200 entries. A sixteen-person jury reduce this number once again to the final 28 competing songs. These 28 songs are then joined by compositions by four songwriters invited by SVT, who each submit a song into the competition.
For the 2009 contest a number of changes were implemented to this format: the first four semi-finals now include a duel format, with the top four songs competing against each other for a place in the final - the 1st and 4th-placed songs and the 2nd and 3rd-placed songs battled against each other, with the winning songs, as decided by another public televote, qualifying to the final, while the losing songs take part in the Second Chance round.
For the 2009 contest a maximum of eight people were allowed on stage, an increase from the previous maximum of six. As well as this pre-recorded backing vocals were now allowed to be included on the songs' backing tracks, however the main vocals were still required to be performed on stage.
This year also marked the introduction of an "international jury". The jury consists of 12 members, who all work within the music industry, with many involved in Eurovision. The international jury selected one song from each semi-final that did not qualify to the final, focusing their decision on their suitability for Eurovision. After the Second Chance round had finished, the jury selected their preferred song from the remaining entries, which qualified to the final, becoming the 11th finalist. The international jury also voted during the final of the contest, becoming the 12th jury, alongside the 11 regional juries of Sweden.
Details.
On 11 September 2008 the six cities that were to host Melodifestivlan 2009 were announced: the first semi-final would be held in Sweden's second city, Gothenburg – at the Scandinavium; this was followed by semi-finals in the Skellefteå Kraft Arena, the Ejendals Arena in the small town of Leksand, and in the newly constructed Malmö Arena in Malmö. The Second Chance round was in the Himmelstalundshallen in Norrköping, while the grand final would once again be held at Globen in Stockholm.
The dates for the contest were also announced, with the first semi-final being held on 7 February, leading up to the final on 14 March 2009 over six weeks.
After two years of hosting the contest, it was announced that Kristian Luuk would not be hosting the 2009 edition of Melodifestivalen. He was replaced by comedian Petra Mede, who was announced at the new host in a press conference by SVT on 18 December.
Visual design.
The logo for the Contest, the now-familiar five spotlights, has not been altered since its interception in 2002, and remained in use for the 2009 Contest. The first details of the stage for this year's contest were released on 29 January 2009, a week before the first semi-final in Gothenburg. The first plans of the stage were made during the summer of 2008 and was, for the third time, designed by Viktor Brattström, with the intention to provide a feeling of endlessness: "The audience will get the feeling of not knowing where the stage starts or ends, not knowing what's coming up around the corner".
The green room, where the artists rested after their performances, was altered from previous contests. Instead of competing artists and composers sitting together at tables, artists sat together on sofas beside the stage, while composers sat together in the front rows of the audience.
Entries.
A record-breaking 3,440 songs were submitted to the competition, with only 28 proceeding to the next round. The final 28 songs chosen to compete in the semi-finals were released by SVT on 14 October, along with the names of their authors. The names of the performers were held back, and were released in groups over the following weeks. However this did not stop speculation on who would perform certain songs in the semi-final.
The first eight participants were revealed on 18 November 2009: they included former participants Alcazar, BWO, Måns Zelmerlöw, Lasse Lindh, Caroline af Ugglas and Sarah Dawn Finer, as well as debuting artists Emilia and Jennifer Brown.
On 23 November, the tenth act was revealed by Melodifestivalen producer Christer Björkman on the reality TV show "Dansbandkampen". The Scotts, a participant on the show, was revealed to have been selected to compete in Melodifestivalen 2009 with "Jag tror på oss". SVT followed by releasing the next group of competing artists, all of whom had never competed in Melodifestivalen before: H.E.A.T, Jonathan Fagerlund, Maja Gullstrand, Mikael Rickfors, Molly Sandén, Next 3, and Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox were all announced to have been successful in their applying for Melodifestivalen.
Six more artists were revealed on 2 December by SVT's "Culture News" – Idol winner Agnes was announced to be making her debut to Melodifestivalen after being disqualified in 2007. The remaining artists announced were all making their returns to Melodifestivalen, including Shirley Clamp, Lili & Susie, Amy Diamond, Sofia and Velvet.
A day before the next group of artists were released by SVT it had been rumoured that two former Eurovision participants would compete in a duet – Estonia's 2002 participant Sahlene, and Norway's 2008 participant, and current host of Norway's equivalent of Melodifestivalen, Melodi Grand Prix, Maria Haukaas Storeng. The following day, on 9 December, SVT confirmed the news, and also announced the names of four more artists: Susanne Alfvengren, the Thorleifs, Nina Söderquist and Cookies 'n Beans.
The final non-wild card entry to be announced was revealed on 16 December, with the Star Pilots performing "Higher" in the contest.
Wild cards.
The wild card ("joker") system was introduced in 2004 to diversify the music featured in the competition. Four artists, one in each semifinal, are invited by SVT to enter a song of their choice into the competition, provided it does not breach the rules.
