Hendrik Gravé
Encyclopedia
Life
On his eighteenth birthday, Gravé entered the service of the Admiralty of AmsterdamAdmiralty of Amsterdam
The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic. The administration of the various Admiralties was strongly influenced by provincial interests...
, in 1691 becoming luitenant-ter-zee
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. In 1698, he became buitengewoon kapitein
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
(captain-extraordinary). He married Lucia van Mollem in 1704 in the Waldensian
Waldensians
Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
church 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...
, and they had one son, Hendrik (1709–1738), and one daughter, Jacoba.
In 1713, Hendrik became a full captain. In 1716, Gravé led a convoy to the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
and in 1717 became commandeur
Commandeur
Commandeur is a title in French and Dutch , usually rendered in English as Commander, with different uses. The literal meaning is he who commands, parallel to Commandant. In most senses the German equivalent is Kommandeur....
with the Admiralty. In 1718 he became the owner of the fine Nieuwe Herengracht 99, well known for art connoisseurs due to the five gigantic hunting still lifes by Jan Weenix
Jan Weenix
Jan Weenix or Joannis Wenix was a Dutch painter. He was trained by his father, Jan Baptist Weenix, together with his cousin Melchior d'Hondecoeter. Like his father, he devoted himself to a variety of subjects, but his fame is chiefly due to his paintings of dead game and of hunting scenes...
. By 1721 Hendrik Gravé had moved to Kloveniersburgwal 95. In 1722, Hendrik Gravé became schout-bij-nacht
Schout-bij-nacht
Schout-bij-nacht is a Dutch Naval rank, equivalent to Rear Admiral in the US Navy and Royal Navy. It is the second most junior Admiral position of the Dutch Navy, ranking above Commandeur and below a Vice-admiraal ....
and was the following year put in command of a Dutch expedition against the Algerian pirates.
Due to a problem with his foot (called podagra, possibly meaning gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
), Gravé had himself tied onto his chair when there were storms. Gravé …
- delighted in the company of everybody, even of English colleagues, in wide-ranging talks and fencing language, sat gaming for days in succession in coffee houses in PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, afterwards falling into post-prandial sleep by the hearth. To the Lords of the AdmiraltyLord Commissioner of the AdmiraltyThe Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of the Board of Admiralty, which exercised command over the Royal Navy.Officially known as the Commissioners for Exercising the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland &c. The Lords...
in London he wrote high-flown letters, laden with Latin quotations. Gravé once entertained them with an exposition in Latin on the origin of his family with the North BrabantNorth BrabantNorth Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
ish Gravés.
In 1742, he possessed four servants, a carriage, two horses and an income of 7,000 guilder a year. On 8 May 1744, at 73, he was made lieutenant-admiral of the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier
Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier
The Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier , also known as the Admiralty of West Friesland, was one of the five admiralties of the Dutch Republic, made up of West Friesland and part of northern Holland.-History:...
, jumping a rank as he never had been a vice admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
. Other officers protested at his appointment. After years of illness, he died at 78 and his funeral, as described by Braatbard, was an event of the first order, with the procession lasting three and a half hours.