Kiliaen van Rensselaer
Encyclopedia
Kiliaen van Rensselaer (before 1596 – after 1642; ˈkɪliaːn vɑn ˈrɛnslaːr) was a Dutch
diamond
and pearl
merchant from Amsterdam
who was one of the founders and directors of the Dutch West India Company
and was instrumental in the establishment of New Netherland
. He became one of the first patroon
s and ended up being the only successful one, having founded the Manor of Rensselaerswyck in what is now mainly New York
's Capital District
. His estate lasted as a legal entity until the 1840s, having lived through Dutch
and British
colonial times, the American Revolution
, and eventually coming to an end during the Anti-Rent War
.
Van Rensselaer was born in the province of Overijssel
to a soldier and a homemaker. To keep him from risking his life in the army like his father, he apprenticed under his uncle, a successful Amsterdam jeweler. He too became a successful jeweler and was one of the first subscribers to the Dutch West India Company upon its conception. He may very well be the source of the idea of patroonships and was probably the leading proponent of the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
, the document that established the patroon system.
His patroonship became the most successful to exist, with van Rensselaer making full use of his business tactics and advantages, such as his connection to the Director of New Netherland, his confidantes at the West India Company, and his extended family members that were more than happy to emigrate to a better place to farm. He was married twice and had at least eleven children, two of whom succeeded him as patroons of Rensselaerswyck. Van Rensselaer died sometime after 1642.
Van Rensselaer's effect on the history of the United States
cannot be underestimated: the American van Rensselaers all descend from Kiliaen's son Jeremias
and the subsequent family is noted for being a very powerful and wealthy influence in the history of New York and the Northeastern United States
producing multiple State Legislators, Congressmen
, and two Lieutenant Governors
in New York.
, Gelderland
, Netherlands
or Hasselt
, Overijssel
, Netherlands
sometime in the late 16th century. The exact year of his birth is not agreed upon by historians. He was the son of Hendrick van Rensselaer and Maria Pafraet, both from Amsterdam
. His father was a captain in the Dutch army until his death at the Siege of Ostend
in early June 1602.
With his father usually not home (and eventually meeting his death) because of a military career, van Rensselaer's mother sent him to apprentice with his uncle, Wolfert van Bijler, a jeweler and diamond
merchant. At the time, the gem trade was a prosperous enterprise to join, being a well-developed craft. In those days, the diamond trade was nearly always combined with the trade in pearl
s, other articles of luxury, and rarities of every description. Dutch jewelers found a ready market for their valuable wares at the Dutch imperial court and the smaller German courts. This realm of work promoted van Rensselaer to a life of economic success.
Much of van Rensselaer's early life is unknown to today's historians, though in March 1608 it has been recorded that he was taking care of some business of van Bijler in Prague
. It seems van Bijler gradually retired from his business, leaving it in the control of van Rensselaer. During his tenure at the helm of his uncle's business, van Rensselaer proposed a merger with the firm of Jan van Wely, son of one of van Bijler's sisters, who had an equally successful jewelry business. The firms combined under the name of Jan van Wely & Co. in February 1614. Van Rensselaer's name was not included in the name of the new company, since he contributed only one eighth of the investment capital, whereas van Wely contributed half (192,000 guilders). In 1616, van Wely was called on by Prince Maurice
to meet at the Hague for a sale in jewels. He was murdered while waiting to meet with the Prince. The firm's contract stipulated that at the death of Jan van Wely, the remaining members of the firm should continue the partnership for another six years. Van Wely's murder, therefore, caused no change in the business, but it seems that at the expiration of that time, van Rensselaer began again on his own account, founding Kiliaen van Rensselaer & Co. with partner Jacques I'Hermite
.
Some of van Rensselaer's success as a jewel merchant came about due to trade made possible by the Dutch East India Company
. The practical spirit of the Dutch merchant could not fail to recognize that the way to riches was through trade with the West Indies and Africa
. During the Twelve Years' Truce
, Dutch merchants had sailed unmolested to the West Indies but also received no letters of marque
to take prizes from the enemy.
Before the Eighty Years' War began, people realized that the West Indies trade might bring great prosperity to the country and that more power might be developed against Spain
. Rather than travel to the area singly on an armed ship or in the company of a few other vessels, traders could do business in the manner of the large and prosperous East India Company. A company for carrying on commerce in the West Indies and Africa could be organized, which might, like the sister company, act as the war-waging power in those parts and be supported by the treasury, ships, and troops of the United Netherlands
.
After long years of preparation, the Charter of the Dutch West India Company was granted by the States-General
on June 3, 1621, and the subscription list was opened. It is known that subscriptions did not come in very rapidly at first due to the exclusion of the salt trade from the charter. This barrier was overcome in a later amendment to the Charter, and the subscription rate increased.
