Herman Willem Daendels (21 October 1762 – 2 May 1818) was a Dutch revolutionary, general and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
who served as the 36th Governor General of the
Dutch East Indies between 1808 and 1811.
Early life
Born in
Hattem
Hattem () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. The municipality had a population of in . The municipality includes the hamlet of 't Zand.
Name origin
The name “Hattem” is a typical farmyard name. The exact origin of “H ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, on 21 October 1762, Daendels was the son of Burchard Johan Daendels, the mayoral secretary, and Josina Christina Tulleken. He studied law at the University of
Harderwijk
Harderwijk (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city of the Netherlands.
It is served by the Harderwijk railway station.
Its population centres are Harderwijk and Hierden.
Harderwijk is on the western boundary of the Veluwe. The south ...
, acquiring his doctorate on 10 April 1783.
Political activity
![Generaal Daendels neemt afscheid van luitenant-kolonel Krayenhoff Rijksmuseum SK-A-2231](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Generaal_Daendels_neemt_afscheid_van_luitenant-kolonel_Krayenhoff_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-2231.jpeg)
In 1785, he sided with the
Patriot
A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism.
Patriot may also refer to:
Political and military groups United States
* Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution
* Patriot m ...
s, who had seized power in several Dutch cities. In September 1786 he defended the city of Hattem against
stadholder
In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...
ian troops. In September 1787, he defended
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
against the
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
n army that invaded the Netherlands to restore
William V of Orange
William V (Willem Batavus; 8 March 1748 – 9 April 1806) was a prince of Orange and the last stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. He went into exile to London in 1795. He was furthermore ruler of the Principality of Orange-Nassau until his death in ...
. After William V was in power again, he fled to
Pas-de-Calais because of a death sentence. Daendels was a close witness to the French revolution.
He returned to the Netherlands in 1794, as a
general
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
in the French revolutionary army of general
Charles Pichegru and commander of the
Batavian Legion. Daendels helped unitarian politician
Pieter Vreede
Pieter Vreede (October 8, 1750– September 21, 1837) was a Dutch politician of the Batavian Republic in the 18th century. Vreede was born in Leiden and died in Heusden. He was a prominent critic of stadholderian misrule and of the urban pat ...
to power in a
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
on 25 January 1798. The group behind Vreede was dissatisfied with the conservative-moderate majority in parliament, which tried to prevent the formulation of a more
democratic,
centralistic constitution. Vreede's rule did not bring the expected results, however, and Daendels supported another
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
against Vreede on 14 June 1798. In the
Batavian Republic Daendels occupied several political offices, but he had to step down when he failed to prevent the
Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland in 1799, and he became a farmer in
Heerde
Heerde () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. Compared to the rest of the Netherlands, Heerde is fairly religious, as are many of the towns and cities in the Veluwe region.
Population centres
Politics
The municipal counc ...
,
Gelderland
Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...
.
Military and colonial career
Governor-general of the Dutch East Indies
Louis Bonaparte
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (born Luigi Buonaparte; 2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846) was a younger brother of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. He was a monarch in his own right from 1806 to 1810, ruling over the Kingdom of Holland (a French cl ...
made Daendels
colonel-general
Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a r ...
in 1806 and
Governor-general of the Dutch East Indies in 1807. After a long voyage, he arrived in the city of
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
(now
Jakarta) on 5 January 1808 and relieved the former Governor General,
Albertus Henricus Wiese
Albertus Henricus Wiese (1761–1810) was Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1805 to 1808, during which time the United Provinces became, during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, first the Batavian Republic and then ...
. His primary task was to rid the island of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...
of the British Army.
He built new hospitals and military barracks, a new arms factories in
Surabaya and
Semarang, and a new military college in Batavia. He demolished the
Castle in Batavia and replaced it with a
new fort at Meester Cornelis (
Jatinegara
Jatinegara (originally known as Meester Cornelis or Meester for short) is one of the districts (''Kecamatan'') of East Jakarta, Indonesia. The name also refers to the larger, historic area of the colonial town of Meester Cornelis. Established i ...