In a change from previous years, the names of the wild card entries were released alongside the submitted entries instead of the usual method of releasing the wild cards after the other 28 entries. The first wild card entry was released on 19 November, with Melodifestivalen producer Christer Björkman, Jennifer Brown and Måns Zelmerlöw featuring on "Godmorgon Sverige". They revealed that Finnish-Swedish singer Markoolio would enter Melodifestivalen with the song "Kärlekssång från mig".
The second wild card entry was announced on 26 November by SVT – opera singer Malena Ernman was confirmed to be participating in this year's contest with "La voix", composed by herself and Fredrik Kempe, who also composed last year's winning entry "Hero". The third wild card was announced on 3 December, with Marie Serneholt, formerly of A*Teens, taking part with "Disconnect Me", written by Peter Boström and Tony Nilsson.
The final wild card entry was revealed on 16 December – boyband E.M.D., consisting of Erik Segerstedt, Mattias Andréasson and Danny Saucedo (all of them former Idol competitors) were announced as the last competitor, performing "Baby Goodbye", written by the band members and Oscar Görres.
Wild card entries
Semi-finals.
Each of the 32 songs were sorted into one semi-final on 11 December, with 8 songs each competing in a semi-final (including one wild card). However the final running order for the semi-final was conducted on 15 January – Nina Söderquist would open the first semi-final with "Tick Tock", while wild card Malena Ernman would close the final semi-final with "La voix".
The four semi-finals were held between 7 and 28 February, with the Second Chance round being held on 7 March.
Semi-final 1.
The first semi-final was held on 7 February at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg.
The show began with host Petra Mede introducing the eight competing acts, with a number of skits being shown with former winners Charlotte Perrelli and Martin Stenmarck.
The first song on stage was Nina Söderquist with "Tick Tock", a powerful rock song. Söderquist performed in a black leather outfit, joined by four male backing dancers and two male backing singers, all in black. Fire was used frequently during the performance. Second on stage was Jonathan Fagerlund, performing "Welcome to My Life". Fagerlund, dressed in a grey top and jeans, was joined on stage by an all-female backing band for his performance of the light pop/rock song. Next on stage was Melodifestivalen 2004 runner-up Shirley Clamp, performing the first Swedish language song of the contest, "Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus" (With my heart full of light). Clamp performed the ballad alone on stage, dressed in a long blue dress. The stage was also bathed in blue light, and wind machines were later used in the performance. The fourth act on stage was dansband the Scotts, performing "Jag tror på oss" (I believe in us). The quartet, performing in black and silver suits, were joined by three female backing singers, dressed in short black dresses.
The fifth act on stage was Emilia, singing "You're My World", an up-tempo pop song with jazz elements. Emilia was dressed in a sparkling gold dress, joined on stage by four female backing singers, a pianist, drummer and bassist, all dressed in Big band era inspired outfits. Pyrotechnics were later used towards the end of the song. Next on stage was twice third-placers Alcazar, composed of Andreas Lundstedt, Tess Merkel and Lina Hedlund. Their song "Stay the Night", an energetic disco song, began with violet light shining on the band members, dressed in pink and blue. The group were joined by three backing dancers, with dancing featured throughout the song by the trio. The penultimate song was Caroline af Ugglas with "Snälla snälla" (Please, please), an emotional ballad. Caroline, dressed in a short white dress with bright blue wellies, gave an emotional performance, with anger and frustration prominent. Last on stage was the semi-finals wild card entry, Marie Serneholt with "Disconnect Me". Serneholt performed the energetic pop song in a short white dress, joined by four male dancers, and later by two female backing singers, all in black.
After the first round of televoting was conducted Marie Serneholt, Jonathan Fagerlund and Shirley Clamp were all eliminated from the competition after receiving the fewest votes. They were joined by Nina Söderquist, after she received the fewest votes in the second round of voting. All of the remaining four acts progressed to the duels. In the duels Alcazar battled against the Scotts for a place in the final, with Alcazar getting more votes against the dansband. Caroline af Ugglas and Emilia also battled for direct qualification, with Emilia winning the place in the final.
A total of 3,294,000 watched the semi-final on SVT, with 721,334 votes cast during the semi-final, a record for the first semi-final of Melodifestivalen. Because of this, 1,396,108kr was donated to SVT's charity appeal "Radiohjälpen".
Semi-final 2.
The second semi-final was held at the Skellefteå Kraft Arena in Skellefteå on 14 February.
The first act on stage was sisters Lili & Susie with "Show Me Heaven". The sisters performed the energetic pop song in white top and black trousers, and were joined on stage by a group of backing dancers/singers, all in black. Large white letters spelt out the title of the song on the backing LED screens, and pyrotechnics were used at the end of the song. Second on stage was Lasse Lindh och Bandet, performing "Jag ska slåss i dina kvarter!" (I'll be fighting in your neighbourhood!). Lindh performed the rock song with a backing band and a male backing singer in black. Next on stage was Jennifer Brown with "Never Been Here Before", an emotional pop/rock song. Brown, dressed in a silver top and black trousers, was joined on stage by three male violinists, two male trombonists and a male guitarist, who also performed backing vocals. The fourth act on stage was rock band H.E.A.T with "1000 Miles". The group performed in black, while the stage was brightened by pulsating light.
