Cornelia van Nijenroode
Encyclopedia
Cornelia van Nijenroode (Hirado, Japan
, 1629 - Netherlands
, 1692), was a Dutch merchant
in the Dutch East Indies
, famous for her conflict with her second spouse. She is the subject of a novel, Bitters bruid by Leonard Blussé
.
Daughter of Cornelis van Nijenroode (d. 1633), manager of the Dutch trade station at Hirado, and his Japanese concubine Surishia. Married in 1652 in Batavia to Pieter Cnoll
(d. 1672), manager of trade in Batavia, and in 1676 in Batavia to Joan Bitter (1638–1714), councillor of the legal court of Batavia.
Cornelia van Nijenroode was taken to Batavia with her sister Ester after the death of their father, despite the fact that their mother was still alive, to receive a "Christina education". At the death of her first spouse, she had became a successful and wealthy merchant. Through her unhappy second marriage, she lost the right to manage her own property and business to her spouse, who wished to control her economy, which caused a severe conflict. Bitter returned to the Netherlands in 1680, but returned as a councillor of the legal court in 1683, and their conflict over the control of her fortune caused such a public scandal that they were both exiled from the colony by the governor
Johannes Camphuys
in 1688. In the Netherlands, the court judged her to hand over her property to her husband, but as her fortune was not accounted for, the matter was still unsolved at her death.
Cornelia van Nijenroode has been referred to as a typical example of the independent Eurasian women of the Dutch colonial empire.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, 1629 - Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, 1692), was a Dutch merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
, famous for her conflict with her second spouse. She is the subject of a novel, Bitters bruid by Leonard Blussé
Leonard Blussé
Leonard Blussé is a Dutch historian concerned with the field of Asian-European relations. Blussé has a prolific written output in his field, having authored, co-authored or edited over twenty books since the year 2000....
.
Daughter of Cornelis van Nijenroode (d. 1633), manager of the Dutch trade station at Hirado, and his Japanese concubine Surishia. Married in 1652 in Batavia to Pieter Cnoll
Pieter Cnoll
Pieter Cnoll, also Pieter Knoll , was a Dutchman who became Director General in Batavia. He married Cornelia van Nijenroode, an Indo Eurasian who was the daughter of Cornelis van Nieuwroode with a Japanese woman...
(d. 1672), manager of trade in Batavia, and in 1676 in Batavia to Joan Bitter (1638–1714), councillor of the legal court of Batavia.
Cornelia van Nijenroode was taken to Batavia with her sister Ester after the death of their father, despite the fact that their mother was still alive, to receive a "Christina education". At the death of her first spouse, she had became a successful and wealthy merchant. Through her unhappy second marriage, she lost the right to manage her own property and business to her spouse, who wished to control her economy, which caused a severe conflict. Bitter returned to the Netherlands in 1680, but returned as a councillor of the legal court in 1683, and their conflict over the control of her fortune caused such a public scandal that they were both exiled from the colony by the governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Johannes Camphuys
Johannes Camphuys
Johannes Camphuys was the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1684 to 1691.-Japan:...
in 1688. In the Netherlands, the court judged her to hand over her property to her husband, but as her fortune was not accounted for, the matter was still unsolved at her death.
Cornelia van Nijenroode has been referred to as a typical example of the independent Eurasian women of the Dutch colonial empire.