Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest
Encyclopedia
Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest (Flushing
, 16 November 1642 – 16 November 1706) is a Dutch
admiral from the 17th century.
Cornelis was the second son of Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Evertsen the Elder
, nephew of Lieutenant-Admiral Johan Evertsen
and cousin of the latter's son Vice-Admiral Cornelis Evertsen the Younger
, with whom he is very often confused. Cornelis was nicknamed Keesje den Duvel ("Little Cornelis the Devil") for his cantankerous and hot-tempered character, which he shared with his father.
Cornelis was born in Flushing
(Vlissingen in Dutch
) in 1642 and already sailed on his father's ship at the age of ten. He became privateer
in 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War
and was captured by the English on 15 April of that year when his force of two ships was defeated by three English vessels, among them the Diamond and the Yarmouth
. His crew had to bodily restrain him to prevent him from blowing up his ship, the Eendragt of 32 cannon. Because of his famous father and uncle he was considered worthy of royal interest. During interrogation the brother of the king, Lord High Admiral
James, the Duke of York
, inquired about a bullet hole in the top of Cornelis's hat, asking the captain to excuse the English for having damaged his clothing. Cornelis grumpily answered that he was proud of the hole; only he would have preferred it to have been a bit lower, to now being a prisoner.
John Evelyn
recounts how Cornelis was on 24 April 1665 released for his wit by Charles II of England
in person: Cornelis having been admitted into the royal bedchamber, His Majesty gave him his hand to kiss, and restored him his liberty; asked many questions concerning the fight (it being the first blood drawn), his Majesty remembering the many civilties he had formerly received from his relations abroad — this was a reference to the support the Evertsen family had given Charles during his exile. Evelyn was then commanded to go with him to the Holland Ambassador, where he was to stay for his passport, and I was to give him 50 pieces in broad gold. Charles this way not only repaid old favours shown, but also tried to sow dissension between the staunchly orangist province of Zealand and the republican province of Holland; he pretended to champion the cause of the young William III of Orange
.
After his return in 1665 Cornelis fought in the Battle of Lowestoft
; in July he became captain with the Admiralty of Zealand
. In 1666 Cornelis was captain of his father's flagship Walcheren during the Four Days Battle
. During the first night he witnessed his father's death, the Lieutenant-Admiral being cut in two by the parting shot of the escaping Henry. He also fought in the St. James's Day Battle
where his uncle was killed.
In March 1672, just before the Third Anglo-Dutch War
, he repelled a treacherous English attack on the Smyrna fleet. In the Battle of Solebay
he commanded the Zwanenburg (44 cannon).
In 1673 he reconquered New Netherland
, including New Amsterdam
, as Vice-Admiral of a fleet in service of the Dutch West India Company
, the Swaenenburgh still his flagship. When he returned in July 1674, he was accused of disobedience, because the States of Zealand were not too happy with his conquest; his real orders had been to conquer Saint Helena
and Cayenne
.
In January 1675 he became Rear-Admiral of Zealand. In 1677 he commanded a blockade against the Dunkirkers
. On 20 September 1679 he replaced his deceased cousin Cornelis the Younger as Vice-Admiral of Zealand; he became on 1 April 1684 Lieutenant-Admiral of Zealand and supreme commander of the confederate Dutch fleet, replacing Cornelis Tromp
. In 1688 he commanded the vanguard of the invasion fleet of stadtholder
William III during the Glorious Revolution
.
In 1690 Cornelis was commander of the vanguard of the allied fleet in the Battle of Beachy Head
. Poorly supported by the English, he had great difficulties against a much stronger French opponent; he saved his squadron by tricking the French, by suddenly anchoring while under full sail, causing the enemy fleet to be carried away with the tidal stream.
In that same year he was replaced as supreme commander by Tromp, who soon died and was replaced by Philips van Almonde
.
Cornelis, after 1690 never again commanding a fleet, died in 1706 and is buried in Middelburg
. He was succeeded as Lieutenant-Admiral of Zealand by his younger brother Geleyn Evertsen.
Cornelis never married, nor is it known that he ever had a relationship with a woman. However, he was a very close friend of William III. It has been suggested he was one of the lovers of the stadtholder .
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
, 16 November 1642 – 16 November 1706) is 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...
admiral from the 17th century.
Cornelis was the second son of Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Evertsen the Elder
Cornelis Evertsen the Elder
Cornelis Evertsen the Elder was a Dutch admiral.Cornelis Evertsen the Elder was the son of Johan Evertsen and Maayken Jans; grandson of Evert Heindricxsen, a Watergeus, both commanders of men-of-war of the navy of Zealand....
, nephew of Lieutenant-Admiral Johan Evertsen
Johan Evertsen
Johan Evertsen was a Dutch admiral from the 17th century.- Biography :Johan was the eldest surviving son of Johan Evertsen, known as Captain Jan, who died in 1617 fighting near La Rochelle against a French corsair...
and cousin of the latter's son Vice-Admiral Cornelis Evertsen the Younger
Cornelis Evertsen the Younger
Cornelis Evertsen the Younger was a Dutch Admiral from the 17th century.Cornelis was the son of Lieutenant-Admiral Johan Evertsen and the nephew of Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Evertsen the Elder...
, with whom he is very often confused. Cornelis was nicknamed Keesje den Duvel ("Little Cornelis the Devil") for his cantankerous and hot-tempered character, which he shared with his father.
Cornelis was born in Flushing
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
(Vlissingen in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
) in 1642 and already sailed on his father's ship at the age of ten. He became privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
in 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War
Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo–Dutch War was part of a series of four Anglo–Dutch Wars fought between the English and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries for control over the seas and trade routes....
and was captured by the English on 15 April of that year when his force of two ships was defeated by three English vessels, among them the Diamond and the Yarmouth
HMS Yarmouth (1653)
Yarmouth was a 44-gun fourth-rate frigate of the English Royal Navy, originally built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England at Great Yarmouth under the 1652 Programme, and launched in 1653...