Fifth on stage was Markoolio, performing "Kärlekssång från mig" (Love song from me), a comedic love ballad. Markoolio, dressed in a burgundy suit, was joined on stage by a pianist and a violinist, dressed in black. A man dressed as Elvis appeared from within the piano, dancing and skating on stage, before being set on fire by pyrotechnics at the climax at the song. He was extinguished at the end of the song. Amy Diamond performed next, singing "It's My Life". Diamond performed the pop song in a silver jumper, and was accompanied by six female backing dancers in black and pink. Her jumper was removed to reveal a white and black top with black leggings. Large images of diamonds were shown on the screens while blue light shone down on stage. Cookies 'N' Beans were the second last act to take the stage, singing "What If", an emotional country ballad. The trio performed alone on stage, dressed in black, blue and red dresses. A guitar solo opened the song before going into the emotional performance of the trio. The last song of the night was "Hope & Glory", sung by Måns Zelmerlöw, who previously came third in 2007. The schlager song (with a boxing theme) was performed by Zelmerlöw in a black tuxedo, joined on stage by six female backing dancers/singers in black outfits.
Markoolio, Jennifer Brown and Lasse Lindh were all eliminated from the competition after receiving the fewest votes in the first round of televoting. In the second round, Cookies 'N' Beans were eliminated after received the fewest votes. The remaining four acts progressed to the duels.
In the duels H.E.A.T battled against Amy Diamond for the place in the final, with H.E.A.T winning the more votes. Zelmerlöw took on Lili & Susie for the place in the final as well, with Zelmerlöw winning over the sisters.
812,874 votes were cast for the second semi-final, a new record for any semi-final, with an increase of over 60,000 votes over last year's second semi-final. 1,269,806.50kr was donated to SVT's "Radiohjälpen" due to the large number of calls made on the night.
Semi-final 3.
The third semi-final was held on 21 February at the Ejendals Arena in Leksand.
The first act on stage was Velvet, performing "The Queen". Velvet begins the performance in a gigantic pink dress, which opens up to reveal seven backing dancers in Commedia dell'arte dress. The stage was filled with smoke and shone pink. Second on stage was Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox with "I Got U". The song mixes Motown with modern elements, with all on stage dressed as such, wearing red and white suits and dresses. The stage was filled to capacity, with two lead singers, a pianist, drummer, guitarist, saxophonist and two female backing singers. The next act on stage was Molly Sandén, who represented Sweden in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 with "Det finaste någon kan få". At Melodifestivalen she performed "Så vill stjärnorna" (We will have the stars). The 16-year-old performed the emotional ballad alone on stage, dressed in an elegant white dress, while screens in the background showed shining stars. The fourth act on stage was boyband E.M.D., performing "Baby Goodbye". The boys performed the energetic pop song in black tuxedos, and were joined on stage by four male backing dancers, also in black tuxedos.
Next on stage was Mikael Rickfors with "Du vinner över mig!" (You win me over!), a rock/pop song. Rickfors, dressed in a black and navy blue suit, was joined by an all-female backing band, dressed in black, while blue light filled the stage during the performance. Maja Gullstrand was next on stage, singing "Här för mig själv" (Here for myself). Gullstrand performed in a short white dress, and joined on stage by a group of backing dancers in minimalistic black suits and dresses, while colourful bubbles were shown on the backing screens. The penultimate act of the night was Sofia with "Alla" (Άλλα; Other), an ethno pop song with rock elements, performed in Greek. Sofia, dressed in black, was joined on stage by two male violinists in black, as well as four women playing large transparent drums on stage, while the stage was filled with colourful light. The last act on stage was three-time participants BWO performing "You're Not Alone", a sentimental electric ballad. The band, consisting of Martin Rolinski on vocals and Alexander Bard and Marina Schiptjenko on keyboards, were dressed in futuristic space suits in grey and yellow. They were joined on stage by five backing dancers, also dressed in the same styles, using light skits during the performance. Images of comets passing through space were also shown on the backing screens.
Velvet, Sofia and Maja Gullstrand were knocked out after the first round of televoting, receiving the fewest votes. Mikael Rickfors joined them after the second round, also receiving the fewest votes. The four remaining acts passed through to the duels.
In the duels Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox battled E.M.D., with E.M.D. winning the more votes and progressing to the final. BWO took on Molly Sandén for the place in the final as well, with Sandén coming out on top.
691,238 votes were cast for the third semi-final, with 1,053,643kr being donated to SVT's "Radiohjälpen" from the calls.
Semi-final 4.
The fourth and final semi-final was held on 28 February at the new Malmö Arena in Malmö.
