Five Brothers and a War

History—1400 to 1500 AD

Strangely, the next major flood occurred on the same days, November 18-19, but this time 17 years later, in 1421. The Tweede Sint Elisabethsvloed (“Second St. Elizabeth’s flood”) was also catastrophic, and is recorded as one of the worst ever recorded, killing as many as 10,000 people. This flood occurred very near to a center of van Pelt family history— the area of Capelle, Noord Brabant. Storms from the North Sea created a surge that raised water levels up the rivers of Western Holland, often overwhelming the dykes. The towns of Dordrecht and Raamsdonksveer (about 6 km or 4 miles west of Capelle) were flooded, and the area between the two was inundated.

A near-contemporary painting depicting the flood of 1421.

holland

Five Brothers and a War

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