Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol

Joan Derk, Baron van der Capellen tot den Pol (Dutch pronunciation:; 2 November 1741 in Tiel – 6 June 1784 in Zwolle) was a Dutch nobleman who played a prominent role in the revolutionary events that preceded the formation of the Batavian Republic. As a member of the Patriots and inspired by the American Revolution, he wrote the noted pamphletAan het Volk van Nederland ("To the People of the Netherlands"), pleading for a more liberal society and the end of the Stadtholderregime, which had been marked by corruption and nepotism. He was also an ardent supporter of the legal recognition of the recently created United States of America.