Nicolaes Witsen
Nicolaas (also Nicolaes ) Witsen (* 1641, † 1717) was mayor and regent of Amsterdam to the gender of the Witsen entstammend. For the city, he was Ambachtsherr in Amstelveen, Nieuwer - Amstel. As a diplomat, politician, collector, publisher and scientifically educated citizen was Witsen mentor of Tsar Peter I.
Life and work
See also: Regent of Amsterdam
As the son of the Amsterdam regents, diplomats and merchant Cornelis Witsen January and Catharina Claesdr Gaeff, aka Lambertsdr Opsy he was born on May 8, 1641. In his youth he was taught by Johann Amos Comenius. At the University of Leiden, he studied law and received his doctorate 1664th After Russia, he came as a member of the embassy of Jacob Boreel 1664/1665. He gathered information that he published the first in Western Europe Kaart van Tartarije of Siberia in 1687.
After further trips to Paris, Rome, Oxford - where he spent several days as a guest of Oliver Cromwell - and to Switzerland, he came back in 1667 to Amsterdam. After his father's death he came through the promotion of Gillis Valckenier in 1670 in the Amsterdam Vroedschap A designation of Valckenier hostile De Graeff faction to Schepen in the following year he declined on the ground just to write an intensive scientific publication. In 1671 his work appeared on shipbuilding in the Netherlands and fulfilled a year later, the function of the Commissioner for Lake Achen. In Rampjaar ( terrible year ) he was a member of the Council of Defense of Amsterdam. For Member of Council of the representative he 1674th was the case of the conflicts in Scandinavia and England, he was a diplomat go. In 1682 he was first mayor and served in this position until his death another 13 times. In this role he was, against his will, 1689 Envoy of the town in England. Since he hardly new diplomatic French and English dominated, he was often target of ridicule. Even on the commercial treaty concluded between England and Amsterdam, he was unhappy. During the visit of Tsar Peter I in Amsterdam Witsen was his companion, mentor, and after his departure also supporters in the construction of the Russian Navy. He helped Anmustern Dutch sailors for Russian ships and the purchase of shipbuilding materials. His ship serving as the basis for the transfer of Dutch terms in the Russian language. After the death of his colleague mayor Johann van Waveren Hudde (1704) and the advent of Joan Corver was played Witsen's role in government. The following year, he Marinated except for two small tasks all political offices down.
The marriage with Catharina de Hochepied 1674 brought together two families who dealt with the Moscovischen trade and the trade in the Baltic region. As Bewindhebber (Director ) of the Dutch East India Company since 1693 he promoted expeditions to Australia. Another direction of the geographical discoveries he described in Noord en Oost Tartarije 1692nd This edition is published in a very small edition and was probably intended as a " trial version ". 1705 appeared this work with hundreds of pages more in a wide circulation in the trade. The work is illustrated with numerous engravings, which are still of ethnological interest. Also in a second modified version he left his 1690 " Shipbuilding book" Print under the new title Architectura et navalis regimen nauticum ofte Aeloude s Hedendaagsche Scheeps - bouw en Bestler. From this very small edition today, four copies are present.
As a collector, he was a typical representative of the educated bourgeoisie of the 17th century and put on a cabinet of curiosities. There was an advantage to be a member of the VOC to get objects from the Far East Asia. He used international contacts and had a wide-ranging interest. A special field were mythical animals, such as the unicorn. Maria Sibylla Merian studied insects including in Witsen's Cabinet.