Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol
Encyclopedia
Tiel
' is a municipality and a town in the middle of the Netherlands.The town is enclosed by the Waal river and the Linge river on the south and the north side, and the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal on the east side. The city was founded in the 5th century AD....
– 6 June 1784, Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
) 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...
nobleman who played a prominent role in the formation of the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
and the revolutionary events that preceded its formation. As a member of the Patriots
Patriots (faction)
The Patriots were a political faction in the Dutch Republic in the second half of the 18th century. They were led by Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, gaining power from November 1782....
and inspired by the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, he wrote the noted pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
"To the People of the Netherlands" (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...
: "Aan het Volk van Nederland"), in which reclaimed a more liberal society and the end of the 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...
regime
Regime
The word regime refers to a set of conditions, most often of a political nature.-Politics:...
, which had been marked by corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
and nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
. He was also an ardent supporter in the legal recognition of the recently created United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Member of the States
Van der Capellen became a member of the States of Overijssel in 1772. It was the beginning of his political career. He described himself as a "born regent", but that did not prevent him from being an ardent champion of the EnlightenmentAge of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
ideals and a critic of the Dutch Old Regime.
For that reason, his opponents compared Van der Capellen's public appearance with the style of the English politician John Wilkes
John Wilkes
John Wilkes was an English radical, journalist and politician.He was first elected Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of voters—rather than the House of Commons—to determine their representatives...
. Wilkes criticized the policy of King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
and his ministers, but became very popular. This was partly due to his strategic use of the political press. The press also became a powerful weapon in the hands of Van der Capellen and his patriot friends.
Abolition of the Drostendiensten
As a member of the States Van der Capellen applied himself to the abolition of the so-called "drostendiensten", which compelled the farmers of Overijssel to labour for a pittance a few days every year for the local magistrate, the Drost ("bailiff"). This relic from medieval times was wrongfully applied in his opinion.In an address to the States in 1778, he pointed out that these rights had been officially abolished in 1631. He ensured his statement was distributed widely and free of charge among the farmers in the Twenthe region. The reverend François Adriaan van der Kemp
François Adriaan van der Kemp
François Adriaan van der Kemp or Francis Adrian Vanderkemp was one of the Dutch radical leaders of the Patriots, a minister and publicist who gave the Patriot movement a Christian tint in his blazing speeches...
was his assistant or ghostwriter.
In the end he won his case but his fellow members in the States excluded him from participation in their deliberations until November 1782.
Advocate of the American cause
Previously, he had fallen foul of the Stadholder prince William V of Orange and the members of the States when he proclaimed himself against expansion of the army and the fleet. When in 1776 the British King George IIIGeorge III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
asked the Dutch whether he could borrow the Scotch Brigade (a unit of mercenaries in Dutch service) to be deployed in the war with the American Republic, he voted against.
His overt support for the American revolutionaries was not appreciated either. Nevertheless, he continued to dedicate himself to the American War of Independence. He regarded the American struggle as an example for Dutch patriots
Patriots (faction)
The Patriots were a political faction in the Dutch Republic in the second half of the 18th century. They were led by Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, gaining power from November 1782....
.
To lend support to his views he translated "Observations on Civil Liberty" http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=1781&Itemid=27 by the Welshman Richard Price
Richard Price
Richard Price was a British moral philosopher and preacher in the tradition of English Dissenters, and a political pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the American Revolution. He fostered connections between a large number of people, including writers of the...
into Dutch. The book was an important inspiration to the American revolutionaries. The Dutch translation was banned in 1789, together with other patriot writings.
In 1782 Van der Capellen arranged a loan for the American cause. A consortium was set up by Nicolaas van Staphorst
Nicolaas van Staphorst
Nicolaas van Staphorst was a Dutch banker and a conservative republican. Up till 1794 he was involved in a total of eleven loans that were granted in Amsterdam to the United States with a value of 29 million guilders, and in the Holland Land Company.-Life:In 1782, the brothers led discussions with...
and Wilhelm Willink. Eventually an amount of two hundred thousand guilders was raised. He contributed twenty thousand guilders himself.
To the People of the Netherlands
The year 1781 was to be the most important in his political career. In that year a pamphlet appeared entitled "Aan het Volk van Nederland" ("To the People of the Netherlands").In this anonymous pamphlet the disadvantages of the hereditary stadholderate were explained. It should be replaced by a democratic society, based on popular sovereignty. Within a month after publication the pamphlet was banned. Besides, a substantial reward was offered to whoever would report the author. In spite of these measures it was illegally reprinted and distributed three times, and even translated into French, English and German. It was to exert a lasting influence on the democratic movement in the Netherlands.
Van der Capellen, the author of the pamphlet, was forced to enjoy its success in silence, as well as the fact that the authorities failed to identify him as the author. With unflagging zeal he continued to propagate the American cause. Partly thanks to his influence, John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
and with him the young American Republic were recognized in 1782 by the States General.
He died in 1784. Even after his death he continued to rouse the emotions. A few years after he died his monument in Goor
Goor
Goor is a town about 26 km south of Almelo in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It received city rights in 1263. The population is about 13,000.Goor was a separate municipality until 2001, when it became a part of Hof van Twente....
was blown up by Orangists.
Influence
The charismatic but controversial Dutch politician Pim FortuynPim Fortuyn
Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who formed his own party, Pim Fortuyn List ....
(1948–2002) was deeply inspired by Van der Capellen. In 1992 Fortuyn wrote a "To the people of the Netherlands" too and declared himself as the successor of Van der Capellen who has to struggle against the political elite of his time.