Cornelius Ludewich Bartels (unknown – 18 April 1804) was a military and colonial officer of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

origin employed by the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...

. He rose through the ranks and eventually became Governor-General of the

Dutch Gold Coast The Dutch Gold Coast or Dutch Guinea, officially Dutch possessions on the Coast of Guinea (Dutch: ''Nederlandse Bezittingen ter Kuste van Guinea'') was a portion of contemporary Ghana that was gradually colonized by the Dutch, beginning in 1612. ...

in 1798.

Biography

Little is known about Bartels's early life, other than that he was born in Brunswick,

Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (german: Herzogtum Braunschweig und Lüneburg), or more properly the Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was a historical duchy that existed from the late Middle Ages to the Late Modern era within the Holy Roman ...

, to Leopold Bartels and Eleonora Zeeleger. It is known that Bartels was a sergeant in the army of Frederick III, Prince of Salm-Kyrburg, an important figure in the Patriot faction of the late 18th-century Dutch Republic, that occupied Utrecht during the Revolt of 1787. The army was disbanded after Frederick William II of Prussia invaded the Republic on behalf of the Ancien Régime, which probably led Bartels to employ himself with the Amsterdam chamber of the Dutch West India Company in 1789. Bartels was appointed captain-commandant of the militia, first artillery officer and engineer, and junior member of the council. He was promoted to ordinary member of the council in 1796, and to commandant of Fort St. Anthony at

Axim Axim is a coastal town and the capital of Nzema East Municipal district, a district in Western Region of South Ghana. Axim lies 64 kilometers west of the port city of Sekondi-Takoradi in the Western Region, west of Cape Three Points. Axim has ...

in 1798. On 8 May 1798, Bartels was appointed "President of the Council of the Dutch Gold Coast", a title reserved for an acting Director-General, after Director-General Gerhardus Hubertus van Hamel had died. He was appointed Governor-General of the North and South Coast of Dutch Africa in 1801. Meanwhile, the Dutch West India Company, Bartels' nominal employer, had been dissolved in 1792, with the possessions reverting to rule of the States-General of the Dutch Republic. Furthermore, by the time Bartels was appointed "President of the Council", the Dutch Republic itself had been replaced by the

Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic ( nl, Bataafse Republiek; french: République Batave) was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, with the accession of Louis Bona ...

. These revolutionary developments in Europe did not bring much changes to the government of the colony, which were governed like nothing had changed.

Family

Bartels is probably best known for the Euro-African Bartels family dynasty he founded in Elmina. Bartels had a son with a local woman named Quaba: * Izaac Nicolaas Pieter Bartels (d. 1847), who for his role in the

Dutch–Ahanta War The Dutch–Ahanta War was a conflict between the Netherlands and the Ahanta between 1837 and 1839. Beginning with a mere economic dispute between the Ahanta and the Dutch, who were based at the Dutch Gold Coast, the conflict ended with the hang ...

was exiled to the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

, where he made career in the colonial administration. Bartels also had a son out of a relationship with half-Dutch, half-African Maria Clericq: *

Carel Hendrik Bartels Carel Hendrik Bartels (29 September 1792 – 10 February 1850) was the wealthiest and most important Euro-African trader and businessman on the Dutch Gold Coast in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Apart from his entrepreneurial ...

(1792–1850), prince-merchant and Dutch colonial government official in Elmina, ancestor of the Bartels family dynasty on the Gold Coast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartels, Cornelius Ludewich 1804 deaths Dutch Gold Coast Colonial governors of the Dutch Gold Coast Military personnel from Braunschweig People from Brunswick-Lüneburg Year of birth unknown 18th-century Dutch colonial governors 19th-century people of the Dutch Empire