Philip Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt
Encyclopedia
Philip Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt (Rotterdam
, 5 Januari 1743 – Utrecht
, 21 February 1826) was a Dutch
general, baron and count. He was appointed Marshal of Holland in the Kingdom of Holland
and served as French senator
following the annexation of Holland by the Napoleonic Empire. Van Zuylen van Nijevelt was also an amateur scientist and became known for his treatise on chess
.
) family of Van Zuylen van Nijevelt
. His parents were Jacob van Zuylen van Nijevelt (1699–1753) and Aletta Johanna Timmers.
He studied mathematics and in 1767 joined the army as a volunteer ensign in the Regiment Karabiniers Oranje-Friesland (Orange-Frisia Regiment of Carabinier
s). He rose quickly in the ranks, to captain of the cavalry (1768), major (1779), and finally lieutenant-colonel in the regiment of dragoon
s.
In 1795, he gained promotion to major general and was given responsibility for the organisation of the Dutch cavalry.
, he was given command of the 2nd Brigade of the Batavian army, based in Arnhem
. During the Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland
in 1799, this brigade was part of the Batavan 1st Division under the command of Herman Willem Daendels
. On 21 August 1799, he was injured in battle.
In 1804 Van Zuylen van Nijevelt was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.
, he was military governor in The Hague and military commander of the provinces of Holland and Utrecht. He served as Grand Chamberlain and Grand Master of Ceremonies at the court of King Louis Bonaparte
, and also served as president of the Hoge Raad van Adel (High Council of Nobility) and as governor of the military schools.
On 1 March 1808 — well before the French annexation of Holland — Van Zuylen van Nijevelt was made a French comte de l'Empire. That same year, he moved into a mansion on the canals of Amsterdam
, De Vergulde Turkse Keyser at Herengracht 527, which King Louis Bonaparte has purchased for him at a price of 100,000 guilders. Emperor Napoleon may have stayed at the house when he visited Amsterdam in 1811.
Van Zuylen van Nijevelt was one of three Dutch generals who were named Marshal of Holland (Maarschalk van Holland). On 21 December 1806, King Louis Bonaparte named both Van Zuylen van Nijevelt and Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau
as Marshals; Daendels received the title a few months later. Napoleon was infuriated by these appointments and they were annulled on 4 February 1810.
.
He was appointed an officer of the Légion d'honneur
and also received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Union
in the Kingdom of Holland and the Order of the Golden Eagle in Württemberg
.
When Napoleon abdicated in 1814, Van Zuylen van Nijevelt voted in favour of the new French constitution that declared Louis XVIII
as the new king of France.
. By royal decree, he was recognized as a member of the nobility of the Netherlands on 17 October 1822, with the hereditary titles of baron and count. The title of baron(ess) would be passed onto all legal heirs, while the title of count would pass only to the firstborn son.
, La Supériorité aux Échecs (1792). The book's full title was La Supériorité aux Échecs mise à la portée de tout le monde, et particulierement des dames qui aiment cet amusement. It was reprinted several times and translated into several languages.
He was the first Dutchman to write a book on chess, and probably also the first person to come up with the idea of random chess (also known as shuffle chess), a chess variant
whereby the starting position of the main pieces is chosen at random. He wrote that he hated openings "with all those annoying, constantly repeating patterns" and therefore thought of randomizing the starting positions of the chess pieces. "This produces a huge number of different situations, so that no one can study them beforehand," according to Van Zuylen van Nijevelt.
In Zwolle
, a chess society was founded in his honour.
In his final years, Zuylen van Nijevelt also wrote a treatise on astronomy
, L'Attraction détruite par le mouvement primordial. ou Théorie nouvelle du cours des corps célestes et du mouvement, orné de planches (Brussels, 1819).
His firstborn son Pieter Hendrik fought in the Battle of Ocaña
(1809) as a captain on the French side. In the Battle of Waterloo
(1815), Pieter Hendrik served on the allied side as a colonel and chief of staff of the 2nd Dutch Division. Later he became, like his father, major general of the Dutch cavalry. Pieter Hendrik's son Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt
(1819–1894) served as prime minister of the Netherlands from 1866 to 1868.
Lodewijk Napoleon van Randwijck (1807–1891), son of Adelaide Jeanne van Zuylen van Nijevelt, served as minister of interior affairs (1846–1848) and as minister of foreign affairs (1848).