With a capital of seven million florins, the West India Company was granted exclusive authority and trade privileges in the Dutch possessions of the two Americas, as well as the coast of Africa from the Tropic of Cancer
to the Cape of Good Hope
. The objects of its creation were to establish an efficient and aggressive Atlantic
maritime power in the struggle with Spain, as well as to colonize, develop, and rule the Dutch American dependencies—particularly New Netherland
(the modern states of New York
and New Jersey
), discovered by Henry Hudson
in 1609.
Van Rensselaer was one of the first subscribers to the West India Company. As with the other subscribers, he contributed 6000 guilders to be a member of one of its chambers. Having paid his way, he was welcomed to the Chamber of Amsterdam, one of five Chambers of the West India Company, each located in a principal Dutch city. The Chamber of Amsterdam was the largest with twenty members, mainly due to the city's population, and represented four ninths of the management of the West India Company.
Due to the practical limitations of meetings with 74 members on a regular basis (the total number of members from the five Chambers), the Charter called for a board of directors
comprising nineteen members of the five Chambers. Van Rensselaer was chosen a member of this College of XIX, as it was called. It is said that care was exercised in the selection of the directors of each chamber, and only men of wealth and the highest known integrity were eligible for the trust. Van Rensselaer was apparently known as an unusually clear-headed man and an able and practical merchant who did not limit himself to his own branch of trade. These qualities presumably garnered the trust needed to be elected to the College of XIX.
In its role supporting colonization of New Netherland, the West India Company had an executive board of nine members from the College of XIX to manage the concerns of their colony. Van Rensselaer was also a member of this group. In the early career of the Company, van Rensselaer was one of its mainstays, placing several of his vessels at its disposal and twice advancing money to save its credit. His name is conspicuously identified with all its measures of policy, including the original settlement of Manhattan Island, New Amsterdam
.
having very little inclination to emigrate to wild and uncultivated lands in which no substantial inducements were present. While the economic situation of the colony in the late 1620s could be considered a relatively good showing for a colony only newly started in a wilderness, its slow success was hardly sufficient to create much excitement among the directors of the West India Company. Within a few years, the Company realized that special measures which would afford a stimulus to colonization were indispensable.
It was for these reasons that the Company proposed the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
, which the States-General ratified on June 7, 1629. This document was created to encourage settlement of New Netherland through the establishment of feudal patroonships purchased and supplied by members of the West India Company. With a total of 31 articles, the document spells out many requirements of these patroons, primarily stating that each patroon was required to purchase the land from the local Indians, and inhabit the land with 50 adults within four years, with at least one quarter arriving within one year. In return, the patroons were able to own the land and pass it to succeeding generations as a perpetual fiefdom
, as well as receive protection and free African slaves from the Company.
It is believed that the system of patroonships was originally suggested by van Rensselaer himself. He was reportedly one of the first of the Company to perceive that the building up of New Netherland could not be carried on without labor, and that labor could not be procured without permanent settlers. "Open up the country with agriculture: that must be our first step," was his urgent advice. The Company was not inclined to involve itself in further expense for colonization, and matters threatened to come to a halt, when someone—very likely van Rensselaer himself—evolved the plan of granting large estates to men willing to pay the cost of settling and operating them.
Van Rensselaer was quick to take part in the new endeavor: on January 13, 1629, he sent notification to the Directors of the Company that he, in conjunction with fellow Company members Samuel Godyn and Samuel Blommaert
, had sent Gillis Houset and Jacob Jansz Cuyper to determine satisfactory locations for settlement. This took place even before the Charter was ratified, but was done in accordance with a draft of the Charter from March 28, 1628.
The report of the agents sent out had not been unfavorable. They had selected an extensive domain on both sides of the North River in the vicinity of Fort Orange
for van Rensselaer, which extended 24 miles (38.6 km) in length, 40 miles (64.4 km) in breadth and covered an area of almost 1000 square miles (2,590 km²). The location relative to the fort was chosen with care—in case of danger, it would be a sure point of defense or retreat, and its garrison would be very likely to intimidate the natives. In this manner van Rensselaer employed the troops of the Company more or less as coadjutors to his colonizing plans. Furthermore, the fort would become an easily-reached marketplace for the colonists, where they could maintain communication with the outside world. For that reason, van Rensselaer diligently maintained friendly relations with the commander of the garrison and the authorities within the walls.