), and built ''Fort Lodewijk'' (Fort Ludwig) in
Surabaya. He also moved the central government from
Old Batavia
Kota Tua Jakarta ( Indonesian for "Jakarta Old Town"), officially known as Kota Tua, is a neighborhood comprising the original downtown area of Jakarta, Indonesia. It is also known as (Dutch for "Old Batavia"), ("Lower City", contrasting it w ...
to
Weltevreden, with a palace built in
Paradeplaats. However, his best-known achievement was the construction of the
Great Post Road
The Great Post Road ( id, Jalan Raya Pos or nl, De Grote Postweg) is the name for the historical road that runs across Java that connects Anyer and Panarukan. It was built during the reign of Herman Willem Daendels (1808–1811), governor-g ...
( id, Jalan Raya Pos) across northern
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...
from
Anyer
Anyer, also known as Anjer or Angier, is a coastal town in Banten, formerly West Java, Indonesia, west of Jakarta and south of Merak. A significant coastal town late 18th-century, Anyer faces the Sunda Strait.
History
The town was a considerab ...
to
Panarukan
Panarukan is a district in Situbondo Regency, East Java, Indonesia. This sub-district is about 8 km from the capital city Situbondo to the west. The center of government is in the village of Wringin Anom.
Localities
* Alas Malang
* Duwe ...
. The road now serves as the main road in the island of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...
, called
Jalur Pantura. The thousand-kilometre road was completed in only one year, during which thousands of Javanese forced laborers died.
He displayed a firm attitude towards the Javanese rulers, with the result that the rulers were willing to work with the British against the Dutch. He also subjected the population of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...
to forced labour (''Rodi''). There were some rebellious actions against this, such as those in Cadas Pangeran, West Java.
There is considerable debate as to whether he increased the efficiency of the local
bureaucracy and reduced corruption, although he certainly enriched himself during this period.
Daendels failed to stop the British
invasion of the Spice Islands
The invasion of the Spice Islands was a military invasion by British forces that took place between February to August 1810 on and around the Dutch owned Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) also known as the Spice Islands in the Dutch East Indies during ...
in 1810 despite improving the defences.
General in Napoleon's Grande Armée
When the
Kingdom of Holland
The Kingdom of Holland ( nl, Holland (contemporary), (modern); french: Royaume de Hollande) was created by Napoleon Bonaparte, overthrowing the Batavian Republic in March 1806 in order to better control the Netherlands. Since becoming Empero ...
was incorporated into
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in 1810, Daendels returned to Holland. In November 1811 he lived in Paris. He was appointed a
divisional general (
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
) and commanded the 26th Division of the
Grande Armée, which was formed of troops from Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, and Berg. Mid March 1812 he seems to have been appointed as commander of the 26th division and served as part of
IX Corps 9 Corps, 9th Corps, Ninth Corps, or IX Corps may refer to:
France
* 9th Army Corps (France)
* IX Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
Germany
* IX Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial Germ ...
under
Marshal Victor
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
, which was intended as a reserve. In August Victor was told to assist and to march the East according to
Badener in the Russian campaign in 1812. On 8 and 15 September Daendels arrived in Vilnius, then in Minsk. On 11 October this division went to
Babinovichi
Babinavichy (also Babinavičy or Babinovichi (; )) is a small town in Liozna District, in the Vitebsk Region of Belarus.
The town traditionally supplied timber for the Imperial Russian Navy, as is reflected in its coat-of-arms which depicts two ma ...
. On 20 October he was ordered to go to
Vitebsk
Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest c ...
and on 27 October they occupied nearby
Beshankovichy
Biešankovičy (also spelled ''Beshenkovichy'', ''Beshankovichy'') ( be, Бешанко́вічы; russian: Бешенкóвичи; pl, Bieszenkowicze) is a town in the Vitebsk Province of Belarus and a port on the Western Dvina river. It is wes ...
. The temperatures dropped below zero on the next day. The supplies in Vitebsk were lost when the Russian army captured the city. On 29 October it began to snow. On 11 November the rearguard with Daendels arrived in
Chashniki
Chashniki ( be, Чашнікі, Čašniki, russian: Чáшники, pl, Czaśniki, lt, Čašnikai) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus, famous for the Battle of Ula during Livonian War and Battle of Czasniki that took place during the Frenc ...