. His crew had to bodily restrain him to prevent him from blowing up his ship, the Eendragt of 32 cannon. Because of his famous father and uncle he was considered worthy of royal interest. During interrogation the brother of the king, Lord High Admiral
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
James, the Duke of York
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, inquired about a bullet hole in the top of Cornelis's hat, asking the captain to excuse the English for having damaged his clothing. Cornelis grumpily answered that he was proud of the hole; only he would have preferred it to have been a bit lower, to now being a prisoner.
John Evelyn
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
recounts how Cornelis was on 24 April 1665 released for his wit by Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in person: Cornelis having been admitted into the royal bedchamber, His Majesty gave him his hand to kiss, and restored him his liberty; asked many questions concerning the fight (it being the first blood drawn), his Majesty remembering the many civilties he had formerly received from his relations abroad — this was a reference to the support the Evertsen family had given Charles during his exile. Evelyn was then commanded to go with him to the Holland Ambassador, where he was to stay for his passport, and I was to give him 50 pieces in broad gold. Charles this way not only repaid old favours shown, but also tried to sow dissension between the staunchly orangist province of Zealand and the republican province of Holland; he pretended to champion the cause of the young William III of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
.
After his return in 1665 Cornelis fought in the Battle of Lowestoft
Battle of Lowestoft
The naval Battle of Lowestoft took place on 13 June 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam attacked an English fleet of equal size commanded by James Stuart, Duke of York forty...
; in July he became captain with the Admiralty of Zealand
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
. In 1666 Cornelis was captain of his father's flagship Walcheren during the Four Days Battle
Four Days Battle
The Four Days Battle was a naval battle of the Second Anglo–Dutch War. Fought from 1 June to 4 June 1666 in the Julian or Old Style calendar then used in England off the Flemish and English coast, it remains one of the longest naval engagements in history.In June 1665 the English had soundly...
. During the first night he witnessed his father's death, the Lieutenant-Admiral being cut in two by the parting shot of the escaping Henry. He also fought in the St. James's Day Battle
St. James's Day Battle
The naval St James' Day Battle , the Battle of the North Foreland and the Battle of Orfordness) took place on 25 July 1666 — St James' day in the Julian calendar then in use in England , during the Second Anglo-Dutch War and was fought between fleets of England, commanded jointly by...
where his uncle was killed.
In March 1672, just before the Third Anglo-Dutch War
Third Anglo-Dutch War
The Third Anglo–Dutch War or Third Dutch War was a military conflict between England and the Dutch Republic lasting from 1672 to 1674. It was part of the larger Franco-Dutch War...
, he repelled a treacherous English attack on the Smyrna fleet. In the Battle of Solebay
Battle of Solebay
The naval Battle of Solebay took place on 28 May Old Style, 7 June New Style 1672 and was the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War.-The battle:...
he commanded the Zwanenburg (44 cannon).
In 1673 he reconquered New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
, including New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
, as Vice-Admiral of a fleet in service of the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
, the Swaenenburgh still his flagship. When he returned in July 1674, he was accused of disobedience, because the States of Zealand were not too happy with his conquest; his real orders had been to conquer Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
and Cayenne
Cayenne
Cayenne is the capital of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "Ferit Aurum Industria" which means "Work brings wealth"...
.
In January 1675 he became Rear-Admiral of Zealand. In 1677 he commanded a blockade against the Dunkirkers
Dunkirkers
During the Dutch Revolt the Dunkirkers or Dunkirk Privateers, were commerce raiders in the service of the Spanish Monarchy. They were also part of the Dunkirk fleet, which consequently was a part of the Spanish Monarchy's Flemish fleet ...
. On 20 September 1679 he replaced his deceased cousin Cornelis the Younger as Vice-Admiral of Zealand; he became on 1 April 1684 Lieutenant-Admiral of Zealand and supreme commander of the confederate Dutch fleet, replacing Cornelis Tromp
Cornelis Tromp
Sir Cornelis Maartenszoon Tromp, 1st Baronet was a Dutch naval officer. He was the son of Lieutenant Admiral Maarten Tromp. He became Lieutenant Admiral General in the Dutch Navy and briefly Admiral General in the Danish Navy...
. In 1688 he commanded the vanguard of the invasion fleet of stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
William III during the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
.
In 1690 Cornelis was commander of the vanguard of the allied fleet in the Battle of Beachy Head
Battle of Beachy Head (1690)
The Battle of Beachy Head was a naval engagement fought on 10 July 1690 during the Nine Years' War. The battle was the greatest French tactical naval victory over their English and Dutch opponents during the war...
. Poorly supported by the English, he had great difficulties against a much stronger French opponent; he saved his squadron by tricking the French, by suddenly anchoring while under full sail, causing the enemy fleet to be carried away with the tidal stream.
In that same year he was replaced as supreme commander by Tromp, who soon died and was replaced by Philips van Almonde
Philips van Almonde
Philips van Almonde was a Dutch Lieutenant Admiral, who served in his nation’s maritime conflicts of the 17th and early 18th centuries.Philips was the son of Pieter Jansz van Almonde, a wealthy burgher...
.
Cornelis, after 1690 never again commanding a fleet, died in 1706 and is buried in Middelburg
Middelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
. He was succeeded as Lieutenant-Admiral of Zealand by his younger brother Geleyn Evertsen.
Cornelis never married, nor is it known that he ever had a relationship with a woman. However, he was a very close friend of William III. It has been suggested he was one of the lovers of the stadtholder .