His first act was to obtain possession of the land for his colony from the Mohican
, the original owners, who had never been willing to sell their territory—not even the ground of Fort Orange. However, after they had been involved in a bloody war with their neighbors, the Mohawks, and were defeated in 1629, they were found ready to dispose of their possessions. In April, two officers of the West India Company in Fort Orange, Sebastiaen Jansen Krol
and Dirk Cornelisz Duyster, specially empowered by writing of January 12, 1630, purchased a large tract of land on the west side of the North River. Gillis Houset, one of the men initially sent to determine a settlement location, increased this territory in August by adding tracts of land on the right bank, located above and below Fort Orange, and also by adding land on the east side of the river. After the initial expansion, the territory was later further extended by deeds of purchase in May 1631 and April 1637.
The most troubling aspect of colonizing the patroonships was enlisting the required number of colonists, so that the failure of many of the other proposed patroonships may in part be attributed to this fact. The patroons still dealt with the issues of a cautious people not caring to venture to an undeveloped world. As an owner of extensive lands in the sandy Gooi
and of family estates in the not much more fruitful Veluwe
, where several relatives were landowners and struggled to subsist on meager means, van Rensselaer had an advantage—his agents needed to employ little persuasion to induce some Gooiers and Veluwers to migrate to more fruitful regions where the farming would be less difficult. In addition, he could depend on the indirect support of his nephew Wouter van Twiller
, who had been appointed Director of New Netherland in 1632, and with whom he engaged in friendly correspondence at a time when Dutch directors opposed the patroons in every way. In 1634 he collaborated with Michael Reyniersz Pauw
, the patroon of Pavonia
on shipping cattle.
With that, van Rensselaer shipped out 37 immigrants on his ship Rensselaerswijck from Amsterdam on September 26, 1636. The vessel arrived on April 7, 1637. The population rose to more than 100 by 1642 and doubled that in the next ten years. The village of Beverwyck
alone had more than 1000 inhabitants by 1660 and is said to have become urban by this point.
The good understanding between the patroons of the Amsterdam Chamber left nothing to be desired; Burgh, Godyn, Blommaert, and van Rensselaer, before signifying to the directors their willingness to start colonies, made an agreement to work the projected colonies on joint account, each under the direction of one of them. Three of them would have a one-fifth share in each colony, while the fourth would receive the remaining two fifths, taking the responsibility for its management and exercising patroon rights.
Only Rensselaerswyck was a successful patroonship. Van Rensselaer successively purchased Godyn's share in the patroonship from his heirs, so that van Rensslaer soon became the owner of three fifths. The two other shares remained partly in the hands of Blommaert and partly in the hands of others: Adam Bessels owning Blommaert's fifth, while Johannes de Laet and Toussaint Muyssaert split Burgh's fifth between them.
Letters saved by the van Rensselaer family show that Kiliaen van Rensselaer never visited his colony in person.
his first wife, Hillegonda van Bijler, on July 23, 1616. With the marriage came a wealth of 12,000 guilders, care of Wolfert van Bijler. Hillegonda van Bijler was born around 1598, making her near the age of 18 at the time of her marriage to van Rensselaer. The same year, the young husband purchased a couple of lots on the east side of the recently dug Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, between Marten and Wolven streets, where he built a house.
Van Rensselaer and van Bijler had three children. The first was Hendrick, Kiliaen's first son, believed to have died in childhood. Johan
, their second son, was baptized
on September 4, 1625. Maria, their last child, was buried on January 4, 1627. She died as an infant.
Hillegonda van Bijler is presumed to have died in late December 1626, since she was buried on January 1, 1627, three days before her third child Maria. She was around the age of 28 and the couple had been married less than eleven years.
Van Wely outlived her husband, having died in Amsterdam in 1670.
in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam. His memorial stone states he was buried in the church on October 7, 1643.
Van Rensselaer's son Jeremias
is the sole ancestor of the entire van Rensselaer family in America, and only because of Kiliaen's purchase and development of the land in New Netherland. Included in the subsequent family tree is a very powerful and wealthy group of individuals over the course of American history
. Within the paternal (van Rensselaer) lineage, the family has produced numerous New York State Assemblymen
and Senators
, two Lieutenant Governors of New York
, and five Congressmen
from New York between 1789 and 1842.
Van Rensselaer is also the source of the names of the town of Rensselaerville
, city of Rensselaer
, and county of Rensselaer
in upstate New York
. Additionally, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in Troy
was founded in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer III
as the Rensselaer School. It is now a world-renowned technical and engineering school. Notably, at the time of his death, Stephen III was worth about $10 million (about $88 billion in 2007 dollars) and is noted as being the tenth-richest American in history.