, about 90 km SW. On 14 November in the
battle of Smoliani
At the Battle of Smoliani (November 13–14, 1812), the Russians under General Peter Wittgenstein defeated the French forces of Marshal Claude Victor and Marshal Nicholas Oudinot. This battle was the last effort of the French to reestablish th ...
the French lost 3,000 men against General
Peter Wittgenstein
, title = 1st Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Ludwigsburg-Berleburg
, image = Pjotr-christianowitsch-wittgenstein.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = Portrait by George Dawe
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Pereias ...
; about 1.5 meter of snow fell on that day. Four days later the supplies in Minsk were lost when
Pavel Chichagov
Pavel Vasilievich Chichagov or Tchichagov (russian: Па́вел Васи́льевич Чича́гов) (20 August 1849) was a Russian military and naval commander of the Napoleonic Wars.
He was born in 1767 in Saint Petersburg, the son of Ad ...
captured the city. On 24 November he was jostled by Russians but succeeded to join the rest of the French army near Bobr. All the French corpses went on to
Borisov
Borisov or Borisova may refer to:
Places
* Barysaw, or Borisov, Belarus
** Borisov Arena, a football stadium
** Battle of Borisov, 1812
* Borisov, Volgograd Oblast, Russia
* Borišov, a mountain in Slovakia
* Borisova, Perm Krai, Russia
* Bor ...
where a strategic bridge to cross the Berezina was destroyed by the Russian army. Daendels' division of 4,000 men was involved in the
Battle of Berezina
The Battle of (the) Berezina (or Beresina) took place from 26 to 29 November 1812, between Napoleon's Grande Armée and the Imperial Russian Army under Field Marshal Wittgenstein and Admiral Chichagov. Napoleon was retreating back toward Pola ...
and seems to have been decisive. Polish forces under general Daendels defended the
Modlin Fortress
Modlin Fortress ( pl, Twierdza Modlin) is one of the largest 19th-century fortresses in Poland. It is located in the town of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki in district Modlin on the Narew river, approximately 50 kilometers north of Warsaw. It was o ...
(NW of Warsaw) from February 1813 until December 1813. It was the last of the French fortresses along the Vistula to capitulate.
Governor-general of the Dutch Gold Coast
After the fall of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
, king
Willem I and the new Dutch government feared that Daendels could become an influential and powerful opposition leader and effectively banned him from the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
by appointing him Governor-general of the
Dutch Gold Coast (now part of
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
). In the aftermath of the abolition of the
Atlantic slave trade, Daendels tried to redevelop the rather dilapidated Dutch possessions as an African
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
colony
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...
driven by legitimate trade. Drawing on his experience from the East Indies, he came up with some very ambitious infrastructural projects, including a comprehensive road system, with a main road connecting Elmina and
Kumasi
Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is t ...
in
Ashanti. The Dutch government gave him a free hand and a substantial budget to implement his plans. At the same time, however, Daendels regarded his governorship as an opportunity to establish a private business monopoly in the
Dutch Gold Coast.
In 1817, the British accused Daendels of aiding and abetting the slave trade – which had by then been prohibited by both the British and the Dutch nations – from his position at the Elmina fort which was then under Dutch control. "We deem it our duty to inform you of the conduct of General Daendels who is acting independent of his Government", the British governor of Cape Coast, John Smith, wrote to the African Committee in Parliament in London on 5 March 1817. "Portuguese vessels are furnished with canoes, and Spaniards supplied with water. The beginning of last month a large Spanish ship was four days at anchor in Elmina roads, receiving water and bartering dollars for such goods as were suited for the purchase of slaves."
[Metcalfe, ''The Last Years of the Company of Merchants, 1807–1821'', p. 38]
Eventually none of the plans came to fruition, as Daendels died of
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
in the castle of
St. George d'Elmina, the Dutch seat of government, on 2 May 1818.
His body was interred in the central tomb at the
Dutch cemetery in Elmina. He had been in the country less than two years.
Awards
*
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
References
External links
Encyclopædia Britannica, Herman Willem Daendels
University of Harderwijk alumni
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daendels, Herman Willem
1762 births
1818 deaths
Colonial governors of the Dutch Gold Coast
Deaths from malaria
Dutch Gold Coast
18th-century Dutch lawyers
Dutch military commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Dutch military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
Governors-General of the Dutch East Indies
Infectious disease deaths in Ghana
Members of the Dutch Patriots faction
People from Hattem
People of the Patriottentijd
19th-century Dutch East Indies people
18th-century Dutch military personnel