Barthout van Assendelft

The origins of Barthout van Assendelft are unclear. He might have been related to Barthout van Assendelft Willemsz, Lord of Vlieland and Veenhuizen, steward of Philip the Good and alderman of Haarlem, who was married to Yde van Swieten.

Barthout van Assendelft studied at the Old University of Leuven (1453) and at the University of Paris (1455–1456). He obtained his doctorate in law from the University of Ferrara (Italy) in 1462. He was the city attorney of Leiden (1468–1477). From 1480 to 1489 and as a second term from 1494 to 1497 he was state attorney (grand pensionary) of the States of Holland.

The coat of arms of the Van Assendelft family consisted of a passant horse in argent on a field of red (in het rood een stappend zilveren paard).^[1]