Rensselaerswyck continued as a legal entity until the mid 1840s, having survived Dutch
and British
colonial times, even being given a special patent by Queen Anne
to confirm the patroon's fiefdom upon British takeover of the area. The end of the manor came with the Anti-Rent War
, when many tenants rose against the successors of Stephen Van Rensselaer III (who had died in 1839), having much influence on the Legislature
elections of the time, and eventually intimidating the Van Rensselaer family enough to sell off most of its holdings.
The family records, many of which were translated and published in the Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts, reveal the personality of the man who figures prominently in the history of colonization as the founder of the only successful patroonship that ever existed in New Netherland. But beyond the fact that he managed this patroonship and that he was a merchant and director of the West India Company, practically nothing was known until the organization and translation of the family records in the early 1900s.
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...
diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
and pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
merchant from 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...
who was one of the founders and directors of the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
and was instrumental in the establishment of New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
. He became one of the first patroon
Patroon
In the United States, a patroon was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America...
s and ended up being the only successful one, having founded the Manor of Rensselaerswyck in what is now mainly New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Capital District
Capital District
New York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
. His estate lasted as a legal entity until the 1840s, having lived through Dutch
Dutch Empire
The Dutch Empire consisted of the overseas territories controlled by the Dutch Republic and later, the modern Netherlands from the 17th to the 20th century. The Dutch followed Portugal and Spain in establishing an overseas colonial empire, but based on military conquest of already-existing...
and British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
colonial times, the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and eventually coming to an end during the Anti-Rent War
Anti-Rent War
The Anti-Rent War was a tenants' revolt in upstate New York during the early 19th century, beginning with the death of Stephen Van Rensselaer III in 1839....
.
Van Rensselaer was born in the province of Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
to a soldier and a homemaker. To keep him from risking his life in the army like his father, he apprenticed under his uncle, a successful Amsterdam jeweler. He too became a successful jeweler and was one of the first subscribers to the Dutch West India Company upon its conception. He may very well be the source of the idea of patroonships and was probably the leading proponent of the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
The Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions, sometimes referred to as the Charter of Privileges and Exemptions, is a document written by the Dutch West India Company in an effort to settle its colony of New Netherland in North America through the establishment of feudal patroonships purchased and...
, the document that established the patroon system.
His patroonship became the most successful to exist, with van Rensselaer making full use of his business tactics and advantages, such as his connection to the Director of New Netherland, his confidantes at the West India Company, and his extended family members that were more than happy to emigrate to a better place to farm. He was married twice and had at least eleven children, two of whom succeeded him as patroons of Rensselaerswyck. Van Rensselaer died sometime after 1642.
Van Rensselaer's effect on the history of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cannot be underestimated: the American van Rensselaers all descend from Kiliaen's son Jeremias
Jeremias van Rensselaer
Jeremias van Rensselaer was the third son of Kiliaen van Rensselear and the fourth patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck.-Life:...
and the subsequent family is noted for being a very powerful and wealthy influence in the history of New York and the Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
producing multiple State Legislators, Congressmen
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, and two Lieutenant Governors
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of New York State. It is the second highest ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four year term...
in New York.
Early years
Kiliaen van Rensselaer was born in NijkerkNijkerk
Nijkerk is a municipality and a city in the middle of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland.- Population centres :...
, Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
, 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...
or Hasselt
Hasselt (Overijssel)
Hasselt is a city about 7 km north of Zwolle, in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It received city rights in 1252. It became a member of the Hanseatic League around 1350. The city suffered an economic downfall from about 1550 on, as other cities proved to be better situated and equipped for...
, Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
, 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...
sometime in the late 16th century. The exact year of his birth is not agreed upon by historians. He was the son of Hendrick van Rensselaer and Maria Pafraet, both from 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...
. His father was a captain in the Dutch army until his death at the Siege of Ostend
Siege of Ostend
The Siege of Ostend was a three-year siege of the city of Ostend during the Eighty Years' War and one of the longest sieges in history. It is remembered as the bloodiest battle of the war, and culminated in a Spanish victory...
in early June 1602.
With his father usually not home (and eventually meeting his death) because of a military career, van Rensselaer's mother sent him to apprentice with his uncle, Wolfert van Bijler, a jeweler and diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
merchant. At the time, the gem trade was a prosperous enterprise to join, being a well-developed craft. In those days, the diamond trade was nearly always combined with the trade in pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
s, other articles of luxury, and rarities of every description. Dutch jewelers found a ready market for their valuable wares at the Dutch imperial court and the smaller German courts. This realm of work promoted van Rensselaer to a life of economic success.
