Is Pier Gerlofs Donia a cult figure?

Answer 1

Yes, Pier Gerlofs Donia (c. 1480 - 1520) may be considered a cult figure. A cult figure is someone who elicits admiration and inspires a devoted following. The person in question may or may not be part of a religious cult. Regarding Donia, that certainly was not the case. Instead, Donia's followers throughout history, and including the present day, see him as the symbol of the ordinary person who takes up arms against injustice and actually succeeds.

Specifically, a foreign force under George, Duke of Saxony (27 August 1471 - 17 April 1539), camped about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) away from Donia's property in Kimswerd, a Frisian language-speaking village in the Netherlands. The regiment in question was known for brutal treatment of local populations. On January 29, 1515, the regiment indeed entered Donia's home village, destroyed his property, and raped and killed his wife, Rintsje Syrtsema. Donia responded with a very successful rampage against Hollanders, the English and the Burgundians. For four years, Donia's enemies feared for their property and their lives, on land and sea.

Just as suddenly as he started so did Donia quickly end his successful series of lightning raids. In fact, he died safe and revered in his own bed about one year after he ended his career as one of Europe's most wanted pirates.