First on stage was Agnes with "Love Love Love", a Europop song. Anges performed in a skin-tight gold outfit, and was joined on stage by six backing dancers in black and gold. Agnes began her performance on a lit catwalk, while a moving city skyline was shown on the backing screens. Confetti also fell towards the end of the song. The Star Pilots were next on stage with "Higher". The band were dressed as pilots, and in the background images of airplanes, runways and airplane wheels were shown. The third act on stage was Susanne Alfvengren with the emotional ballad "Du är älskad där du går" (You are loved where you go). Alfvengren performed alone on stage, dressed in a long purple dress, while the stage was lighted by shining lights on the backing screens. Two former Eurovision artists were next on stage, with Anna Sahlene and Maria Haukaas Storeng pairing up to perform "Killing Me Tenderly". The duo, dressed in silver dresses, were joined by five female backing dancers who created silhouettes of themselves on the backing screens. The LED screens in the background showed flames and lava, with red light pouring onto the stage.
Next on stage was the Thorleifs with "Sweet Kissin' in the Moonlight", a nostalgic rock/pop/schlager entry. The band were dressed in matching white suits, with the lead singer in black. The five-piece band were later joined by three backing dancers in 1950s clothing, with red polka dot dresses and red braces. Sarah Dawn Finer followed with "Moving On", dressed in red. The performance began with a sunrise being shown on the LED screens, with wind machines introduced at the chorus. Two male backing dancers in white joined afterwards, followed by three female backing singers, also in white. Finer was then raised by an automatic lift towards the side of the stage. The penultimate act was boyband Next 3 with "Esta noche" (Tonight), sung in Swedish, with the chorus in Spanish. The trio were joined by three female backing dancers and two fire jugglers for their performance, while the screens showed urban scenes. The final act was wild card Malena Ernman with opera song "La voix" (The voice), performed in English and French during the chorus. Ernman, dressed in a long black dress, was joined by seven backing dancers in black and white, who performed with black shining masks towards the end. the backing screens and floor were coloured in solid colours, with green and purple in the verses and white and blue during the chorus.
Next 3, Anna Sahlene & Maria Haukaas Storeng and Susanne Alfvengren were knocked out after the first round of televoting, receiving the fewest votes. They were joined by the Thorleifs who received the fewest votes during the second round. The remaining four acts passed to the duels.
The Star Pilots and Agnes battled for a place in the final, with Agnes winning over the pilots. Malena Ernman and Sarah Dawn Finer also battled for the last direct place in the final, which was won by Ernman.
A total of 639,928 televotes were cast during the final semi-final, with a total of 1,122,841.50kr donated to the "Radiohjälpen" appeal.
Second Chance.
The "Andra Chansen" (Second Chance) heat was held on 7 March at the Himmelstalundshallen in Norrköping. Eight songs competed for a second chance to reach the final, featuring the losing songs from the knockout rounds in the previous four heats.
For the first round eight songs battled to progress to the second round. The Scotts from semi-final 1 and Sarah Dawn Finer from semi-final 4 were the first songs to battle – the winner was Sarah Dawn Finer with "Moving On". Semi-final 2's Lili & Susie and semi-final 3's BWO were the next duo to battle each other – Lili & Susie edged ahead of BWO to progress to the next round. Amy Diamond and the Star Pilots battled against each other, with the Star Pilots coming out on top, while Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox competed against Caroline af Ugglas, with af Ugglas progressing.
The second round decided the two Second Chance qualifiers for the final: Lili & Susie battled against Sarah Dawn Finer, while the Star Pilots competed against Caroline af Ugglas. The final winners of Second Chance were Sarah Dawn Finer with "Moving On", and Caroline af Ugglas with "Snälla, snälla".
In total 939,222 votes were cast for the Second Chance round.
International Jury Wildcard.
The international jury had the task of selecting a song from each heat which they think was the most suitable for the Eurovision Song Contest. The jury were only able to pick songs that had not passed to the final. If they pick a song which qualifies to the final through the Second Chance round, that song became ineligible for the jury's choice. The international jury were also given the right to vote during the final of the contest, becoming the 12th jury, alongside the 11 regional juries.
The first song to receive the international jury wildcard was Caroline af Ugglas, who passed to Second Chance from the Gothenburg heat on 7 February with "Snälla, snälla". Amy Diamond was the second qualifier, however, shortly after the show it was rumoured that the announcement of Diamond as the jury choice was incorrect, and that the true choice was Jennifer Brown, who had placed 7th in the televote. This rumour however was revealed to be false by SVT, with Diamond as the correct choice.
The Leksand wildcard selected was Sofia with "Alla". This song was the only jury wildcard selected that failed to qualify to Second Chance, coming 7th in the televote. The final wildcard, coming from the Malmö qualifier, was Sarah Dawn Finer with "Moving On", another Second Chance qualifier.
