Coenraad van Beuningen

Coenraad van Beuningen (* 1622 in Amsterdam, † October 26, 1693 ) was a Dutch diplomat, politician and Amsterdam regent of the late Golden Age. Van Beuningen was a political supporter of Johan de Witt and his opponent William III. been of Orange- Nassau.

Biography

See also: Regent of Amsterdam

Coenraad came from a patrician family Van Beuningen. His parents were the grain wholesalers Dirk van Beuningen (1588-1648) and Catharina Pittsburgh. Coenraads grandparents were the Mayor of Amsterdam Geurt van Beuningen and Albert Burgh. After studying law at Leiden University, he came to Paris to meet with Hugo Grotius Swedish legation secretary. In 1643 he was awarded the Office of the Amsterdam city secretary. 1651, he was a pensioner of Amsterdam. The following year, Van Beuningen headed a diplomatic mission to Sweden and Denmark, thereafter he represented the Dutch Republic in the UK and France. During this time Van Beuningen was together with Hieronymus van Beverningh as the most successful diplomat of the Republic. In 1656 Cornelis de Graeff sent him to Copenhagen to the allied Danes for a fight against Sweden to win. 1660 he came as Schepen in the city government. In the same year Van Beuningen, together with Johan van Huydecoper Maarsseveen, Cornelis van Vlooswyck and Pieter de Groot Amsterdam's envoy to King Charles II was to congratulate him in The Hague to his new throne. In 1668 he was a member of the Amsterdam Vroedschap. A year later, Van Beuningen was elected to the governing mayor, whose appointment to the 1684 five more followed.

After the murder of his friend Johan de Witt in 1672 Rampjaar Van Beuningen was nominated as his successor. But since he did not accept this office Gaspar Fagel was appointed as the new Grand Pensionary. After Rampjaar he supported politically the new governor William III. of Orange- Nassau. 1674 Van Beuningen acted on behalf of the Republic of the Peace of Westminster. Thereafter, he approached foreign policy with the aim of peace with France close to Louis XV. of. Domestically, he was after the death of Gillis Valckenier and Henrick Hooft as head of the Amsterdam regents and as an opponent of William III. dar. In the years 1680/1681 he was the Dutch ambassador to Great Britain. 1681 was Van Beuningen has been named one of the conductors of the Dutch East India Company.

In 1686, Van Beuningen married to Jacoba Victoria Bartolotti van den Heuvel. He was life as manic- depresiv. At the end of his life he lost his capital when he miscalculated with shares of the Dutch East India Company. Van Beuningen was buried in the Old Church, Amsterdam.