Herman Willem Daendels | |
|---|---|
._Gouverneur-generaal_(1808-10)_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-3790.jpeg) Posthumous portrait byRaden Saleh, 1838 | |
| Governor-General of the Dutch Gold Coast | |
| In office 11 March 1816 – 2 May 1818 | |
| Monarch | William I |
| Preceded by | Abraham de Veer (as Commandant-General) |
| Succeeded by | Frans Christiaan Eberhard Oldenburg (as Commander) |
| Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies | |
| In office 14 January 1808 – 15 May 1811 | |
| Monarchs | |
| Preceded by | Albertus Henricus Wiese |
| Succeeded by | Jan Willem Janssens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1762-10-21)21 October 1762 |
| Died | 2 May 1818(1818-05-02) (aged 55) |
| Resting place | Dutch Cemetery, Elmina |
| Party | Patriots faction |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch/service | Grande Armée |
| Years of service | 1785–1813 |
| Rank | Major general |
| Commands | Batavian Legion |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Legion of Honour |
Herman Willem Daendels (21 October 1762 – 2 May 1818) was a Dutch military officer and colonial administrator who served asgovernor-general of the Dutch East Indies from 1808 to 1811.[1][2]
Herman Willem Daendels was born on 21 October 1762 inHattem,Netherlands. His father, Burchard Johan Daendels, served as a mayoral secretary; his mother was Josina Christina Tulleken. Daendels pursued a legal education at theUniversity of Harderwijk and obtained his doctorate on 10 April 1783.
In 1785, Daendels aligned himself with thePatriots, a faction gaining control in various Dutch cities. In September 1786, he unsuccessfully defended the town of Hattem against troops loyal to thestadholder. The following year, in September 1787, Daendels played a role in the defense ofAmsterdam against the invadingPrussian army, which aimed to reinstateWilliam V of Orange. Subsequently, when William V regained power, Daendels fled toFrench Flanders to evade a death sentence resulting from the Patriots' defeat. During this time, he closely observed theFrench Revolution unfolding.
In 1794, Daendels returned to the Netherlands as ageneral in the French revolutionary army, serving under GeneralCharles Pichegru and commanding theBatavian Legion. His troops entered theDutch Republic after crossing frozen rivers in January 1795. TheBatavian Republic was subsequently founded by citizen committees.[3] He actively supported the elevation of unitarian politicianPieter Vreede to power through acoup d'état on 25 January 1798. This move was motivated by dissatisfaction with the conservative-moderate majority in parliament, which hindered the development of a moredemocratic andcentralized constitution. However, Vreede's rule did not yield the anticipated outcomes, leading to anothercoup d'état against him on 14 June 1798, in which Daendels played a role. In the Batavian Republic, Daendels held various political positions but was compelled to resign after failing to avert theAnglo-Russian invasion of Holland in 1799. He later pursued farming inHeerde,Gelderland.
Louis Bonaparte appointed Daendels ascolonel-general in 1806 andgovernor-general of the Dutch East Indies in 1807. Daendels arrived inBatavia (nowJakarta) on 5 January 1808 after a lengthy voyage, assuming the role previously held byAlbertus Henricus Wiese.[4] His primary objective was to defend theDutch East Indies from British attacks.
During his tenure, Daendels undertook various infrastructure projects. He established new hospitals and military barracks, constructed arms factories inSurabaya andSemarang, and founded a military college in Batavia. TheCastle in Batavia was dismantled and replaced by anew fort in Meester Cornelis (Jatinegara). At the same time,Fort Lodewijk (Fort Louis) was built inSurabaya. Additionally, he relocated the central government fromOld Batavia toWeltevreden and commissioned the construction of a palace inParadeplaats. His most renowned achievement was theGreat Post Road (Indonesian:Jalan Raya Pos) that spanned northernJava fromAnyer toPanarukan. Today, this road serves as the main thoroughfare on the island, known asJalur Pantura (Pantai Utara)(Translated: Northern Coast Road). Notably, the construction of this thousand-kilometer road in a single year resulted in the deaths of numerous Javanese forced laborers.[5]
Daendels adopted a stern stance towards Javanese rulers, causing them to align themselves with the British against the Dutch. He also imposed forced labor (Rodi) on the population of Java, which sparked rebellious incidents like the ones in Cadas Pangeran,West Java.