As Sarah Dawn Finer and Caroline af Ugglas had qualified from the Second Chance round to the final this made them ineligible to be chosen for the international jury qualifier. This left two songs left to compete for the 11th final place: either Amy Diamond, who had already been knocked out of Second Chance in the first round, or Sofia. The final choice by the jury was for Sofia with "Alla".
Final.
The final of Melodifestivalen 2009 was held at the Globen arena in Stockholm on 14 March 2009.
The run-up to the final began shortly after the Second Chance round had been completed, when the running order for the final was revealed – semi-final 2 qualifier Måns Zelmerlöw would open proceeding on the night, while semi-final 4 qualifier and wild card Malena Ernman would finish the performances for the evening.
The favourites to win the contest were Zelmerlöw and Ernman, with the international jury wild card Sofia predicted as most likely to finish last, according to bookmakers.
Måns Zelmerlöw took the stage first on the night, repeating his performance from the semi-final of "Hope & Glory". Second Chance qualifier Caroline af Ugglas followed Zelmerlöw on stage with "Snälla snälla", repeating her emotional performance alone on stage. Agnes was next on stage, performing "Love Love Love", now with a new hairstyle, but no major changes were made to the performance since the semi-final. H.E.A.T followed with their rock song "1000 Miles", who were then followed by Emilia with "You're My World".
Two-time participant Alcazar were the sixth act to take the stage at Globen, performing disco/pop number "Stay the Night", who were followed by the second Second Chance qualifier Sarah Dawn Finer, performing "Moving On". Boyband E.M.D., now performing in white tuxedos, were eighth on stage with "Baby Goodbye". International jury selection Sofia followed on stage, singing the Greek ethno number "Alla". She was followed by 16-year-old Molly Sandén with "Så vill stjärnorna", and finally by Malena Ernman with "La voix".
Voting.
The voting in the final was made up of both televoting/SMS voting and jury voting. 12 juries – 11 regional juries from around Sweden, along with the international jury – gave 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 points to their favourite songs. This was joined by televoting, with the total votes being converted into a set number of points – 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 and 144 points were given to the most-popular songs of the total televote from around Sweden.
The International jury results were announced immediately after all the entries were performed, while the televoting was still taking place. These results were announced on stage by Eurovision Song Contest 2007 winner and International Jury member Marija Šerifović.
Måns Zelmerlöw was the favourite with the juries, receiving a total of 96 points. Sarah Dawn Finer came second with the juries, gaining 75 points, while Alcazar came third with 67. However the televoting completely contradicted this, with the televoting favourite Malena Ernman coming only eighth in the jury vote, while runner-up Caroline af Ugglas came only 5th in the jury.
At the final vote Malena Ernman was the winner: despite only coming 8th in the jury vote, she was able to win the televote and guarantee victory with "La voix". The runner-up was Caroline af Ugglas with "Snälla snälla", while E.M.D. came third with "Baby Goodbye". The winner of the jury vote was Måns Zelmerlöw with "Hope & Glory".
1,748,970 votes were received during the final, with a total of 3,457,434.50kr being donated to SVT's "Radiohjälpen" appeal. 3,592,000 people watched the final on SVT, however over 10 million watched the show live on SVT's online video on demand service SVT Play.
Marcel Bezençon Awards 2009.
The Marcel Bezençon Awards honour the best competing songs in the final of Melodifestivalen. First awarded at the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest, they have been awarded at Melodifestivalen since 2005. The awards were founded by Christer Björkman (Sweden's representative in the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest and Melodifestivalen producer since 2002) and Richard Herrey (member of the Herreys, Eurovision Song Contest 1984 winner from Sweden), and are named after the creator of the Eurovision Song Contest, Marcel Bezençon. The awards are divided into 3 categories:
The 2009 Melodifestivalen awards were announced before the final of the contest:
Chart success.
A large number of songs from Melodifestivalen were able to chart in the Swedish singles chart – Sverigetopplistan – with two songs managing to peak at #1.
The first song to reach #1 in Sweden was Shirley Clamp's "Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus". The song, which was knocked out of the first semi-final, was released shortly afterwards, entering the charts on 20 February at #25. The song rose in the charts, and reached #1 on 6 March, the day before the Second Chance round.
The second song to reach #1 from Melodifestvalen was E.M.D.'s "Baby Goodbye". The song, released after the fourth semi-final per Melodifestivalen rules, entered at #3, before rising to #1 on 13 March, the day before the final, entering the final as #1. The song stayed at #1 for two weeks.
Four further songs peaked at #2 of the Sverigetopplistan, Alcazar's "Stay the Night", Caroline af Ugglas' "Snälla snälla", Måns Zelmerlöw's "Hope & Glory", and winner Malena Ernman with "La voix". H.E.A.T and Sarah Dawn Finer peaked at #3 with "1000 Miles" and "Moving On" respectively, while Agnes peaked at #4 with "Love Love Love" and Star Pilots and Lili & Susie peaked at #6 with "Higher" and "Show Me Heaven".
Follow-up albums by many of the artists also did well in the Swedish albums chart: Måns Zelmerlöw's "MZW", Sarah Dawn Finer's "Moving On", Caroline af Ugglas' "Så gör jag det igen", and Malena Ernman's "La Voix Du Nord" all peaked at #1.