Much of van Rensselaer's early life is unknown to today's historians, though in March 1608 it has been recorded that he was taking care of some business of van Bijler in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. It seems van Bijler gradually retired from his business, leaving it in the control of van Rensselaer. During his tenure at the helm of his uncle's business, van Rensselaer proposed a merger with the firm of Jan van Wely, son of one of van Bijler's sisters, who had an equally successful jewelry business. The firms combined under the name of Jan van Wely & Co. in February 1614. Van Rensselaer's name was not included in the name of the new company, since he contributed only one eighth of the investment capital, whereas van Wely contributed half (192,000 guilders). In 1616, van Wely was called on by Prince Maurice
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange from 1618, on the death of his eldest half brother, Philip William, Prince of Orange,...
to meet at the Hague for a sale in jewels. He was murdered while waiting to meet with the Prince. The firm's contract stipulated that at the death of Jan van Wely, the remaining members of the firm should continue the partnership for another six years. Van Wely's murder, therefore, caused no change in the business, but it seems that at the expiration of that time, van Rensselaer began again on his own account, founding Kiliaen van Rensselaer & Co. with partner Jacques I'Hermite
Jacques l'Hermite
Jacques l'Hermite , sometimes also known as Jacques le Clerq , was a Dutch merchant, explorer and admiral known for his journey around the globe with the Nassau Fleet and for his blockade and raid on Callao in 1624 during that same voyage in which he also died...
.
Director of the Dutch West India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
. The practical spirit of the Dutch merchant could not fail to recognize that the way to riches was through trade with the West Indies and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. During the Twelve Years' Truce
Twelve Years' Truce
The Twelve Years' Truce was the name given to the cessation of hostilities between the Habsburg rulers of Spain and the Southern Netherlands and the Dutch Republic as agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609. It was a watershed in the Eighty Years' War, marking the point from which the independence of the...
, Dutch merchants had sailed unmolested to the West Indies but also received no letters of marque
Letter of marque
In the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
to take prizes from the enemy.
Before the Eighty Years' War began, people realized that the West Indies trade might bring great prosperity to the country and that more power might be developed against Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Rather than travel to the area singly on an armed ship or in the company of a few other vessels, traders could do business in the manner of the large and prosperous East India Company. A company for carrying on commerce in the West Indies and Africa could be organized, which might, like the sister company, act as the war-waging power in those parts and be supported by the treasury, ships, and troops of the United Netherlands
United Netherlands
United Netherlands is an educational student-led organization that focuses on the theory and practice of international relations and diplomacy...
.
After long years of preparation, the Charter of the Dutch West India Company was granted by the States-General
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
on June 3, 1621, and the subscription list was opened. It is known that subscriptions did not come in very rapidly at first due to the exclusion of the salt trade from the charter. This barrier was overcome in a later amendment to the Charter, and the subscription rate increased.
With a capital of seven million florins, the West India Company was granted exclusive authority and trade privileges in the Dutch possessions of the two Americas, as well as the coast of Africa from the Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer, also referred to as the Northern tropic, is the circle of latitude on the Earth that marks the most northerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead at its zenith...
to the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
. The objects of its creation were to establish an efficient and aggressive Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
maritime power in the struggle with Spain, as well as to colonize, develop, and rule the Dutch American dependencies—particularly New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
(the modern states of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
), discovered by Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer and navigator in the early 17th century. Hudson made two attempts on behalf of English merchants to find a prospective Northeast Passage to Cathay via a route above the Arctic Circle...
in 1609.
Van Rensselaer was one of the first subscribers to the West India Company. As with the other subscribers, he contributed 6000 guilders to be a member of one of its chambers. Having paid his way, he was welcomed to the Chamber of Amsterdam, one of five Chambers of the West India Company, each located in a principal Dutch city. The Chamber of Amsterdam was the largest with twenty members, mainly due to the city's population, and represented four ninths of the management of the West India Company.
Due to the practical limitations of meetings with 74 members on a regular basis (the total number of members from the five Chambers), the Charter called for a board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
comprising nineteen members of the five Chambers. Van Rensselaer was chosen a member of this College of XIX, as it was called. It is said that care was exercised in the selection of the directors of each chamber, and only men of wealth and the highest known integrity were eligible for the trust. Van Rensselaer was apparently known as an unusually clear-headed man and an able and practical merchant who did not limit himself to his own branch of trade. These qualities presumably garnered the trust needed to be elected to the College of XIX.
In its role supporting colonization of New Netherland, the West India Company had an executive board of nine members from the College of XIX to manage the concerns of their colony. Van Rensselaer was also a member of this group. In the early career of the Company, van Rensselaer was one of its mainstays, placing several of his vessels at its disposal and twice advancing money to save its credit. His name is conspicuously identified with all its measures of policy, including the original settlement of Manhattan Island, New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
.
