History

When we founded our company, we wanted to associate ourselves with an inspiring personality or motto. For this purpose we evaluated various illustrious and inspiring figures, from the high priests from the Herodian period to Dutch Grand Pensionaries. However, no one proved more inspiring than Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586), who was suggested by our very own Richard Hoff, who is well-versed in Dutch history. The fact that Sir Philip Sidney went into history as a man of principle as well as a "spirit without spot" perfectly matched our profile. So our challenge is now to continuously demonstrate that we are guided by the right principles and choices.

Sir Philip Sidney, a prominent figure in England during the reign of Elizabeth I, was born into an English noble family. He became celebrated as an aristocrat, a diplomat, a patron of the Arts and a poet. His work lives on in his famous sonnets and after his death, a cult grew up around this "perfect courtier".

He arrived in the Netherlands in 1585 as an attendant of the Count of Leicester's to fight the Spanish, and was appointed Governor of Flushing in the service of the English monarch. In 1586, Sir Philip Sidney was seriously injured during the Battle of Zutphen against the Spanish. As his wounds were tended, he refused the water he was offered because another wounded soldier – of common birth – needed it more desperately, declaring: "Thy necessity is greater than mine". A little later, Sidney succumbed to traumatic fever, only 32 years old. It is said that Queen Elizabeth of England cried for days when she heard of his death and a year later she declared that she would like to "buy back his life with many millions". Edmund Spenser and Michael Drayton wrote elegies on his death.