Jacobus Taurinus

Jacobus Taurinus (Jacob van Toor) (1576 – 22 September 1618) was a Dutch preacher and theologian, a main supporter of the Remonstrants and polemical writer in their cause.
Life.
He was born in Schiedam, where his father Petrus Taurinus was a preacher of the Reformed Church. He studied theology at the University of Leiden from 14 November 1590, under Franciscus Junius the Elder, Lucas Trelcatius, Petrus Bertius and Franciscus Gomarus; and associated with Willem van Zyll, Karl Ryckewaert, Everardus Booth, Johann Narsius, Eduardus Poppius, and Simon Goulart the Younger.
In 1600 Taurinus took the post of lecturer in the ‘t Woud parish of Delft. In the following year he had a call to Delftshaven, and in 1605 to Utrecht. There he collaborated with Gilles van Ledenberg.
In 1617 a polemical pamphlet involved Taurinus in serious political trouble, it having offended James I of England. The political changes of 1618, in which Maurice of Nassau took control, made him leave the Netherlands, and he died that year at Antwerp with Johannes Wtenbogaert.
Works.
Sir Dudley Carleton, English ambassador in The Hague, made a speech against the Remonstrants to the States-General of the Netherlands (6 October 1617). Taurinus subjected this oration to criticism in the anonymous "Weegh-schael" (The Balance), after consulting Johan van Oldenbarneveldt. Carleton was taken to task for acting inconsistently with the wishes of his royal master. Carleton in November asked the States General on 22 November for the author to be punished; and was informed in December by Matthew Slade that the pamphlet had been written by Taurinus. Carleton pursued the matter vigorously, brought up several stringent demands, and made the French translation a target also. The French version was by Carolus Niellius, and included a satirical introduction.
Other works included "Van de onderlinge Verdraagsammheydt: tegen Jacobi Triglandi Recht-Gematigden Christen" (1615) against Jacobus Triglandius.


Max Nauta

Max Nauta (2 April 1896 – 18 December 1957) was a Dutch painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1924 Summer Olympics. Nauta's work was included in the 1939 exhibition and sale "Onze Kunst van Heden" (Our Art of Today) at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.


Willem Warmont

Willem Warmont, or Warmondt (1583 – 8 May 1649), was a Dutch Golden Age brewer and mayor of Haarlem.
Biography.
He was born in Amsterdam as the son of the Amsterdam merchant Jacob Warmont and Ytgen Arentsdr Bouwer but moved to Haarlem where he became a brewer in "Het Gecroonde Ancker". He was a judge, magistrate and mayor of Haarlem. He was a lieutenant of the St. Adrian militia from 1618-1621, captain there from 1624-1627 and 1636-1639, and colonel from 1642-1645. He married in Amsterdam 11 November 1607 to Catharina van Rhijn, daughter of Jacob Egbertsz and Maria Claesdr. Gaeff.
Willem Warmont was portrayed by Frans Hals twice; once in his schutterstuk called "The Banquet of the Officers of the St Adrian Militia Company in 1627", and again in an oval portrait around 1630.
He died in Haarlem.


Atlantic Huis

Atlantic Huis ("Atlantic House") is a business complex in the Maritime Quarter in Rotterdam. The house is opposite the Veerhaven.
History.
The Atlantic was built between 1928 and 1930 in Art Deco style, designed by architect PG Buskens . The building is special because it is one of the first industrial buildings in the Netherlands and because it is one of the first buildings equipped with a parking garage . The building has a concrete frame and is clad with brick and concrete . At the entrance of the Atlantic are two images in the facade by Willem Coenraad Brouwer. They depict Hermes, the god of commerce, and Neptune, the god of the sea.
Current position.
The Atlantic is still in use as a business center. On the ground floor is the famous grand cafe Loos. On the upper floors are luxury residential apartments.
The Atlantic is a rijksmonument.


Jan Kleinbussink

Jan Kleinbussink (born 1946) is a Dutch classical musician who specializes in the performance of old music. He is the cantor-organist of the Central Church in Deventer, also known as the Lebuïnus Church. He is also well known for his contributions as an instrumentalist and conductor to recordings of J.S. Bach, Buxtehude, Charpentier, Graupner, Händel, W.A. Mozart, and Telemann.
Jan Kleinbussink studied piano, organ, orchestra and choir conducting, composition and music theory at three Dutch conservatoires: Amsterdam, Deventer and Rotterdam. After graduating he continued his specialization in baroque and renaissance music with Anton Heiller, Philippe Herreweghe, and Ton Koopman.
During the 1970s he was also active as a composer. Kleinbussink taught music theory at the Rotterdam Conservatoire and performance at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. In 2007 he was included in the Dutch Order of Orange-Nassau.


