Frederick Coyett
Encyclopedia
Frederick Coyett born in Stockholm
or Moscow
in 1615?, buried in Amsterdam
, October 17, 1687, was a Swedish
nobleman and the last colonial governor for the Dutch colony of Formosa
. He was the first Swede to travel to Japan and China and became the last governor of Dutch-occupied Taiwan (1656–1662).
, Sweden, in a family with Dutch/Flemish roots. His father, a goldsmith, died in 1634 in Moscow. Peter Julius Coyet
was his brother. From 1647 (?) he worked for the Dutch East India Company.
Coyett served twice as the VOC Opperhoofden in Japan
, serving as the chief officer in Dejima
first between November 3, 1647 and December 9, 1648 and then between November 4, 1652 and November 10, 1653 in his second spell.
, both involved in releasing ten Dutch prisoners. Their discussion centered on the Nambu affair of 1643, when the skipper Hendrick Cornelisz Schaep and nine members of the crew of the Breskens were captured in Yamada
in Iwate Prefecture
.
( Dutch: Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VOC ) governor of Taiwan
.
On February 10, 1662 he was forced to surrender Fort Zeelandia
after a nine-month siege from a large Chinese force of 25,000 men and 1,000 ships under Koxinga
. Coyett left Taiwan after Siege of Fort Zeelandia
with enough supply to reach Batavia. After three years imprisonment he was tried for High treason
, losing Taiwan and the loss of valuable goods. Coyett was pardoned and exiled to Rosengain, the most eastern of the Banda Islands
, before he was released in 1674. In 1684 he bought a house on Keizersgracht, on a spot where the Hemony brothers used to have their foundry
.
Coyett's son Balthasar Coyett
, born to his first wife Susanna Boudaens in 1650, followed his father into service with the Dutch East India Company, eventually rising to become the Governor of Ambon.
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
or Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1615?, buried in Amsterdam
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...
, October 17, 1687, was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
nobleman and the last colonial governor for the Dutch colony of Formosa
Taiwan under Dutch rule
Dutch Formosa refers to the period of colonial Dutch government on Formosa , lasting from 1624 to 1662. In the context of the Age of Discovery the Dutch East India Company established its presence on Taiwan to trade with China and Japan, and also to interdict Portuguese and Spanish trade and...
. He was the first Swede to travel to Japan and China and became the last governor of Dutch-occupied Taiwan (1656–1662).
Name
In common with many people of the time, Coyett's name was spelled differently at different times and by different people. Frederick could also be Fredrik or Fredrick, and Coyett was also spelled Coyet, Coignet or Coijet.Early career
It is supposed Coyett was born in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden, in a family with Dutch/Flemish roots. His father, a goldsmith, died in 1634 in Moscow. Peter Julius Coyet
Peter Julius Coyet
Peter Julius Coyet , was a Swedish ambassador to England during the time of Oliver Cromwell.-Biography:He was born in 1618, and was the grandson of Gillis Coyet and brother of Frederick Coyett....
was his brother. From 1647 (?) he worked for the Dutch East India Company.
Coyett served twice as the VOC Opperhoofden in Japan
VOC Opperhoofden in Japan
VOC Opperhoofden in Japan were the chief traders of the Dutch East India Company in Japan during the period of the Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the Edo period.Opperhoofd is a Dutch word which literally means 'supreme head[man]'...
, serving as the chief officer in Dejima
Dejima
was a small fan-shaped artificial island built in the bay of Nagasaki in 1634. This island, which was formed by digging a canal through a small peninsula, remained as the single place of direct trade and exchange between Japan and the outside world during the Edo period. Dejima was built to...
first between November 3, 1647 and December 9, 1648 and then between November 4, 1652 and November 10, 1653 in his second spell.
Deshima
Frederick Coyett was the brother-in-law of François CaronFrançois Caron
François Caron was a French Huguenot refugee to the Netherlands who served the Dutch East India Company for 30 years, rising from cabin boy to Director-General at Batavia , only one grade below Governor-General...
, both involved in releasing ten Dutch prisoners. Their discussion centered on the Nambu affair of 1643, when the skipper Hendrick Cornelisz Schaep and nine members of the crew of the Breskens were captured in Yamada
Yamada, Iwate
is a town located in Shimohei District, Iwate, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 20,413 and a population density of 77.49 persons per km². The total area is 263.44 km²....
in Iwate Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
.
Governor of Formosa
Coyett is mostly known as the last Dutch East India CompanyDutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
( Dutch: Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VOC ) governor of Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
On February 10, 1662 he was forced to surrender Fort Zeelandia
Fort Zeelandia (Taiwan)
Fort Zeelandia was a fortress built over ten years from 1624–1634 by the Dutch Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, in the town of Anping on the island of Formosa, present day Taiwan, during their 38-year rule over the western part of it...
after a nine-month siege from a large Chinese force of 25,000 men and 1,000 ships under Koxinga
Koxinga
Koxinga is the customary Western spelling of the popular appellation of Zheng Chenggong , a military leader who was born in 1624 in Hirado, Japan to Zheng Zhilong, a Chinese merchant/pirate, and his Japanese wife and died in 1662 on the island of Formosa .A Ming loyalist and the arch commander of...
. Coyett left Taiwan after Siege of Fort Zeelandia
Siege of Fort Zeelandia
The Siege of Fort Zeelandia , which took place in 1661 and 1662, ended the Dutch East India Company's rule over Taiwan and began the Kingdom of Tungning's rule over the island...
with enough supply to reach Batavia. After three years imprisonment he was tried for High treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
, losing Taiwan and the loss of valuable goods. Coyett was pardoned and exiled to Rosengain, the most eastern of the Banda Islands
Banda Islands
The Banda Islands are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about south of Seram Island and about east of Java, and are part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. The main town and administrative centre is Bandanaira, located on the island of the same name. They rise...
, before he was released in 1674. In 1684 he bought a house on Keizersgracht, on a spot where the Hemony brothers used to have their foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
.
Coyett's son Balthasar Coyett
Balthasar Coyett
Balthasar Coyett was a Dutch-Swedish official in the Dutch East India Company, serving from 1701 to 1706 as the Governor of Ambon. He was the son of Frederick Coyett, the last Governor of Formosa, and Susanna Boudaens...
, born to his first wife Susanna Boudaens in 1650, followed his father into service with the Dutch East India Company, eventually rising to become the Governor of Ambon.