Willem Bastiaensz Schepers
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Willem Bastiaensz Schepers (8 October 1619 – 21 January 1704) was a Dutch admiral. Having made his career as a shipping magnate in Rotterdam, Schepers was rewarded in 1673 for his political support to the new Orangist regime, by being made
lieutenant admiral Lieutenant admiral () is a senior naval military rank in the Royal Netherlands Navy. The rank is a four-star rank, senior to a vice-admiral () and equivalent to admiral in most foreign navies. It is used whenever the Dutch Chief of Defence is fro ...
. In 1688, he organised the transport fleet for the
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
.


Biography

Schepers was the son of a sailmaker in Haarlem. On 28 May 1641, he is recorded in Rotterdam as a merchant marrying Bartha de Jong, the daughter of an owner of
herring buss A herring buss ( nl, Haringbuis) was a type of seagoing fishing vessel, mostly used by Dutch and Flemish herring fishermen in the 15th through early 19th centuries. The buss ship type has a long history. It was already known around the time of th ...
es in
Delfshaven Delfshaven is a borough of Rotterdam, Netherlands, on the right bank of river Nieuwe Maas. It was a separate municipality until 1886. The town of Delfshaven grew around the port of the city of Delft. Delft itself was not located on a major river ...
. For the year 1659, Schepers was for the first time in Rotterdam appointed as treasurer of the "Great Fishery", or herring fleet, an office he would hold in several subsequent years. Schepers accumulated much wealth as a ship owner and gained political influence. During this period, in 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 ...
political power was contested between the ruling States faction and the Organgists who wanted to make
William III of Orange William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the ...
stadtholder 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 H ...
. In the disaster year of 1672,
Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...
invaded the Republic. The crisis situation was exploited by William III to force the
States of Holland The States of Holland and West Frisia ( nl, Staten van Holland en West-Friesland) were the representation of the two Estates (''standen'') to the court of the Count of Holland. After the United Provinces were formed — and there no longer was a c ...
to appoint him stadtholder. Schepers with several other Orangists, on 25 Augustus 1672, took over the city council of Rotterdam. He would remain councillor until 1698. As such he had become a member of the Dutch ruling class, the
regents A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
. Between 1678 and 1696, he was repeatedly appointed
burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...
and held many other functions, as was usual among the regents.Unger, H. W.; Bezemer, W.; Engelbrecht, E. A. (1889). ''Bronnen voor de geschiedenis van Rotterdam, deel V: De vroedschap van Rotterdam, 1572–1795''. (184) p. 230 The new Orangist regime attempted to purify all offices from opponents. In the Dutch navy, this was a slow process, as its officers were very popular naval heroes, whose expertise was sorely needed in the fight against France. After the
Battle of Texel The naval Battle of Texel or Battle of Kijkduin took place off the southern coast of island of Texel on 21 August 1673 (11 August Old Style, O.S.) between the Dutch Republic, Dutch and the combined Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Fra ...
in 1673, Schepers was appointed lieutenant-admiral of the
Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier The Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier (Dutch, 'Northern Quarter'), also known as the Admiralty of West Friesland, was one of the five admiralties of the Dutch Republic, made up of West Friesland, a region in the north of the province of Holland. ...
on 6 October, succeeding the deceased
Jan Meppel Jan Corneliszoon Meppel ( – 2 November 1669) was a Dutch admiral who took the place of Pieter Floriszoon after his death. He fought in the Four Days' Battle, the St. James's Day Battle, and the Raid on the Medway The Raid on the Medway, ...
, despite never having served in the navy before.Eekhout, L. (1992). ''Het Admiralenboek, de vlagofficieren van de Nederlandse Marine, 1383–1991''. Amsterdam. p. 69 At the time, this was seen as a predominantly political appointment, rewarding Schepers for taking the initiative to order the Rotterdam delegate in the States of Holland to propose the revocation of the Perpetual Edict, forbidding the appointment of any member of the
House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current dynasty, reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the Politics and governm ...
in the office of stadtholder. However, Schepers was not merely an Orangist figurehead. He actually sailed on the fleet the next year, until December 1674. In 1676, he first commanded, with Vice-Admiral
Jan Jansse van Nes Jan Janszoon van Nes (26 April 1631 – ) was a Dutch admiral and brother of naval commander Aert Janszoon van Nes. They both took part in the Raid on the Medway of 1667. He was buried in the Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk (Rotterdam) Grote ...
, a flotilla blocking the French corsair base
Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Christian V of Denmark Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...
in the
Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...
. When
Cornelis Tromp Cornelis Maartenszoon Tromp, ''Count of Sølvesborg'' (3 September 1629 – 29 May 1691) was a Dutch naval officer who served as lieutenant-admiral general in the Dutch Navy, and briefly as a general admiral in the Royal Danish Navy. Tromp ...
became lieutenant-admiral-general of the confederate Dutch fleet, Schepers, on 25 February 1678, succeeded him as lieutenant-admiral of the important
Admiralty of Amsterdam The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven ...
. In 1683, Schepers commanded a squadron observing French and Danish naval actions on the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
. Returning to the Texel on 11 November, the squadron was hit by a storm that sank eight vessels. The
States General of the Netherlands The States General of the Netherlands ( nl, Staten-Generaal ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The States ...
appointed Schepers to head a commission, together with Cornelis Valckenier and Simon Velius, to formulate proposals for the improvement of the readiness of the Dutch fleet. Their recommendations would lay the foundation for the expansion of the Dutch fleet during the 1690s, reaching its largest size during the age of sail. In 1688, William III called upon Schepers to organise the transport and landing vessels of the invasion fleet in the
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
. Schepers personally contributed twelve vessels and hired 93 more. At first it was considered to let Schepers command a squadron, but eventually it was decided that he should accompany William III on ''Den Briel'', a frigate of 30 cannon under flag Captain Joan van der Esch, together with Vice-Admiral Fredrik Willem van Bronckhorst Stirum. On 28 March 1692, Schepers succeeded Lieutenant-Admiral
Aert Jansse van Nes Aert Jansse van Nes (1626 – 13 or 14 September 1693) was a 17th-century Dutch naval commander, notable for commanding the second squadron in the raid on the Medway in 1667. He was born at Rotterdam. Three modern ships of the Royal Nether ...
at the
Admiralty of the Maze The Admiralty of Rotterdam, also called the Admiralty of de Maze, was one of the five Dutch admiralties in the Dutch Republic. History The Admiralty of Rotterdam was founded in 1574 during the Dutch Revolt, when (after the Capture of Brielle) W ...
. In 1696, he hired fifteen ships to blockade Dunkirk, to prevent a return of
James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Gloriou ...
. Schepers died on 21 January 1704, and was buried with great pomp four days later, in the chapel of the Lords of Kralingen in the Sint-Laurenskerk at Rotterdam. The chapel, acquired by the admiral in 1695, would be destroyed during the bombardment of Rotterdam in May 1940.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schepers, Willem Bastiaensz 1619 births 1704 deaths Admirals of the navy of the Dutch Republic Dutch naval personnel of the Anglo-Dutch Wars Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog People from Haarlem Dutch merchants Dutch military personnel of the Nine Years' War