Peter Hofstede

Peter Hofstede (born January 28, 1967 in Oosterbeek, Gelderland) is a retired football striker from the Netherlands, who made his professional debut in the 1990-1991 season for De Graafschap. Later on he played for Roda JC, FC Utrecht, Helmond Sport, FC Emmen, and ADO Den Haag.


Sytse Klaas de Waard

Sijtze Klaas de Waard (1796, Groningen – 17 June 1856, Haarlem) was a Dutch Mennonite teacher and minister.
He was trained at the Amsterdam Mennonite seminary and first served in Mensingeweer 1821-1826 and Akkrum 1826-1828 before serving in the Doopsgezinde kerk, Haarlem. Sybrandi gave three addresses to the Haarlem society Maatschappij tot Nut van't Algemeen. From 1832 he was also a member of the Teylers First Society.


Burcht van Leiden

The Burcht van Leiden (; Fort of Leiden) is an old shell keep in Leiden constructed in the 11th century. It is located at the spot where two tributaries of the Rhine come together, the Oude Rijn and the Nieuwe Rijn. The structure is on top of a motte, and is today a public park.
History.
From humble beginnings, the hill was raised during various periods of history up to 9 meters above the surrounding landscape in the 11th century. Ada van Holland used the keep as a residence until her father died in 1203 and she was captured by her uncle. In the same year the previous stone building was rebuilt after an attack on the castle, with tuff stone, and after Ada's removal, in 1204 it was attacked again and rebuilt with brick.
Later in the 13th century the building was considered antiquated, since more and more townspeople and houses were built around the base of the hill, making defenses impossible without destroying most of the city. The old "interior keep" that had been built against the interior walls (a similar rounded keep construction can still be seen in Teylingen) was slowly dismantled and reused for city construction.
Symbol of Leiden.
As the city of Leiden grew around it in the 13th and 14th centuries, the ruined castle lost its military function. The location became a romantic patriotic symbol after the Siege of Leiden in 1574, as historians recalled the earlier sieges of Leiden: Ada in 1203 and the siege in 1420 (Hook and Cod wars). The stained-glass windows number 25 & 26 in the Janskerk (Gouda) designed by the Leiden artist and councilman Isaac van Swanenburg glorifies this history in 1601 by commemorating the latest siege (glass 25, paid for by the Delft city council and featuring William the Silent as liberator) with a comparison to the "historical" story of the Siege of Samaria (glass 26, paid for by the Leiden city council and featuring the text of the biblical story with God as savior). The city of Samaria is portrayed with a watch tower much like the Leidse Burcht.
Public park.
In 1651 the city bought the premises to make it into a water tower for public use. A system of waterpipes leading to squares in the city is still intact. In this period a new portal on the keep wall was designed in 1662 with heraldric symbols by Rombout Verhulst, denoting the leading families of the city. There are two other gates to the Burcht, one at the base of the hill with wrought iron heraldric weapons, built in 1653, and one on the south side of the complex, which itself forms a gateway to the park. In this Southern gateway a poem in Latin was used for centuries to teach the rudiments of grammar to Leiden students. A memorial plaque was placed in 1999 with the modern translation in Dutch.


Maarten Rudelsheim

Maarten Rudelsheim (25 April 1873 in Amsterdam – 10 September 1920 in Antwerp) was a "flamingant" of Jewish-Dutch descent.
Rudelsheim was born in the Netherlands, of a Jewish father and a Dutch mother. In 1885, the family came to Antwerp. Maarten Rudelsheim studied at Ghent University and became Doctor of German philology. In 1898, Maarten Rudelsheim was naturalized as a Belgian citizen. In 1900, he became assistant librarian in Antwerp. Like Louis Franck, Nico Gunzburg and , Maarten Rudelsheim was one of a number of Jewish flamingants who were engaged in the Flemish movement. He devoted himself to the Dutchification of Ghent University, then still a French-speaking university in a Flemish city. After the war, Rudelsheim was condemned to ten years' imprisonment for involvement in activism during the war. He died in Antwerp prison.