Patroon
Unfortunately for the West India Company, the infant colony of New Netherland languished, the cautious Dutch peopleDutch 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...
having very little inclination to emigrate to wild and uncultivated lands in which no substantial inducements were present. While the economic situation of the colony in the late 1620s could be considered a relatively good showing for a colony only newly started in a wilderness, its slow success was hardly sufficient to create much excitement among the directors of the West India Company. Within a few years, the Company realized that special measures which would afford a stimulus to colonization were indispensable.
It was for these reasons that the Company proposed the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions
The Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions, sometimes referred to as the Charter of Privileges and Exemptions, is a document written by the Dutch West India Company in an effort to settle its colony of New Netherland in North America through the establishment of feudal patroonships purchased and...
, which the States-General ratified on June 7, 1629. This document was created to encourage settlement of New Netherland through the establishment of feudal patroonships purchased and supplied by members of the West India Company. With a total of 31 articles, the document spells out many requirements of these patroons, primarily stating that each patroon was required to purchase the land from the local Indians, and inhabit the land with 50 adults within four years, with at least one quarter arriving within one year. In return, the patroons were able to own the land and pass it to succeeding generations as a perpetual fiefdom
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
, as well as receive protection and free African slaves from the Company.
It is believed that the system of patroonships was originally suggested by van Rensselaer himself. He was reportedly one of the first of the Company to perceive that the building up of New Netherland could not be carried on without labor, and that labor could not be procured without permanent settlers. "Open up the country with agriculture: that must be our first step," was his urgent advice. The Company was not inclined to involve itself in further expense for colonization, and matters threatened to come to a halt, when someone—very likely van Rensselaer himself—evolved the plan of granting large estates to men willing to pay the cost of settling and operating them.
Samuel Blommaert
Samuel Blommaert was a Flemish/Dutch merchant and director of the Dutch West India Company from 1622 to 1629 and again from 1636 to 1642...
, had sent Gillis Houset and Jacob Jansz Cuyper to determine satisfactory locations for settlement. This took place even before the Charter was ratified, but was done in accordance with a draft of the Charter from March 28, 1628.
The report of the agents sent out had not been unfavorable. They had selected an extensive domain on both sides of the North River in the vicinity of Fort Orange
Fort Orange
Fort Orange was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland and was on the site of the present-day city of Albany, New York. It was a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on nearby Castle Island in the Hudson River, and which served as a trading post until 1617 or 1618,...
for van Rensselaer, which extended 24 miles (38.6 km) in length, 40 miles (64.4 km) in breadth and covered an area of almost 1000 square miles (2,590 km²). The location relative to the fort was chosen with care—in case of danger, it would be a sure point of defense or retreat, and its garrison would be very likely to intimidate the natives. In this manner van Rensselaer employed the troops of the Company more or less as coadjutors to his colonizing plans. Furthermore, the fort would become an easily-reached marketplace for the colonists, where they could maintain communication with the outside world. For that reason, van Rensselaer diligently maintained friendly relations with the commander of the garrison and the authorities within the walls.
His first act was to obtain possession of the land for his colony from the Mohican
Mohican
-Native Americans:* Mahican , a Native American tribe who lived in and around the Hudson Valley* Mohegan, a functional confederation of several branches of Native Americans during the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century...
, the original owners, who had never been willing to sell their territory—not even the ground of Fort Orange. However, after they had been involved in a bloody war with their neighbors, the Mohawks, and were defeated in 1629, they were found ready to dispose of their possessions. In April, two officers of the West India Company in Fort Orange, Sebastiaen Jansen Krol
Sebastiaen Jansen Krol
Bastiaen Jansz Krul , was Director-General of New Netherland from 1632 to 1633....
and Dirk Cornelisz Duyster, specially empowered by writing of January 12, 1630, purchased a large tract of land on the west side of the North River. Gillis Houset, one of the men initially sent to determine a settlement location, increased this territory in August by adding tracts of land on the right bank, located above and below Fort Orange, and also by adding land on the east side of the river. After the initial expansion, the territory was later further extended by deeds of purchase in May 1631 and April 1637.
The most troubling aspect of colonizing the patroonships was enlisting the required number of colonists, so that the failure of many of the other proposed patroonships may in part be attributed to this fact. The patroons still dealt with the issues of a cautious people not caring to venture to an undeveloped world. As an owner of extensive lands in the sandy Gooi
Gooi
Het Gooi is the area around Hilversum in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a slightly hilly area characterised by its green landscape, its historical charm, the wealth of its inhabitants, and its villas. Het Gooi is known in the Netherlands as the home of the rich and famous.- Name :The name...
and of family estates in the not much more fruitful Veluwe
Veluwe
The Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. The Veluwe features many different landscapes including woodland, heath, some small lakes and Europe's largest sand drifts....
