Cornelis Tromp
Cornelis Maartenszoon Tromp (born September 9, 1629 in Rotterdam , † May 29, 1691 in Rotterdam) was a Dutch naval officer. During his service, he became "Lieutenant-Admiral General" in the Dutch Navy and for a short time during the Skåne Wars also Admiral-General in the Danish Navy .
life and career
Cornelis Maartenszoon Tromp was born on September 9, 1629 in Rotterdam as the son of Lieutenant- Admiral Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp and his wife Dina Cornelis daughter de Haas . The name affix Maartenszoon is a Dutch patronymic and means "son of Maarten".
Cornelis Tromp had two brothers, Harper and Johann . In 1633, when he was four years old, his mother died. His father married again in 1634 and 1640 - from both marriages Tromp had four half-brothers and five half-sisters.
His father Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp had made a career as an officer in the Dutch Navy , where he achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Admiral. When the latter finally handed over the office to Philips van Dorp in 1634 , his father worked temporarily as dean , but was called back to his old office a little later.
In 1642 Cornelis Tromp went to Harfleur , France , to learn the French language from a Calvinist preacher .
On September 1, 1643 he came on his father's flagship , the Aemilia - a 57-gun ship of the line . In September 1645 he was appointed lieutenant . On August 22, 1649, he finally became full captain . He served in the First Anglo-Dutch War and also took part in the naval battle of Livorno . However, after the death of Johan van Galen, he was not given command of the Mediterranean fleet ; instead he was promoted to Rear Admiral on November 11, 1653 after the death of his father and assigned to the Admiralty of the Meuse .
In 1658, Tromp was able to prove illegal trading activities. He is said to have used the ships under his control to transport luxury goods and trade with them in order to enrich himself personally. Until 1662 he was forbidden to lead an active command.
On the occasion of the Second Anglo-Dutch War , however, he was given back his command and was even promoted to Vice Admiral on January 29, 1665 . In the sea battle at Lowestoft , Tromp temporarily took command and apparently prevented the total loss of the Dutch fleet by allowing a larger part of the task force to flee the battle. On July 23, 1665, he was even given a command as Lieutenant-Admiral at times, but had to cede this function (but not the rank) to Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter a month later . Under De Ruyter he finally fought after he was transferred to the Admiralty in Amsterdam on February 6, 1666 , in the four-day battle and in the naval battle on St. James' Day .
_-_Nightly_battle_between_Cornelis_Tromp_and_Eward_Spragg_(Willem_van_de_Velde_II,_1707).jpg)
De Ruyter attributed the negative outcome of the last battle to Tromp, which is why he was dismissed from his service in August 1666 - especially since he was also suspected of inciting a conspiracy against the government. Nevertheless, Tromp returned in April 1673 after the Third Anglo-Dutch War broke out. Tromp fought again under De Ruyter and distinguished himself in the two naval battles of Schooneveld as well as in the naval battle off Texel . In these battles, the Gouden Leeuw was his flagship, an 80-gun ship of the line.
On August 20, 1672, Tromp was also involved in the murder of Johan de Witt and Cornelis de Witt , on which the hatred of the Orange and large sections of the population was directed after the threat of the French invasion of the country. Tromp himself resented Johan de Witt's role in his dismissal.
On May 8, 1676, Tromp became Admiral-General of the Danish Navy and at the same time Knight of the Elephant Order , followed in 1677 by the title of Count of Sølvesborg .
During the Skåne War , Tromp defeated the Swedish fleet in the sea battle at Öland on June 1, 1676, which was his only victory as a fleet commander.
On February 6, 1679 he became Lieutenant-Admiral-General of the Republic of the Netherlands, but never again took part in combat in this office.
Tromp died in Amsterdam in 1691 as a broken man as a result of severe alcohol abuse and strong feelings of remorse. At that time he was still in command of the Dutch fleet, but had previously been temporarily replaced by Cornelis Evertsen the Younger .
Character, disposition and traits of tromp
Tromp was a very aggressive Squadron - Commander , the personal favor in the fighting had. He preferred direct attacks from the keel line , which is why he often had to change ships during a battle: four times during the four-day battle, three times during the Schooneveld clashes and twice in the sea battle off Texel. In some cases, Tromp could only swim to avoid capture.
Tromp and his crews had become famous at the time for defying the danger to which he exposed himself and his crew. He had simple manners and supported the House of Orange against the regime of Johan de Witt.
Tromp treated officers with contempt - both those who were subordinate to him and those who were superior to him. He was notorious for his insubordination: he defied an order from de Ruyter in the four-day battle and pursued the English fleet on his own in the naval battle on St. James' Day - which seriously endangered or even destroyed the Dutch combat strategy in both battles.
Tromp clearly harbored feelings of jealousy towards his superior commander, de Ruyter, but always behaved towards him with respect, even though he labeled him "ordinary" behind his back.
Tromp was very fond of luxury and liked to imitate the lifestyle of the nobility , so that in 1667 he even married Margaretha van Raephorst, a wealthy elderly widow with whom he had no children.
In the available sources he is often referred to as a heavy drinker ; evidently he went to excess alcohol at home so often that some bars named themselves after him. He is described as a vain, cocky man who never missed an opportunity to communicate this to the general public. This self-portrait was shaped by the quality of being the son of a famous father - from which he derived a natural right to be a heroic personality in the Navy. So it is not surprising that Tromp had himself depicted 22 times in paintings , which was a record in the 17th century. In addition, he often engaged famous artists for the paintings, such as the Dutch painter Ferdinand Bol .
His obsession with art finally culminated in his personal country estate in 's-Graveland , which was also known as Trompenburgh long after his death .
Tromp's other family members, but especially his astute, unscrupulous and integrative brother-in-law Johan Kievit , were fanatical supporters of the Orange, so that he also played a key role in an intrigue that ultimately culminated in the murder of Johan and Cornelis de Witt . In fact, Tromp had not been able to develop a great enthusiasm for conspiracies internally, so that he later even regretted many of his involvements.
He died in great mental anguish, convinced that he would be punished with hell for his crimes .
memory
- In the Netherlands, Maarten Tromp and Cornelis Tromp are known as sea heroes. Since 1777 nine naval ships have been named in their honor. The frigate Hr MS Tromp (F803) currently bears her name.
literature
- Lessus In Funere Illustrissimi Herois, Cornelii Trompii Comitis . Occasional writing on the death of Cornelis Tromps, Leipzig 1691
- L. van den Bosch: Leven en bedryf van den vermaarden zeeheld Cornelis Tromp…; Ondermengd met de voornaamste daaden van other zeehoofden, en voornaamentlijk met die van Marten Harpertsz Tromp . Amsterdam 1692
- Aanteekeningen en mededeelingen concerning het geslacht Van der Tromp of Tromp , in: Rotterdamsche Historiebladen, Vol. II, pp. 54-88. Rotterdam 1871
- CJM Bakker: Inventory of the trumpet archive . The Hague 1982
- A. Doedens, L. Mulder: Tromp. Het verhaal van een zeeheld . Baarn 1989
- LLM Eekhout: Het admiralenboek. De vlagofficieren van de Nederlandse marine 1382-1991 . Amsterdam 1992
- Ronald Prud`homme van Reine: Schittering en schandaal. Biography of Maerten en Cornelis Tromp . Amsterdam 2001
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Tromp, Cornelis |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tromp, Cornelis Maartenszoon (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch naval officer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 9, 1629 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rotterdam |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 29, 1691 |
| Place of death | Rotterdam |