Matthijs Wulfraet

Mathijs Wulfraet (January 1, 1648 – 1727) was a Dutch Golden Age painter.
Biography.
Wulfraet was born in Arnhem. According to Houbraken he was born on New Year's Eve between midnight and one in the morning. His father, who came from Germany and was a language teacher and doctor, wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and sent him to Latin school. Young Mathijs had more interest in drawing than anything else and even though he was punished for drawing more often than studying, he went on collecting prints, drawings, and drawing utensils to keep up with his hobby. He met Abraham Diepraam who was visiting Arnhem and influenced the young amateur. Seeing that his son had already failed at two different schools, Mathijs father gave up and let Mathijs become Diepraam's pupil, especially since Diepraam had a good reputation in Arnhem and his paintings sold quite well there. When young Wulfraet "within a short space of time" became a successful artist in his own right, he moved to Amsterdam, where he was successful painting historical allegories and merry companies. He also learned to paint small portraits, which he sold while he was in Frankfurt. In Frankfurt he painted many travellers and important citizens. He reached a great age, and was able to teach his daughter Margaret his art, which she performed well. Houbraken was planning on devoting a page to her memory, but he never got around to it.
According to the RKD he was working in Arnhem between the years 1670-1683 and moved to Amsterdam at some point during the years 1681-1683, where he stayed. It is unknown at which point he travelled to Frankfurt, but he is registered there. He died in Amsterdam.


Love Brewster

Elder Love Brewster () was an early American settler, the son of Elder William Brewster and his wife, Mary Brewster. He traveled with his father, mother and brother, Wrestling, on the "Mayflower" reaching what became the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620. Brewster had two sisters, Patience and Fear, and two brothers, Jonathan and Wrestling, along with an unnamed sister who died young. He was a founder of the town of Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
Biography.
Early life.
Love Brewster was born at Leiden, Holland, "circa" 1611, although no birth records have been found, and died at Duxbury, Massachusetts, sometime between October 6, 1650, and the "last day" of January 1651. This latter date is based on the date of his will and when the inventory of his estate was taken. He was the son of Elder William Brewster, (ca. 1567 – April 10, 1644), the Pilgrim colonist leader and spiritual elder of the Plymouth Colony and his wife, Mary. At the age of nine, he traveled with his father, mother and brother, Wrestling, on the "Mayflower" to Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Marriage.
He married Sarah Collier at Plymouth, Massachusetts, on May 15, 1634. Sarah was baptized on April 30, 1616, at St Olave's Church, in the parish of Southwark St Olave, an area of south-east London in the London Borough of Southwark, England, and died on April 26, 1691 at Duxbury, Massachusetts. She was a daughter of Jane Clark and William Collier, one of the investors, or Merchant Adventurers, and an initial shareholder in the Plymouth Colony. She was the sister of Mary Collier, the wife of Thomas Prence, a co-founder of Eastham, Massachusetts, a political leader in both the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, and governor of Plymouth (1634, 1638, and 1657–73). Thomas' first wife, Patience Brewster, was a sister of Love's. Sarah, Love's widow, married sometime after September 1, 1656, Richard Parke of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and he died there in 1665. He also gave her a life's interest in his estate, which was later sold to Thomas Parke in 1678.
Career.
He was admitted a Freeman of the Colony on March 2, 1635/1636, which granted him the right to own land and to vote. Love and Sarah settled in Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, around 1636/7 next door to his father. Love was a successful farmer through his adult life. He served in the Pequot War as a volunteer in 1637, and was a member of Captain Myles Standish's Duxbury Company in 1643. He served on the grand jury from Duxbury in 1648 and was one of the founders of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, although it is believed that he never lived there.
Death.
He died about January 1650/1 in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Governor William Bradford reported that "Love lived till this year 1650 and dyed, & left 4 children, now living". He was probably buried in Duxbury, but his place of burial is unknown.
Children.
Love Brewster and Sarah Collier had four children:
Descendants.
Love and Sarah's descendants number in the thousands today. Some of their notable descendants include:


Joannes van Doetecum the Elder

Joannes van Doetecum the Elder (1530 – 1605) was a Dutch engraver-cartographer known for his etched works after genre scenes by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and maps of various cities in the Netherlands.
He was born in Deventer and moved to Haarlem in 1578. He was the father of Johannes II, Peter and Baptista, and was the brother of Lucas van Doetecum, with whom he collaborated on many print series.


Kremlin Hill

Kremlin Hill (Russian: Кремлёвский холм ["Kremlyovskiy kholm"]; former name Borovitsky Hill - Боровицкий холм ["Borovitskiy kholm"]; also known as Borovitskiy Cape - Боровицкий мыс ["Borovitskiy mys"]) is one of the seven hills of Moscow. Altitude up to 145 m. The hill is situated in the city centre, at the confluence of the Moscow River and Neglinnaya River. The Red Square and the upland part of the Kitai-gorod are located on the hill.
History.
The Borovitskiy Hill derives its name from the Russian word "бор" ("bor") - "pinery". The hill was named so because in ancient times the left bank of the Moscow River was covered with pine forest. Archeologists date the first data on stay of a human being on the Borovitsky hill by the end of the 2nd millennium BC. The following archeologically investigated stage is dated by the 8th-3rd centuries BC. A settlement established here in 11th century became the core of Moscow. In 1156 the first kremlin was built on the hill and it became known as Kremlin Hill. Several gardens have been laid out, some of which belonged to Metropolitan Alexius and Ivan the Terrible.