Johan Evertsen
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Johan Evertsen (born February 1, 1600 in Vlissingen , † August 5, 1666 in North Foreland ) was a Dutch vice admiral.
He was the eldest son of the captain Johan Evertsen, who fell off La Rochelle in 1617 while fighting against French corsairs, and the grandson of the water geusen Evert Hendricxsen (called Jan the captain) and brother of Cornelis Evertsen the elder . Johan Evertsen first sailed on his father's ship. He took part in the battles of La Rochelle against pirates under Willem de Zoete in 1625 and was against Barbaresken under Laurens Reael in 1626/27 . He then fought against pirates, especially from Dunkirk (arrest of Jacob Collaert in 1636, who had caused serious damage to the herring fishing fleet from Vlissingen, safe conduct for the booty captured by Piet Pieterszoon Heyn from the Spanish treasure fleet in 1628). In 1631 he fought in the sea battle on the Slaak . In 1637 he became Vice Admiral and took part in the naval battle of the Downs in 1639 , where he destroyed the Portuguese flagship Santa Teresa. After the battle there was a conflict with Witte Corneliszoon de With , who accused him of cowardice, and he received no significant commands in the following years. During this time he became friends with Friedrich Heinrich von Orange and Wilhelm II. Von Orange (later he was suspected of being an orangist, which temporarily hampered his career). When the First Anglo-Dutch War broke out , he was initially passed over and only reinstated when de With was replaced by Maarten Tromp . He played a significant role in the sea battle at Dungeness in 1652, in which he protected the flagship of Tromp against an English attack. He took part in the sea battle at Portland and the sea battle at Gabbard and the sea battle at Scheveningen , in which Tromp fell and his ship was so badly damaged that he had to withdraw. De With was back in command after Tromp's death and Evertsen was again sidelined. Only after de With fell in the sea battle in the Oresund in 1658 was he activated again under Michiel de Ruyter and used in the Northern War in the reconquest of Danish territories against the Swedes. In 1664 he became lieutenant-admiral of Zeeland. In the Second Anglo-Dutch War he was third in command in the defeat of the naval battle at Lowestoft and took over after Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam and Egbert Bartholomeusz Kortenaer fell in command (but also in the confusion of the defeat Cornelis Tromp ). After his return he had to answer in The Hague, was mistreated by an angry mob and thrown tied up into the water, but was able to escape. Before the court martial in Den Helder he was acquitted of the charge of cowardice. On the contrary, it had covered the retreat of the fleet under heavy fire. After his brother fell in the four-day battle , he was again given command at sea under De Ruyter, whose vanguard he commanded. He fell on the first day of St. James's Day Fight and, like his brother, is buried in Middelburg Abbey.
He was married to Maayken Gorcum (1600–1671) since 1622 and had five children with her, including Cornelis Evertsen the Younger .
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Evertsen, Johan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch admiral |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 1, 1600 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Vlissingen |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 5, 1666 |
| Place of death | near North Foreland (England) |