Court Lambertus van Beyma
Encyclopedia
Harlingen, Netherlands
Harlingen is a municipality and a city in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland at the Wadden Sea. Harlingen is an old town with a long history of fishing and shipping....
, 5 February 1753 - Dronrijp
Dronrijp
Dronrijp is a town in the Dutch municipality of Menaldumadeel. On January 1, 2008, it had 3,405 inhabitants.-History and architecture:A few centuries BC, a settlement developed around where the street Tsjerkebuorren is now . Another settlement came into existence nearby when a canal between...
, 7 September 1820) was a notary and auctioneer, delegate and representative of the Frisian States
Frisia
Frisia is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the North Sea, i.e. the German Bight. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, a Germanic people who speak Frisian, a language group closely related to the English language...
, leader of the Frisian patriots, coup leader and in exile in northern France. On his return to the Netherlands in 1795, he became a delegate to the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
's National Assembly.
Life
His father was secretary to the Admiralty of FrieslandAdmiralty of Friesland
The Admiralty of Friesland or Frisian Admiralty was one of the five admiralties of the Dutch Republic...
in Harlingen
Harlingen, Netherlands
Harlingen is a municipality and a city in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland at the Wadden Sea. Harlingen is an old town with a long history of fishing and shipping....
, and his mother was descended from a Frisian noble family. As a law student, Van Beyma in 1769 gave a speech on the visit of stadholder William V
William V, Prince of Orange
William V , Prince of Orange-Nassau was the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, and between 1795 and 1806 he led the Government of the Dutch Republic in Exile in London. He was succeeded by his son William I...
at Franeker
Franeker
Franeker is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Franekeradeel. It is located about 20 km west of Leeuwarden on the Van Harinxma Canal. As of 1 January 2006, it had 12,996 inhabitants. The city is famous for the Eisinga Planetarium from around...
. He continued his studies in 1774 in Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
. Court Lambertus became public-attorney to the Frisian States in 1776. In 1780, he was frustrated by his failure to become grietman
Grietman
A grietman is partly a forerunner of the current rural mayor in the province of Friesland, and partly the forerunner of a judge. The area of jurisdiction was the municipality or gemeente...
of West-Dongeradeel
Dongeradeel
- History :Dongeradeel was created in 1984 from a merger of the old municipalities Westdongeradeel, Oostdongeradeel, and Dokkum. The new municipality is still colloquially referred to in the plural, "de Dongeradelen".- Population centres :...
, though he did become its secretary. In that position, he corresponded with Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol
Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol
Joan Derk, Baron van der Capellen tot den Pol was a Dutch nobleman who played a prominent role in the formation of the Batavian Republic and the revolutionary events that preceded its formation...
. Together they considered petitioning for the organizing of a provincial army, acknowledgement of the new United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and restrictions in the power of the stadhouder. In February 1782 Van Beyma made an attempt in the Frisian States to put into practice article VIII of the Union of Utrecht
Union of Utrecht
The Union of Utrecht was a treaty signed on 23 January 1579 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, unifying the northern provinces of the Netherlands, until then under the control of Habsburg Spain....
, that is, to effect a general arming of the people. When Van Beyma had in 1783 created a successful alliance between eight cities, the Patriots in the Frisian cities won influence and power. Through the setting up of a time-table, the important posts within the Provincial States were granted in a more democratic manner.
A provincial army was formed a few months after the departure of Ludwig Ernst van Brunswick-Lüneburg-Bevern and the Kettle War in 1784/85, vehemently resisted the aristocrats. Most aristocrats were republican, with no qualms about the democratising
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. The Frisian States were more and more divided over the newly-formed local and provincial militia. Within a few weeks of the stadholder and his family coming to Leeuwarden on 15 October, a new city council regulation was presented, to come into effect on 1 June 1787, with stricter requirements for the new members of the vroedschap
Vroedschap
The vroedschap was the name for the city council in the early modern Netherlands; the member of such a council was called a vroedman, literally a "wise man"...
, (i.e. banning Catholics, Mennonites and poor Patriots from being appointed).
Utrecht
At the beginning of August 1786 Van Beyma, J. Roorda, A.C.J. de Beere, Cornelis van den Burg and J. L. Huber visited the national meeting of the vrijcorpsen and exercitiegenootschapExercitiegenootschap
An exercitiegenootschap or militia was a military organisation in the 18th century Netherlands, in the form of an armed private organization with a democratically chosen administration, aiming to train the citizens and the lower bourgeoisie in use of muskets...
pen in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, calling it 'alleen om te hooren en te zien' ('only to hear and to see'). The Utrecht Patriots made skilful use of the visit by more than 13,000 members and so many major figures. Not only H.W. Daendels, a young lawyer from Hattem
Hattem
Hattem is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The city population is 11,797. The name “Hattem” is a typical farmyard name. The exact origin of “Hattem” is yet unclear. In general two explanation exist. Hattem would be the ‘heem’ of a people who belong to the tribe of Chattuarii...