, where several relatives were landowners and struggled to subsist on meager means, van Rensselaer had an advantage—his agents needed to employ little persuasion to induce some Gooiers and Veluwers to migrate to more fruitful regions where the farming would be less difficult. In addition, he could depend on the indirect support of his nephew Wouter van Twiller
Wouter van Twiller
Wouter van Twiller was an employee of the Dutch West India Company and the Director-General of New Netherland from 1633 until 1638...
, who had been appointed Director of New Netherland in 1632, and with whom he engaged in friendly correspondence at a time when Dutch directors opposed the patroons in every way. In 1634 he collaborated with Michael Reyniersz Pauw
Michael Reyniersz Pauw
Knight Michiel Reiniersz Pauw was a burgermeester of Amsterdam and a director of the Dutch West India Company...
, the patroon of Pavonia
Pavonia
Pavonia may refer to:biota:*Pavonia , a moth genus*Pavonia pavonia, "emperor moth", a moth species*Pavonia , a plant genus in the family Malvaceaeplaces:...
on shipping cattle.
With that, van Rensselaer shipped out 37 immigrants on his ship Rensselaerswijck from Amsterdam on September 26, 1636. The vessel arrived on April 7, 1637. The population rose to more than 100 by 1642 and doubled that in the next ten years. The village of Beverwyck
Beverwyck
Beverwijck was a fur-trading community north of Fort Orange on the Hudson River in New Netherland that was to become Albany, New York, when the English took control of the colony in 1664....
alone had more than 1000 inhabitants by 1660 and is said to have become urban by this point.
The good understanding between the patroons of the Amsterdam Chamber left nothing to be desired; Burgh, Godyn, Blommaert, and van Rensselaer, before signifying to the directors their willingness to start colonies, made an agreement to work the projected colonies on joint account, each under the direction of one of them. Three of them would have a one-fifth share in each colony, while the fourth would receive the remaining two fifths, taking the responsibility for its management and exercising patroon rights.
Only Rensselaerswyck was a successful patroonship. Van Rensselaer successively purchased Godyn's share in the patroonship from his heirs, so that van Rensslaer soon became the owner of three fifths. The two other shares remained partly in the hands of Blommaert and partly in the hands of others: Adam Bessels owning Blommaert's fifth, while Johannes de Laet and Toussaint Muyssaert split Burgh's fifth between them.
Letters saved by the van Rensselaer family show that Kiliaen van Rensselaer never visited his colony in person.
First marriage
Van Rensselaer marriedMarriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
his first wife, Hillegonda van Bijler, on July 23, 1616. With the marriage came a wealth of 12,000 guilders, care of Wolfert van Bijler. Hillegonda van Bijler was born around 1598, making her near the age of 18 at the time of her marriage to van Rensselaer. The same year, the young husband purchased a couple of lots on the east side of the recently dug Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, between Marten and Wolven streets, where he built a house.
Van Rensselaer and van Bijler had three children. The first was Hendrick, Kiliaen's first son, believed to have died in childhood. Johan
Johan van Rensselaer
Johan van Rensselaer also Johannes van Rensselaer , second patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, was the eldest son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, and his only son by his first wife, Hillegonda van Bylaer.When his father died in October 1643 Wouter van Twiller and Johan van Wely managed the...
, their second son, was baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
on September 4, 1625. Maria, their last child, was buried on January 4, 1627. She died as an infant.
Hillegonda van Bijler is presumed to have died in late December 1626, since she was buried on January 1, 1627, three days before her third child Maria. She was around the age of 28 and the couple had been married less than eleven years.
Second marriage
Van Rensselaer re-married on December 14, 1627 to Anna van Wely, daughter of van Rensselaer's former business partner. Van Wely was born around 1601, making her about 26 at the time of the marriage. The couple had eight children between 1629 and 1639, four boys and four girls:- Jan BaptistJan Baptist van RensselaerJan Baptist van Rensselaer was the second son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, and his first son by his second wife, Anna van Wely. He was the third patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck and the first to visit the colony in 1651, accompanied by his brother, Jeremias. He assumed the office of director...
—baptized March 18, 1629; - Maria—baptized March 23, 1631;
- JeremiasJeremias van RensselaerJeremias van Rensselaer was the third son of Kiliaen van Rensselear and the fourth patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck.-Life:...
—baptized May 18, 1632; - Hillegonda—baptized November 8, 1633;
- Eleanor—baptized February 18, 1635;
- Nicholas—baptized September 14, 1636;
- Susanna—baptized February 9, 1638; and
- Ryckert—baptized June 28, 1639.
