Christianus Petrus Eliza Robidé van der Aa
Encyclopedia
Christianus Petrus Eliza Robidé van der Aa (Amsterdam
, 10 October 1791 – Oosterbeek
, 14 May 1851) was a Dutch
jurist
and author
. He was the son of Pierre Jean Baptiste Charles van der Aa.
, because of his fluency in French. On March 5, 1914, he became Secretary and schout
of De Lemmer. Thereafter, he became secretary of Lemsterland
. In the 1813 revolt against the Napoleonic rule, he was a Major
, and during the 1815 war he joined the army as a volunteer.
On June 11, 1816, he married Eelkje Poppes, who was a proficient lyre
player and poet, butshe abandoned her career to devote herself to her husband and children. In 1818, Van der Aa became a procureur (a lawyer at the court) in Leeuwarden. From then on, he became noted as a poet. While his poetry is not sufficient to rank him among the most important Dutch poets, his work is lovely and enjoyable to read, like his odes to famous persons or his patriottic poetry. For his 1827 poem De dood van Lord Byron (The Death of Lord Byron), he received the Gold Medal of the Koninklijke Maatschappij van Tael- en Dichtkunde (Royal Company for Language and Poetry) in Ghent
. His poetry appeared in collections and almanacs like the Almanac voor het Schoone en Goede (Almanac for the Beautiful and the Good), of which he was a longtime editor-in-chief.
His beloved wife died September 20, 1828, and he remarried in 1830 with Lucia Maria de Jongh, widow of Jan Anthony Kallenberg van den Bosch. She lived at the country house Den Hemelschen Berg (The Heavenly Mountain), where they both moved to in 1834. Van der Aa then quit his position as procureur in Leeuwarden in 1834 and became a lawyer in Arnhem
. In September 1838, he became a judge at the arrondissement
al court. His poetic production diminished, but his proza production increased. Already in 1827, he was awarded Gold from the Maatschappij tot Nut van 't Algemeen for his exposés on the consequences of domestical negligence, disorder and waste. His focus was on the improvement of the popular education, and in 1840 he was appointed school inspector for the first district of Gelderland
. Among his proza of these years should be mentioned four national songs, awarded gold by the Maatschappij tot Nut van 't Algemeen in 1835. The books he made include Losse bladen in het groote Levensboek (1832, 2 parts); De zoon der Natuur en de man naar de Wereld (1837, 2 parts); Oud-Nederland, in de uit vroeger dagen overgebleven burgten en kasteelen (1841, 2 parts); de Rijn in afbeelding en tafereelen geschetst (freely adapted from Tombleson
's Views on the Rhine, by J. Watts) (1836, 2 parts); Volksverhalen en Legenden aan de Rijnoevers verzameld (freely adapted from A. Reumonts Rheinlands Sagen, Geschichte und Legenden) (1839, 2 parts).
He reaped the most praise with his writings for the people. In the Volksbode, which he edited and almost singlehandedly wrote from 1839 until 1847, he attacked alcohol abuse and many prejudices and traditional habits. With the same noble purpose, to educate and civilize the people, he wrote many essays as well as booklets for children. In 1825, he became a member of the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde in Leiden, in 1826 an associated fellow of the Koninklijk Genootschap van Tael- en Dichtkunde in Antwerp, in 1828 an honorary Member of the Maatschappij van Weldadigheid, in 1830 a member of the Amsterdam division of the Hollandsche Maatschappij van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, in 1836 an honorary member of the Maatschappij Felix Meritis, in 1839 a corresponding member of the Bataviaasch Genootschap der Kunsten en Wetenschappen, and in 1842 a member of the Provinciaal Utrechtsch Genootschap. He was a promoter of the Freemasons, the Maatschappij Tot Nut van 't Algemeen, the Maatschappij tot afschaffing der sterke dranken (Company for the abolishment of liquor), and the Nederlandsche Maatschappij van Nijverheid (the Dutch Company for Industry), which awarded him the 1848 Gold Medal for his experiments with the growth of acacia
s in the Netherlands.
His second wife died August 28, 1846. In 1848, Christianus van der Aa was hit by a severe brain disease, from which he suffered until his death on May 14, 1851 due to facial cancer.
His motto was the same as that of his family crest: "Doe wel en zie niet om" ("Do good and don't look back").
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, 10 October 1791 – Oosterbeek
Oosterbeek
Oosterbeek is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Renkum, about 5 km west of Arnhem.The oldest part of the village of Oosterbeek is the Benedendorp , on the northern bank of the river Rhine...
, 14 May 1851) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He was the son of Pierre Jean Baptiste Charles van der Aa.
Biography
Christianus Petrus Eliza Robidé van der Aa, born in Amsterdam October 7, 1791, was a son of Pierre Jean Baptiste Charles van der Aa and Francina Adriana Bartha van Peene. After his promotion to Doctor in both Laws on December 27, 1811, he settled in Leiden as a lawyer, in the office of his father. His father died on May 12, 1812, and on June 13, 1812, Christianus was appointed secretary to the mayor of SneekSneek
Sneek is a city southwest of Leeuwarden and seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland . As for 2011 it is part of the municipality Súdwest Fryslân...