, but also Gerrit Paape
Gerrit Paape
Gerrit Paape Delft was a Dutch plateelschilder , poet, journalist, novelist, judge, columnist and ministerial civil servant.-Life:...
, the journalist from Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
, Pieter Vreede
Pieter Vreede
Pieter Vreede , 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 patriciate....
, a textile manufacturer from Leiden, and John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
, American envoy, were present. On Wednesday morning, 2 August 1786, in the presence of the assembled exercitiegenootschappen, sixteen "democratically" chosen Patriots in the Utrecht vroedschap
Vroedschap
The vroedschap was the name for the city council in the early modern Netherlands; the member of such a council was called a vroedman, literally a "wise man"...
were elected. Van Beyma left the next day and gave over the presidency to Jacob van Manen, secretary of the Utrecht vrijcorps. It is possible that Van Beyma, who - according to advertisements in the "Leeuwarder Courant" from those days - led weekly public auctions, no longer could or wanted to be present in person at the parades and celebrations.
Franeker
In August 1787, disallowed from supporting Holland (Holland was then threatened with an occupation by a Prussian army of 26.000 men, because it did not offer apologies after the apprehension of Wilhelmina of PrussiaWilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange
Wilhelmina of Prussia, born Frederika Sophia Wilhelmina, , was the consort of William V of Orange and also the de facto leader of the dynastic party and contra revolution in the Netherlands...
), Van Beyma led a coup in the Frisian States. With ten supporters, Van Beyma resided in Franeker
Franeker
Franeker is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Franekeradeel. It is located about 20 km west of Leeuwarden on the Van Harinxma Canal. As of 1 January 2006, it had 12,996 inhabitants. The city is famous for the Eisinga Planetarium from around...
, a small university city. Meanwhile they organized a waggon-train of munitions via Makkum
Makkum
Makkum is a village in Wûnseradiel in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around 3500 citizens .The dutch queen Beatrix came to visit Makkum in 2008 at Queensday....
, a small port. A flying-column of volunteers occupied a number of the Frisian cities, putting the divided vroedschap
Vroedschap
The vroedschap was the name for the city council in the early modern Netherlands; the member of such a council was called a vroedman, literally a "wise man"...
pen under pressure to recognise the Pretense Staten in Franeker. On the approach of the Prussian troops, Van Beyma panicked and threatened to breach the dike near Lemmer
Lemmer
Lemmer is a town in the municipality of Lemsterland , in the Netherlands. It has a population of around 10,500 and is one of Friesland's most famous water sport towns.Lemmer also is a common Luxembourgish last name....
, so that the Prussians would be stopped by the resultant flooding. On Sunday afternoon, 23 September 1787 - after the religious service - the Patriots in Friesland realised that there was insufficient support, that their financial means were limited, and that France would not come to their aid, and so they decided to flee and defend Amsterdam. As a consequence of their hurried retreat, Van Beyma, or his secretary Van Altena, forgot to take a bundle of important and highly compromising petitions for the recovery of rights and freedoms from a cabinet, so that two years later it was very easy for a court to convict a group of Patriots from Friesland (19 from Franeker, 12 from Bolsward
Bolsward
Bolsward is a city in Súdwest Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward is just short of a population of 10,000.- History :The town is founded on three artificial dwelling hills, of which the first was built some time before Christ....
and two from Leeuwarden). Johan Valckenaer
Johan Valckenaer
Johan Valckenaer was a Dutch lawyer, patriot and diplomat.- Life :His father Lodewijk Caspar Valckenaer was Franeker university's professor of law and, in 1766, was appointed to succeed Tiberius Hemsterhuis at Leiden...
, the ex-professor from Franeker, van Beyma's travelling-companion between Amsterdam and Brussels, took not only the coup but also van Beyma's carelessness very hard.
Saint-Omer
During a visit at Paris, Van Beyma gained the management of the payments to the Patriots in northern France, but another quarrel arose with Valckenaer. The exiles, divided into Valckenaeristen and Beymanisten, fought it out in pamphlets. The dispute reached a climax in 1791, with Valckenaer - still not getting payment from Van Beyma - thinking of emigrating to the USA but in the end winning the support of the Patriots who had been members of the former political establishment.External links
Further reading
- Kuiper, J. (2002) Een revolutie ontrafeld. Politiek in Friesland 1795-1798.
- Schama, S. (1977) Patriots and Liberators. Revolution in the Netherlands 1780 - 1830, p. 120, 131, 145-8, 241, 249, 260, 264, 267-8, 291, 293, 325, 374, 309, 324, 258.