Justinus Colyer ( – 28 December 1682) was a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

politician and diplomat, who represented the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

at the

Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( ota, باب عالی, Bāb-ı Ālī or ''Babıali'', from ar, باب, bāb, gate and , , ), was a synecdoche for the central government of the Ottoman Empire. History The nam ...

Early life

Colyer was born in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

, in 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 ...

around 1624. He was the son of David Robertson (also known as Colyer) and Clara van der Poll. After his mother's death, his father married Jean Bruce (a daughter of John

Bruce The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...

Airth Airth is a Royal Burgh, village, former trading port and civil parish in Falkirk, Scotland. It is north of Falkirk town and sits on the banks of the River Forth. Airth lies on the A905 road between Grangemouth and Stirling and is overlooked by ...

and Margaret Elphinstone). From his father's second marriage, he had a younger-half brother,

Sir Alexander Colyear, 1st Baronet Sir Alexander Colyear, 1st Baronet (born Robertson alias Colyear) ( – ) was a Scottish gentleman who lived most of his life in the Netherlands. He was created a baronet in the Baronetage of England in 1677 and is the ancestor of the Earls of Por ...

(father of

David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore General (United Kingdom), General David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore, (c. 1656 – 2 January 1730) was a Scottish general and Governor of Gibraltar. Early life He was the elder son of Sir Alexander Colyear, 1st Baronet, Sir Alexander Colye ...

). His maternal grandparents were Cornelis van der Poll and Cornelia de Bije. His paternal grandparents were Helen and Jacobus Colyear (who assumed the surname Robertson and were said to be cadets of the House of Robertson of Struan).

Career

Colyer was named ambassador to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1668, only the second official Dutch ambassador in Constantinople because the Dutch declined to appoint an official successor when

Cornelius Haga Corneli(u)s Haga ( Schiedam, 28 January 1578 – The Hague, 12 August 1654) was the first ambassador of the Dutch Republic to the Ottoman Empire. Early life Cornelius Haga was born in Schiedam. His father was Dirk Lambrechtszoon, merchant and m ...

down in 1639. Between 1639 and 1668, several Dutch diplomats resided in Constantinople, but none were granted the official position of ambassador. In the fall of 1682, Colyer installed his eldest son

Jacobus A Jacobus is an English gold coin of the reign of James I, worth 25 shillings. The name of the coin comes from the Latin inscription surrounding the King's head on the obverse of the coin, IACOBUS D G MAG BRIT FRA ET HI REX ("James, by the grace o ...

as the secretary and treasurer of the Dutch residence in Constantinople. Shortly after his death in 1688, his son sent a letter to

Gaspar Fagel Gaspar Fagel (25 January 1634 – 15 December 1688) was a Dutch politician, jurist, and diplomat who authored correspondence from and on behalf of William III, Prince of Orange, during the English Revolution of 1688. Early life Fagel wa ...

, the secretary of the

States General The word States-General, or Estates-General, may refer to: Currently in use * Estates-General on the Situation and Future of the French Language in Quebec, the name of a commission set up by the government of Quebec on June 29, 2000 * States Genera ...

, successfully arguing that he should be appointed as successor ambassador as his appointment would come with less financial costs than appointing an entirely new ambassador.

Personal life

Colyer was married to Maria Engelbert. Together, they were the parents of: * Jacobus Colyer (1657–1725), who married Catharina de Bourg in 1713. * Clara Catharina Colyer (1662–1733), married Daniël Johan de Hochepied, the Dutch Consul at Smyrna, from 1688 to 1723, who was created

Magnate The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

and Baron de Hochepied in 1704 by Leopold I,

Emperor of Germany The German Emperor (german: Deutscher Kaiser, ) was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the of ...

, under the great seal of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

. Colyer died at Pera on 28 December 1682.

Descendants

Through his daughter Clara, he was a grandfather of

Elbert de Hochepied Elbert de Hochepied, 2nd Baron de Hochepied (6 January 1706 – 11 February 1763) was a Dutch politician and diplomat, who represented the Dutch Republic at the Sublime Porte. Early life Hochepied was born in Smyrna on 6 January 1706. He was the ...

, 2nd Baron de Hochepied, who also served as the Dutch ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1747 to 1763.

References

;Notes ;Sources {{DEFAULTSORT:Colyer, Jacobus 1624 births 1682 deaths 17th-century Dutch diplomats Ambassadors of the Netherlands to Turkey Netherlands–Turkey relations Expatriates of the Dutch Republic in the Ottoman Empire