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, 5 Januari 1743 – 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...
, 21 February 1826) was a Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
general, baron and count. He was appointed Marshal of Holland in the Kingdom of Holland
Kingdom of Holland
The Kingdom of Holland 1806–1810 was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom for his third brother, Louis Bonaparte, in order to better control the Netherlands. The name of the leading province, Holland, was now taken for the whole country...
and served as French senator
Sénat conservateur
The Sénat conservateur was a body set up in France during the Consulate by the Constitution of the Year VIII. With the Tribunat and the Corps législatif, it formed one of the three legislative assemblies of the Consulate...
following the annexation of Holland by the Napoleonic Empire. Van Zuylen van Nijevelt was also an amateur scientist and became known for his treatise on chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
.
Old Dutch Republic
Philip Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt was a member of the prominent Rotterdam patrician (regentenRegenten
In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the regenten were the rulers of the Dutch Republic, the leaders of the Dutch cities or the heads of organisations . Though not formally a hereditary "class", they were de facto "patricians", comparable to that ancient Roman class...
) family of Van Zuylen van Nijevelt
Van Zuylen van Nijevelt
Van Zuylen van Nijevelt This family must not be confused with the old noble family from Utrecht, Van Zuylen van Nievelt-Origins:During the 19th C. members of this family tried to prove that they were descendants of the Utrecht noble family. This has later been found impossible to prove.Their...
. His parents were Jacob van Zuylen van Nijevelt (1699–1753) and Aletta Johanna Timmers.
He studied mathematics and in 1767 joined the army as a volunteer ensign in the Regiment Karabiniers Oranje-Friesland (Orange-Frisia Regiment of Carabinier
Carabinier
A Carabinier was originally a cavalry soldier armed with a carbine...
s). He rose quickly in the ranks, to captain of the cavalry (1768), major (1779), and finally lieutenant-colonel in the regiment of dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s.
In 1795, he gained promotion to major general and was given responsibility for the organisation of the Dutch cavalry.
Batavian Republic
In 1796, a year after the Batavian RevolutionBatavian revolution
The term Batavian revolution refers to the political, social and cultural turmoil that marked the end of the Dutch Republic at the end of the 18th century...
, he was given command of the 2nd Brigade of the Batavian army, based in Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
. During the Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland
Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland
The Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland refers to the campaign of 27 August to 19 November 1799 during the War of the Second Coalition, in which an expeditionary force of British and Russian troops invaded the North-Holland peninsula in the Batavian Republic...
in 1799, this brigade was part of the Batavan 1st Division under the command of Herman Willem Daendels
Herman Willem Daendels
Herman Willem Daendels was a Dutch politician who served as the 36th Governor General of the Dutch East Indies between 1808 and 1811....
. On 21 August 1799, he was injured in battle.
In 1804 Van Zuylen van Nijevelt was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.
Kingdom of Holland
In the Kingdom of HollandKingdom of Holland
The Kingdom of Holland 1806–1810 was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom for his third brother, Louis Bonaparte, in order to better control the Netherlands. The name of the leading province, Holland, was now taken for the whole country...
, he was military governor in The Hague and military commander of the provinces of Holland and Utrecht. He served as Grand Chamberlain and Grand Master of Ceremonies at the court of King Louis Bonaparte
Louis Bonaparte
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...
, and also served as president of the Hoge Raad van Adel (High Council of Nobility) and as governor of the military schools.
On 1 March 1808 — well before the French annexation of Holland — Van Zuylen van Nijevelt was made a French comte de l'Empire. That same year, he moved into a mansion on the canals of Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, De Vergulde Turkse Keyser at Herengracht 527, which King Louis Bonaparte has purchased for him at a price of 100,000 guilders. Emperor Napoleon may have stayed at the house when he visited Amsterdam in 1811.
Van Zuylen van Nijevelt was one of three Dutch generals who were named Marshal of Holland (Maarschalk van Holland). On 21 December 1806, King Louis Bonaparte named both Van Zuylen van Nijevelt and Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau
Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau
Count Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendal Count Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendal Count Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendal (7 November 1760, Brussels – 29 December 1821, Forest was a general from the Southern Netherlands, in the service of France and the Netherlands.- Life :...
as Marshals; Daendels received the title a few months later. Napoleon was infuriated by these appointments and they were annulled on 4 February 1810.
