Pieter Stuyvesant (or “Pieter Stuijvesant”, in Latin “Petrus Stuyvesant”, French “Pierre Stuyvesant” and English “Peter Stuyvesant”) was born in 1611 or 1612, probably in Peperga (Frise) with the Netherlands and died in 1672 with the New Amsterdam (renamed New York after its conquest). He is the last managing director Dutch to have managed the colony of the New-Country-Low, in North America, before the English do not seize any.
Beginning of career
After having studied at the university of Franeker to the Netherlands, Stuyvesant enters to the service of the Compagnie Dutchwoman of the Western Indies an office to Amsterdam. One then sends it as a sales representative to Fernando de Noronha, an island located at the North-East of the Brésil, then with Curaçao, the most important colony Dutchwoman of the the Caribbean. Four years later, it is named managing director (governor), and works out a plan to seize the island of Saint Martin's day, then Spanish possession. It goes in 1644 there and during the battle, it seizes a flag of the United Provinces and jumps on the unfavourable ramparts. Its right leg is carried by a ball of gun. Amputee with the lower part of the knee, it still supports the seat during 28 days, before being repatriated in the Netherlands, where one poses a wooden leg to him.
New Amsterdam
Stuyvesant is named managing director of the New-Countries-Low and unloads with Manhattan the May 11th 1647, to replace William Kieft. At that time, the New-Country-Low extended from the Connecticut river to bay of Delaware, including part of the current territories of the Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, State of New York and Connecticut.
Management of the colony
While arriving at New Amsterdam, Stuyvesant discovers a badly defended colony, whose inhabitants, quarrellers, deviate from the values morals of the religion. The new person in charge declares with the colonists that it would control them like “a father with respect to his children”. Concerned not to sap its own authority, he banishes colony two men who showed his predecessor, William Kieft, to be corrupted and to have started a war against the Indians. After which, Stuyvesant attempts to bring back the order in the colony, with a series of strict payments, in particular relating to the wearing of weapons and the distribution of alcohol.
Persuaded that religious plurality constitutes a handicap for the harmony of the colony, it strongly restricts freedom of worship, with respect to the communities not belonging to the reformed Church Dutchwoman - Juifs, Luthériens and Quaker S.
It organizes a board of directors made up of nine people ( Board off Nine ) in order to help it in the management of the businesses. One of its members, Van der Donck, writes a petition so that New Amsterdam is detached from the supervision of the Company and is directly managed by the government of the United Provinces. Stuyvesant makes stop Van der Donck but must slacken it quickly. After a legal and legal quarrel, Van der Donck is returned to $the Hague with an emissary of Stuyvesant, so that the central government slices. This last grants, by a charter, the creation of one municipality in New Amsterdam, without withdrawing however its prerogatives with the Compagnie Dutchwoman of the Western Indies. Stuyvesant is arranged once again to limit the capacities of the new persons in charge in there imposing of the right-hand men.
The third council of the New-Countries-Low is formed in 1653, but its delegates, representing eight cities, express in their turn of the complaints, criticizing the capacity of Stuyvesant and the seizure of the Company.
Foreign policy
The managing director must also face the other colonial powers. In the south of New Amsterdam is the News-Sweden, created in 1638. Since 1651, Stuyvesant makes build Fort Casimir near Strong Christina pertaining to the Swedes. After Fort Casimir had been attacked and taken by the Swedes in 1654, Stuyvesant sends its fleet in the Delaware river and seizes all thestrong enemy ones, annexing the colony of News-Sweden in 1655.
The following threat comes from the New England. In 1650, Stuyvesant had gone to Hardford, in Connecticut, in order to negotiate a dividing line. The Treaty of Hardford satisfied with the requirements of the two colonies, but not the nations mothers. In 1653, the war burst between England and the United Provinces. Defenses of New Amsterdam were consolidated by a strengthened wall (with the site of future the Wall Street). In 1654, Oliver Cromwell, then directing from England, put an end to the war and promised not to attack the New-Countries-Low. On the other hand, when Charles II of England went up on the throne, it “offered” to his brother, the Duc of York, a territory including/understanding a good part of the possessions Dutchwomen, without taking account of the promises of the preceding government. In 1664, under the orders of the Duke, colonel Richard Nicolls organized a forwarding having four warships. The attempts at Stuyvesant to organize the defense of the colony were vain, for two primary reasons. On the ten thousand inhabitants whom the New-Countries-Low counted, half were already of the English, of which number had fled the puritan repression which prevailed in New England. In addition, Nicholls could be skilful, by promising with each Dutch defender 50 acres (: 202000 m ²) of ground so that he becomes farmer after rendering. Under the pressure of the colonists and the English, Stuyvesant ends up signing the document delivering the colony to the English the September 8th 1664, without to have really fought.
The governor returned to the Netherlands to justify his action, then went back to Manhattan in 1668, where it was installed on the grounds which it had bought in 1651, in the district which is now known under the name of Bowery. He died there in February 1672.
---- Peter Stuyvesant is also the name of a mark of German fair cigarettes.
See too
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