Legend of Jan and Jriet

Lore & Background

The legend tells of a poor peasant, Jan, who fell in love with Jriet. She wanted a wealthier partner and declined his offer of marriage. Devastated by her rejection, Jan came upon an army recruiter and signed up to go to war. Through hard work and good fortune he rose to become a general, celebrating several victories. After taking the fort at Hermannstein, he was leading his triumphant troops into Cologne through St. Severin's Gate when he saw his former love Jriet selling fruit at a market. Jriet was filled with regret at turning down such a successful person and exclaimed 'Jan, who would have thought it?' to which he replied 'Jriet, who would have had done it!' and turned away.

Reader's Guide

The legend of Jan and Griet has inspired many songs, including one in 2001 by the rock band BAP. Jan von Werth's name has been used for centuries to name military and recreational organizations, particularly groups of mounted marksmen at Schützenfests and Karneval. The story has several variants and remains a popular part of Rhineland and Cologne folklore, often reenacted during Karneval celebrations. The historical Johann von Werth's life—his rise from a soldier of fortune to a general, his capture and imprisonment in Paris, and his later campaigns—provided the basis for this enduring folk tale.

Did You Know?

• The legend is frequently reenacted at Karneval time in the Rhineland and Cologne.
• The story has several variants, including one where Jan replies 'Griet, who would have had done it!'
• The legend inspired a song in 2001 by the rock band BAP.

From Peasant Son to Soldier of Fortune

Johann von Werth entered the world in 1591, most likely at Büttgen in the Duchy of Jülich, as the eldest of eight children born to farmer Johann von Wierdt and Elisabeth Streithoven. His precise birthplace has never been settled; Puffendorf (now part of Baesweiler) and Linnich are also candidates, and earlier scholars even pointed to Weert in Limburg after mistaking him for another imperial general, Jan van der Croon. Around 1610, the young Werth abandoned his rural upbringing to seek his fortune as a soldier in the Walloon cavalry under Ambrogio Spinola in the Spanish Netherlands. He probably saw action in the War of the Jülich Succession and later garrisoned at Lingen. The eruption of the Thirty Years' War pulled him into Bohemia in the service of Emperor Ferdinand II, where he fought in the Spanish regiment Marradas at White Mountain in 1620. By 1622, his role in the taking of Jülich earned him a lieutenant's commission, and he also served at Fleurus that year. During the eight years that followed, his military record goes quiet, but he married the Dutchwoman Gertrud van Gent, who gave him his eldest children, Lambertine Irmgard and Johann Anton.

The Fearsome Cavalryman and the Raid into France

Werth's reputation as a swift and terrifying cavalry leader crystallized in the early 1630s. Holding the post of Oberstwachtmeister in a Bavarian cavalry regiment by 1630, he took full command of a regiment in 1632 and spent 1633 and 1634 conducting bold forays that made his name known across the front. His most spectacular achievement came at the great pitched Battle of Nördlingen in 1634, after which the emperor ennobled him as a Freiherr of the Empire and the Bavarian elector raised him to Lieutenant field marshal. Around this period he also equipped his regiment with the musket alongside the traditional sword. In 1635 and 1636 his raids stretched into Lorraine and Luxembourg, and he then projected an ambitious expedition into the heart of France. Beginning in July 1636 from the lower Meuse country, his horsemen swept far and wide, and he even urged his commander-in-chief, Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria, to "plant the Double Eagle on the Louvre." Though that grander scheme was never carried out, Werth's cavalry reached Saint-Denis before a French force of fifty thousand at Compiègne forced the invaders to withdraw. The memory of that raid endured for generations, and the name "Jean de Wert" entered folk-songs and became a figure mothers invoked to quieten unruly children.

Captivity in Paris and the Long Road Back

In 1637 Werth was active once more in the Rhine valley, destroying convoys, relieving besieged towns, and surprising enemy camps. In February 1638 he defeated Weimar troops at Rheinfelden, but was soon taken prisoner by Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar. His hopes of being swapped for the Swedish field marshal Gustaf Horn collapsed when Bernhard was compelled to hand his captive over to the French. Werth was escorted to Paris amid great rejoicings from the countryside. There he was lionized by the capital's society, visited in his cell by high ladies, and found his confinement so light that he claimed nothing bound him but his word of honour. His release was delayed until March 1642, as the Imperial government feared returning Horn to command the Swedish army. When Werth finally reappeared in the field, he served as general of cavalry for the Imperial, Bavarian, and Cologne forces. His second campaign in 1643, under Baron Franz von Mercy, culminated in the Battle of Tuttlingen, where Werth was instrumental in a surprise victory. In 1644 he fought at Freiburg, and in 1645 played a decisive role in the Second Battle of Nördlingen, where Mercy was killed and Werth temporarily commanded the defeated army before Field-marshal Geleen assumed command.

The Legend of Jan and Griet

Beyond his military record, Johann von Werth lives on most vividly through the popular legend of Jan and Griet, a tale deeply rooted in the Rhineland and Cologne and frequently reenacted during Karneval. In the story, a poor peasant named Jan falls in love with Griet, but she rejects him, preferring a wealthier suitor. Devastated, he signs on with an army recruiter and rises through hard work and good fortune to become a general who wins several victories. After capturing the fort at Hermannstein, he leads his triumphant troops into Cologne through St. Severin's Gate and spots his former love selling fruit at a market. Griet, filled with regret, exclaims, "Jan, who would have thought it?" to which he replies, "Griet, who would have had done it!" before turning away. The tale exists in several variants and has inspired numerous songs, including a 2001 track by the rock band BAP. For centuries, Werth's name has been attached to military and recreational organizations, particularly groups of mounted marksmen at Schützenfests and Karneval celebrations.