De Graeff

De Graeff Graef / Graeff / De Graaff / De Graaf / De Graeff van Polsbroek
noble and patrician family
"MORS SCEPTRA LIGONIBUS AEQUAT"
Parent house	Herren von Graben
Country	Netherlands, Germany, South Africa
Founded	~1484
Founder	Peter von Graben aka Pieter Graeff
Titles	knight, jonkheer
Style(s)	vrijheer (Free Lord) of Zuid-Polsbroek, Purmerland and Ilpendam
Estate(s)	Ilpenstein castle, Soestdijk Palace, House van der Graeff, Herengracht 573
Cadet branches	De Graeff van Polsbroek, Graeff, Graef, De Graaff, De Graaf

De Graeff (Dutch pronunciation: [dəˈɣraːf]; also: De Graef, Graef, Graeff, Graaff,^[1] Graaf and De Graeff van Polsbroek) is an old Dutch patrician and noble family,

The family divided into different lines, in Holland, Prussia (Germany) and South Africa, but the most important one was the patrician-aristocratic line of regents at Amsterdam. This line played an important role during the Dutch Golden Age and were at the centre of Amsterdam and Holland public life and oligarchy from 1578 until 1672. They where an important part of the Dutch States Party and therefore opponents of monarchist ambitions of the House of Orange.^[2] During that time, members of the De Graeff family were also important patrons of art and artists such as Rembrandt, Govaert Flinck, Gerard ter Borch, Jacob van Ruisdael, Caspar Netscher, Gerard de Lairesse, Artus Quellinus and Joost van den Vondel.

In 1677 members of the Amsterdam line were made knights of the Holy Roman Empire. Since 1885 the new founded Den Haag-line has been part of the Dutch nobility with the honorific of jonkheer.^[3][4]