Van Wely outlived her husband, having died in Amsterdam in 1670.
Death and legacy
Little is known about van Rensselaer's death, and sources even disagree on the year. Van Rensselaer was interredBurial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam. His memorial stone states he was buried in the church on October 7, 1643.
Van Rensselaer's son Jeremias
Jeremias van Rensselaer
Jeremias van Rensselaer was the third son of Kiliaen van Rensselear and the fourth patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck.-Life:...
is the sole ancestor of the entire van Rensselaer family in America, and only because of Kiliaen's purchase and development of the land in New Netherland. Included in the subsequent family tree is a very powerful and wealthy group of individuals over the course of American history
History of the United States
The history of the United States traditionally starts with the Declaration of Independence in the year 1776, although its territory was inhabited by Native Americans since prehistoric times and then by European colonists who followed the voyages of Christopher Columbus starting in 1492. The...
. Within the paternal (van Rensselaer) lineage, the family has produced numerous New York State Assemblymen
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
and Senators
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
, two Lieutenant Governors of New York
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of New York State. It is the second highest ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four year term...
, and five Congressmen
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from New York between 1789 and 1842.
Van Rensselaer is also the source of the names of the town of Rensselaerville
Rensselaerville, New York
Rensselaerville is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,843 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Stephen Van Rensselaer...
, city of Rensselaer
Rensselaer, New York
Rensselaer is a city in Rensselaer County, New York, United States, and is located on the Hudson River directly opposite Albany. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,392; in 1920, it was 10,832. The name is from Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original landowner of the region in New...
, and county of Rensselaer
Rensselaer County, New York
Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...
in upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
. Additionally, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
was founded in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer III
Stephen Van Rensselaer III
Stephen Van Rensselaer III was Lieutenant Governor of New York as well as a statesman, soldier, and land-owner, the heir to one of the largest estates in the New York region at the time, which made him the tenth richest American of all time, based on the ratio of his fortune to contemporary GDP...
as the Rensselaer School. It is now a world-renowned technical and engineering school. Notably, at the time of his death, Stephen III was worth about $10 million (about $88 billion in 2007 dollars) and is noted as being the tenth-richest American in history.
Rensselaerswyck continued as a legal entity until the mid 1840s, having survived Dutch
Dutch Empire
The Dutch Empire consisted of the overseas territories controlled by the Dutch Republic and later, the modern Netherlands from the 17th to the 20th century. The Dutch followed Portugal and Spain in establishing an overseas colonial empire, but based on military conquest of already-existing...
and British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
colonial times, even being given a special patent by Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
to confirm the patroon's fiefdom upon British takeover of the area. The end of the manor came with the Anti-Rent War
Anti-Rent War
The Anti-Rent War was a tenants' revolt in upstate New York during the early 19th century, beginning with the death of Stephen Van Rensselaer III in 1839....
, when many tenants rose against the successors of Stephen Van Rensselaer III (who had died in 1839), having much influence on the Legislature
New York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
elections of the time, and eventually intimidating the Van Rensselaer family enough to sell off most of its holdings.
The family records, many of which were translated and published in the Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts, reveal the personality of the man who figures prominently in the history of colonization as the founder of the only successful patroonship that ever existed in New Netherland. But beyond the fact that he managed this patroonship and that he was a merchant and director of the West India Company, practically nothing was known until the organization and translation of the family records in the early 1900s.
External links
- Kiliaen van Rensselaer at the Colonial Albany Social History Project of the New York State MuseumNew York State MuseumThe New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol...
- Rensselaerswyck at the Colonial Albany Social History Project of the New York State MuseumNew York State MuseumThe New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol...
- Rensselaerswyck at the Colonial Albany Social History Project of the New York State Museum
- Rensselaerswijck at the Virtual Tour of New Netherland, New Netherland ProjectNew Netherland ProjectThe New Netherland Project was created to translate and publish 17th century Dutch documents from the period of the Dutch colonization of New Netherland...
of the New Netherland Institute
- This article incorporates text from the Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts published by the New York State Library
New York State LibraryThe New York State Library is part of the New York State Education Department. The Library and its sister institutions, the New York State Museum and New York State Archives, are housed in the Cultural Education Center...
(1908), Annals of the Van Rensselaers in the United States by Rev. Maunsell van Rensselaer (1888), The Dutch in New Netherland and the United States: 1609–1909 published by The Netherland Chamber of Commerce in America (1909), and The Van Rensselaer Family by W. W. Spooner (1907), publications now in the public domainPublic domainWorks are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
.