The name Breda derived from brede Aa ('wide Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa.
As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance. Although a direct Fiefdom of the Holy Roman Emperor, the city obtained a municipal charter; the acquisition of Breda, through marriage, by the house of Nassau ensured that Breda would be at the center of political and social life in the Low Countries.
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Colonel Thomas Andrew "Tom" Parker (June 26, 1909 – January 21, 1997) born Andreas Cornelis ("Dries") van Kuijk, was a Dutch-born entertainment impresario known best as the manager of Elvis Presley.
Presley said of Parker: "I don't think I'd have ever been very big if it wasn't for him. He's a very smart man."
For many years Parker falsely claimed to have been U.S.-born, but it eventually emerged that he was born in Breda, Netherlands.
[Source: Wikipedia]
