Willem Kieft
Encyclopedia
Willem Kieft was a Dutch
merchant and director-general of New Netherland
(of which New Amsterdam
, later New York City
, was the primary settlement), from 1638 until 1647. He formed the council of twelve men
, the first representative body in New Netherland, but ignored its advice. Kieft attempted to tax and eventually drive out the Native Americans. He ordered attacks Pavonia
and Corlears Hook on February 25, 1643 in a massacre (129 Dutch soldiers killed 120 Indians, including women and children), followed by retaliations resulting in what would become known as Kieft's War
(1643–1645). The war took a huge toll on both sides. Kieft was fired by the Dutch West India Company
Board of Directors. He died September 27, 1647 in the Princess Amelia
shipwreck near Swansea, Wales, while en route to Amsterdam to defend himself along with many of his opponents as well, including the Rev. Everardus Bogardus
. His archive was also lost, so his exact role cannot be established apart from what his opponents wrote of him. He is in Gods of Manhattan series by Scott Mebus.
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...
merchant and director-general of 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...
(of which 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....
, later New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, was the primary settlement), from 1638 until 1647. He formed the council of twelve men
Council of twelve men
The Council of Twelve Men was a group of 12 men chosen on 29 August 1641 by the residents of New Amsterdam to advise the Director of New Netherland, Willem Kieft, on relations with the Native Americans due to the murder of Claes Swits. Although the council was not permanent, it was the first...
, the first representative body in New Netherland, but ignored its advice. Kieft attempted to tax and eventually drive out the Native Americans. He ordered attacks Pavonia
Pavonia, New Netherland
Pavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the North River that was part of the 17th century province of New Netherland in what would become today's Hudson County, New Jersey.-Hudson and the Hackensack:...
and Corlears Hook on February 25, 1643 in a massacre (129 Dutch soldiers killed 120 Indians, including women and children), followed by retaliations resulting in what would become known as Kieft's War
Kieft's War
Kieft's War, also known as the Wappinger War, was a conflict between settlers of the nascent colony of New Netherland and the native Lenape population in what would later become the New York metropolitan area of the United States...
(1643–1645). The war took a huge toll on both sides. Kieft was fired by 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...
Board of Directors. He died September 27, 1647 in the Princess Amelia
Princess Amelia (shipwreck)
The Princess Amelia was a Dutch merchant ship in the service of the Dutch West India Company that carried 600 tons and was ringed with thirty-eight guns....
shipwreck near Swansea, Wales, while en route to Amsterdam to defend himself along with many of his opponents as well, including the Rev. Everardus Bogardus
Everardus Bogardus
The Revered Everardus Bogardus was the dominie of the New Netherlands, and was the second minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, the oldest established church in present-day New York, which was then located on Pearl Street at its first location built in 1633, the year of his arrival. Bogardus was,...
. His archive was also lost, so his exact role cannot be established apart from what his opponents wrote of him. He is in Gods of Manhattan series by Scott Mebus.
Additional reading
- William Elliot GriffisWilliam Elliot GriffisWilliam Elliot Griffis was an American orientalist, Congregational minister, lecturer, and prolific author....
The Story of New Netherland. The Dutch In America. (Chapter IX. Cambridge: The Riverside Press. 1909) - Allen Johnson, Ed. Dutch and English on the Hudson (Chapter IV. New Haven: Yale University Press. 1919)
- Jaap Jacobs (2005), New Netherland: A Dutch Colony in Seventeenth-Century America. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, ISBN90 04 12906 5.