Opinions differ regarding the extent to which Daendels improved the efficiency of the localbureaucracy and curbed corruption, although he accumulated personal wealth during his time in office.[citation needed]
Despite his efforts to bolster defenses, Daendels was unsuccessful in halting the Britishinvasion of the Spice Islands in 1810.
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During the incorporation of theKingdom of Holland intoFrance in 1810, Daendels returned to Holland and resided in Paris by November 1811. He was appointed as adivisional general (major general) and assumed command of the 26th Division of theGrande Armée. This division consisted of troops from Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, and Berg. In mid-March 1812, Daendels was appointed as the commander of the 26th Division, serving underMarshalVictor as part ofIX Corps, which acted as a reserve.
In August, Victor received orders to march eastward, joining the Badeners in the Russian campaign 1812. Daendels arrived in Vilnius on 8 and 15 September, subsequently reaching Minsk. On 11 October, his division moved toBabinovichi, and on 20 October, they received orders to proceed toVitebsk. By 27 October, they had occupied the nearby town ofBeshankovichy. The following day, temperatures dropped below zero. The supplies in Vitebsk were lost when the Russian army captured the city,[6] and it began to snow on 29 October.
On 11 November, Daendels and the rearguard arrived inChashniki, approximately 90 km southwest of their previous location. On 14 November, during thebattle of Smoliani, the French suffered the loss of 3,000 men against GeneralPeter Wittgenstein, and heavy snowfall of about 1.5 meters occurred that day. Four days later, the supplies in Minsk were also lost whenPavel Chichagov captured the city.
On 24 November, Daendels skirmished with some Russians but reunited with the rest of the French army near Bobr. Subsequently, all the French soldiers proceeded toBorisov, where the Russian army destroyed a crucial bridge crossing the Berezina River. Daendels' division, consisting of 4,000 men, played a decisive role in theBattle of Berezina.
From February 1813 until December 1813, General Daendels commanded Polish forces defending theModlin Fortress, located northwest of Warsaw.[7] It was the final French stronghold along the Vistula to surrender.
Following the downfall ofNapoleon, concerns arose within the Dutch government, includingKing William I, regarding the potential influence and oppositional leadership of Daendels. To prevent this, he was appointed as the governor-general of theDutch Gold Coast (now part ofGhana) and effectively prohibited from returning to the Netherlands. After the abolition of theAtlantic slave trade, Daendels aimed to revitalize the neglected Dutch territories into an Africanplantationcolony focused on legitimate business. Leveraging his experience from the East Indies, he devised ambitious infrastructure projects, such as a comprehensive road network with a primary route connecting Elmina andKumasi inAshanti. The Dutch government granted him considerable autonomy and a substantial budget to execute his plans. Simultaneously, Daendels viewed his governorship as an opportunity to establish a personal monopoly on business in theDutch Gold Coast.
In 1817, the British accused Daendels of supporting and facilitating theAtlantic slave trade, despite its prohibition by both the British and Dutch authorities, from his position at the Elmina fort, which was then under Dutch control. On 5 March 1817, the British governor of Cape Coast, John Smith, wrote to the African Committee in Parliament in London, stating, "We deem it our duty to inform you of the conduct of General Daendels, who is acting independent of his Government. Portuguese vessels were furnished with canoes, and Spaniards were supplied with water. At the beginning of last month, a large Spanish ship was four days at anchor in Elmina roads, receiving water and bartering dollars for goods suited for the purchase of slaves."[8]
None of Daendels' infrastructure plans came to fruition, as he succumbed tomalaria on 2 May 1818 while in the castle ofSt. George d'Elmina, which served as the Dutch seat of government.[9] His body was interred in the central tomb at theDutch cemetery in Elmina. He had been in the country less than two years.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byas Commandant-General | Governor-General of the Dutch Gold Coast 1816–1818 | Succeeded byas Commander |
| Preceded by | Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies 1808–1811 | Succeeded by |
| Company appointed (1610–1800) |
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| Government appointed (1800–1948) |
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