First French Empire
Following the French annexation of Holland in 1810, Napoleon appointed Van Zuylen van Nijevelt to the French SenateSénat conservateur
The Sénat conservateur was a body set up in France during the Consulate by the Constitution of the Year VIII. With the Tribunat and the Corps législatif, it formed one of the three legislative assemblies of the Consulate...
.
He was appointed an officer of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
and also received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Union
Order of the Union
The Order of the Union was a chivalric order established in 1806 by Louis Napoleon, younger brother of Napoleon I, for the Kingdom of Holland. The order was abolished in 1811 when the French Empire absorbed the Kingdom of Holland...
in the Kingdom of Holland and the Order of the Golden Eagle in Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
.
When Napoleon abdicated in 1814, Van Zuylen van Nijevelt voted in favour of the new French constitution that declared Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
as the new king of France.
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
Van Zuylen van Nijevelt kept the rank of lieutenant general in the United Kingdom of the NetherlandsUnited Kingdom of the Netherlands
United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name used to refer to Kingdom of the Netherlands during the period after it was first created from part of the First French Empire and before the new kingdom of Belgium split out in 1830...
. By royal decree, he was recognized as a member of the nobility of the Netherlands on 17 October 1822, with the hereditary titles of baron and count. The title of baron(ess) would be passed onto all legal heirs, while the title of count would pass only to the firstborn son.
Chess and astronomy
Van Zuylen van Nijevelt wrote a well-known treatise on the game of chessChess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, La Supériorité aux Échecs (1792). The book's full title was La Supériorité aux Échecs mise à la portée de tout le monde, et particulierement des dames qui aiment cet amusement. It was reprinted several times and translated into several languages.
He was the first Dutchman to write a book on chess, and probably also the first person to come up with the idea of random chess (also known as shuffle chess), a chess variant
Chess variant
A chess variant is a game related to, derived from or inspired by chess. The difference from chess might include one or more of the following:...
whereby the starting position of the main pieces is chosen at random. He wrote that he hated openings "with all those annoying, constantly repeating patterns" and therefore thought of randomizing the starting positions of the chess pieces. "This produces a huge number of different situations, so that no one can study them beforehand," according to Van Zuylen van Nijevelt.
In Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
, a chess society was founded in his honour.
In his final years, Zuylen van Nijevelt also wrote a treatise on astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, L'Attraction détruite par le mouvement primordial. ou Théorie nouvelle du cours des corps célestes et du mouvement, orné de planches (Brussels, 1819).
Family
On 29 June 1779, Van Zuylen van Nijevelt married Clara Helena de Wacker van Son. They had seven children:- Adelaide Jeanne van Zuylen van Nijevelt (1780-)
- Pieter Hendrik van Zuylen van NijeveltPieter Hendrik van Zuylen van NijeveltPieter Hendrik van Zuylen van Nijevelt was a Dutch count and baron who served as a general in the French and Dutch armies during the Napoleonic era and later...
(1782–1825) - Julie van Zuylen van Nijevelt (1783–1864)
- Jeanne Marie Catherine van Zuylen van Nijevelt (1786–1848)
- Susanne Henriette van Zuylen van Nijevelt (1787–1831)
- Arnoud Jacob van Zuylen van Nijevelt (1788–1821)
- Henriette Catherine Martha van Zuylen van Nijevelt (1792–1878)
His firstborn son Pieter Hendrik fought in the Battle of Ocaña
Battle of Ocana
The Battle of Ocana or Battle of Ocaña was fought on 19 November 1809 between French forces under Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult and King Joseph Bonaparte and the Spanish army under Juan Carlos de Aréizaga, which suffered its greatest single defeat in the Peninsular War...
(1809) as a captain on the French side. In the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
(1815), Pieter Hendrik served on the allied side as a colonel and chief of staff of the 2nd Dutch Division. Later he became, like his father, major general of the Dutch cavalry. Pieter Hendrik's son Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt
Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt
Julius Philip Jacob Adriaan, count van Zuylen van Nijevelt was a Dutch politician....
(1819–1894) served as prime minister of the Netherlands from 1866 to 1868.
Lodewijk Napoleon van Randwijck (1807–1891), son of Adelaide Jeanne van Zuylen van Nijevelt, served as minister of interior affairs (1846–1848) and as minister of foreign affairs (1848).