Carel Reyniersz

Carel Reyniersz (* 1604 in Amsterdam, † May 19, 1653 in Batavia ) was 1650-1653 Governor General of the Dutch East Indies. He was succeeded by Joan Maetsuycker.

Life and work

Carel Reyniersz was in 1604 ( according to one source in 1602 ), the son of the Amsterdam merchant Dirck Reyniersz and his second wife, Suzanna de Beaulieu from Antwerp, was born. His baptism took place on 26 August 1604. He worked as a merchant and moved to 1628 on the Coromandel Coast. When the governor of the local province Marten IJsbrantsz 1935 went to Batavia, Reyniersz succeeded him. At the same time he was temporarily extraordinary (mostly advisory ) Member of the Raad van Indië ( Council of India), the central organ of the Dutch colonial administration in Asia. In 1638 he became a full member of the Council. The following year, he returned as fleet commander returned to the Netherlands. In 1640 he married Judith Barra in Amsterdam, the 23- year-old daughter of the physician Jacobus Barra from Antwerp. The marriage produced a daughter Sara came out, but died early. In unsuccessful speculative transactions Reyniersz lost his entire fortune. Then he joined in 1645 reiterated its position in the Council and drove back to the ship de Salamander to India. A few days after their arrival in Batavia on July 21, 1646 his wife died. In the same year Reyniersz was next to his Council position is also chairman of the local aldermen. In May In 1648 he married in Batavia, the fourteen- year-old Françoise de Wit ( born January 6, 1634 Masulipatam, India, † January 10, 1672 ). She was the daughter of the merchant Jacob de Witt and Suzanna Wateringhe from Schiedam, living in India Dutch immigrants. The couple had a son, Reynier Carelsz Reyniersz, but this also did not live long.

After the acting Governor-General of Dutch East Indies Cornelis van der Lijn had resigned at his own request, Reyniersz was appointed on October 6, 1650 as his successor. To Reyniersz ' tasks, the Netherlands to secure the supremacy in the spice market to take action against private spice trade and overproduction belonged. Among others, he met with the King of Ternate an agreement on the entire stock of clove - trees of his kingdom. Reyniersz also campaigned for the spreading of the Christian religion one, let Moorish and Chinese temples close and asked the priest to conversion. His tenure covered the founding of the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652 and the beginning of the fight with the Portuguese in Ceylon in the same year. As Reyniersz became ill, he requested his resignation and with that came a layoff before, as the Heeren XVII were dissatisfied with his reign. As of February 25, 1653 took over Joan Maetsuycker the duties of the Governor General. When in 1654 the Heeren XVII communication from the dismissal arrived in Batavia, Reyniersz had already died. He died in the night from 18th to 19th May 1653 Batavia and was buried with his first wife in the Dutch Cross Church ( Kruiskerk ) in Batavia. His widow remarried, had a son in 1656 and returned back to the Netherlands.