, because of his fluency in French. On March 5, 1914, he became Secretary and schout
Schout
In Dutch-speaking areas, a schout was a local official appointed to carry out administrative, law enforcement and prosecutorial tasks. The office was abolished with the introduction of administrative reforms during the Napoleonic period.- Functions:...
of De Lemmer. Thereafter, he became secretary of Lemsterland
Lemsterland
- Population centres :Bantega, Delfstrahuizen, Echten, Echtenerbrug, Eesterga, Follega, Lemmer, Oosterzee, Oosterzee-Buren.-External links:** ----...
. In the 1813 revolt against the Napoleonic rule, he was a Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, and during the 1815 war he joined the army as a volunteer.
On June 11, 1816, he married Eelkje Poppes, who was a proficient lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
player and poet, butshe abandoned her career to devote herself to her husband and children. In 1818, Van der Aa became a procureur (a lawyer at the court) in Leeuwarden. From then on, he became noted as a poet. While his poetry is not sufficient to rank him among the most important Dutch poets, his work is lovely and enjoyable to read, like his odes to famous persons or his patriottic poetry. For his 1827 poem De dood van Lord Byron (The Death of Lord Byron), he received the Gold Medal of the Koninklijke Maatschappij van Tael- en Dichtkunde (Royal Company for Language and Poetry) in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
. His poetry appeared in collections and almanacs like the Almanac voor het Schoone en Goede (Almanac for the Beautiful and the Good), of which he was a longtime editor-in-chief.
His beloved wife died September 20, 1828, and he remarried in 1830 with Lucia Maria de Jongh, widow of Jan Anthony Kallenberg van den Bosch. She lived at the country house Den Hemelschen Berg (The Heavenly Mountain), where they both moved to in 1834. Van der Aa then quit his position as procureur in Leeuwarden in 1834 and became a lawyer in Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
. In September 1838, he became a judge at the arrondissement
Arrondissement
Arrondissement is any of various administrative divisions of France, certain other Francophone countries, and the Netherlands.-France:The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a...
al court. His poetic production diminished, but his proza production increased. Already in 1827, he was awarded Gold from the Maatschappij tot Nut van 't Algemeen for his exposés on the consequences of domestical negligence, disorder and waste. His focus was on the improvement of the popular education, and in 1840 he was appointed school inspector for the first district of Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
. Among his proza of these years should be mentioned four national songs, awarded gold by the Maatschappij tot Nut van 't Algemeen in 1835. The books he made include Losse bladen in het groote Levensboek (1832, 2 parts); De zoon der Natuur en de man naar de Wereld (1837, 2 parts); Oud-Nederland, in de uit vroeger dagen overgebleven burgten en kasteelen (1841, 2 parts); de Rijn in afbeelding en tafereelen geschetst (freely adapted from Tombleson
William Tombleson
William Tombleson was an English topographical and architecture artist, illustrator, copper and steel engraver, writer and printmaker, based in London.-Life and works:...
's Views on the Rhine, by J. Watts) (1836, 2 parts); Volksverhalen en Legenden aan de Rijnoevers verzameld (freely adapted from A. Reumonts Rheinlands Sagen, Geschichte und Legenden) (1839, 2 parts).
He reaped the most praise with his writings for the people. In the Volksbode, which he edited and almost singlehandedly wrote from 1839 until 1847, he attacked alcohol abuse and many prejudices and traditional habits. With the same noble purpose, to educate and civilize the people, he wrote many essays as well as booklets for children. In 1825, he became a member of the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde in Leiden, in 1826 an associated fellow of the Koninklijk Genootschap van Tael- en Dichtkunde in Antwerp, in 1828 an honorary Member of the Maatschappij van Weldadigheid, in 1830 a member of the Amsterdam division of the Hollandsche Maatschappij van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, in 1836 an honorary member of the Maatschappij Felix Meritis, in 1839 a corresponding member of the Bataviaasch Genootschap der Kunsten en Wetenschappen, and in 1842 a member of the Provinciaal Utrechtsch Genootschap. He was a promoter of the Freemasons, the Maatschappij Tot Nut van 't Algemeen, the Maatschappij tot afschaffing der sterke dranken (Company for the abolishment of liquor), and the Nederlandsche Maatschappij van Nijverheid (the Dutch Company for Industry), which awarded him the 1848 Gold Medal for his experiments with the growth of acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
s in the Netherlands.
His second wife died August 28, 1846. In 1848, Christianus van der Aa was hit by a severe brain disease, from which he suffered until his death on May 14, 1851 due to facial cancer.
His motto was the same as that of his family crest: "Doe wel en zie niet om" ("Do good and don't look back").