Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck
Rutger Jan Graf Schimmelpenninck (born October 31, 1761 in Deventer , † February 15, 1825 in Amsterdam ) was a Dutch diplomat and statesman.
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Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck came from an illegitimate, non-aristocratic branch of the Schimmelpenninck family , which was elevated to the rank of count due to its political successes . He studied law in Leiden and then worked as a lawyer in Amsterdam. Schimmelpenninck was together with Hendrik Hooft , Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol and Jan Bernd Bicker at the head of the Dutch patriot movement , which aimed to prevent the House of Orange-Nassau from claiming monarchy over the Dutch republic.
After the conquest of Holland by Jean-Charles Pichegru in 1795, he became a member of the first Amsterdam magistrate and later of the Batavian National Assembly and went to Paris as envoy in 1798 and to London in 1801 . After trying in vain to maintain the neutrality of Holland when the war between England and France broke out again in 1803, he resigned from civil service, but soon went back to Paris as ambassador, where Napoleon I gained full confidence and after the introduction of the new constitution he resigned Batavian Republic (April 5, 1805) as a council pensioner to head the government. He created many good institutions, especially in financial matters; but a protracted eye disease prevented him from running the business, and Napoleon used this circumstance in 1806 to propose his brother Ludwig as king, whose elevation Schimmelpenninck tried in vain to thwart. After the unification of Holland with France in 1810, Napoleon made him count and senator. In 1799 he acquired Nijenhuis Castle near Diepenheim , which still belongs to his descendants today. When the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed, he was appointed a member of the First Chamber . He died in Amsterdam on February 15, 1825.
His son Gerrit Schimmelpenninck was chairman of the Council of Ministers in 1848.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Schimmelpenninck, Rutger Jan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Schimmelpenninck, Rutger Jan Graf (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch diplomat and statesman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 31, 1761 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Deventer |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 15, 1825 |
| Place of death | Amsterdam |