New York: Random House Books for Young Adults, 1963. He was a strict follower of the Reformed Church and had little tolerance for liberal (free-thinking) religious views. Prior to becoming Director-General, essentially Governor, of New Amsterdam, Stuyvesant had served as a Director of the ABC Islands in the West Indies. People didnt know what to make us Petrus Stuyvesant, with his battle-hardened face, silver-banded peg leg (earning him the nickname Old Silver Leg), and immaculate clothes. He appointed fire wardens and ordered chimney inspections, instituted a weekly market and annual cattle fair, required bakers to use Stuyvesant then threatened to dissolve the council. The Dutch colonists refused to fight, forcing Stuyvesant's surrender, demonstrating the dilemma of domestic dissatisfaction, small size, and overwhelming external pressures with inadequate military support from the Company that was fixated on profits. Peter was determined to bring a similarly amazing showcase to his city. The situation he found there was appalling! Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Aged 80 Years. Peter Stuyvesant (English: /stavsnt/; in Dutch also Pieter and Petrus Stuyvesant, Dutch:[styvznt]; c.1610 August 1672)[1][2] was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664, after which it was split into New York and New Jersey with lesser territory becoming parts of other colonies, and later, states. Dutch company that sent settlers to New Netherland to trade for furs with the Native Americans. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. [14] A year later, in May 1645, he was selected by the company to replace Willem Kieft as Director-General of the New Netherland colony, including New Amsterdam, the site of present-day New York City. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. A zealous Calvinist, he brought a relatively effective government to the colony, absorbed the nearby rival Swedish settlements, and attempted to remold New Netherland in his own and the company's image. He organized a night watch, had streets paved, encouraged local bakeries and breweries, and promoted the colony's commerce whenever possible. . However, to gather more. His name is still commonly used, especially in New York State, for street names, school names, building names, etc. Other sources claim his birthplace is identified as Peperga in Friesland, and that claim may be correct because he apparently had attended the University of Franeker, located in Northern Friesland. Stuyvesant at the invasion of New Amsterdam by English forces in 1664. . In 1922 the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of Stuyvesant's death was commemorated at the church. Stuyvesant, himself a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, opposed religious pluralism and came into conflict with Lutherans, Jews, Roman Catholics, and Quakers as they attempted to build places of worship in the city and practice their faiths. When no money was offered he merely imposed additional taxes on land, livestock, and rents. Due to labor shortages the city Burghers (a kind of city-council) allowed almost anyone to come to New Amsterdam. Born at Scherpenzeel, Friesland, Stuyvesant was the son of a Calvinist Dutch Reformed minister. Create an account to start this course today. [23] The Company position was that more tolerance led to more trade and more profit. The couple had two sons. Published in 1994 He was also called "Old Silver Nails" because his wooden leg has several silver nails in it. In July 1646 Stuyvesant took an oath as the director general of all Dutch possessions in North America and the Caribbean. His efforts were in vain. 1952). After remarrying, the Reverend Stuyvesant was assigned to a parish at Delfzyl in Groningen. A force sent against Ft. Christina in 1655 conquered Sweden's province on the Delaware River and absorbed the settlements into New Netherland. He was the son of Petrus "Peter" Stuyvesant (1727-1805) and Margaret (ne Livingston) Stuyvesant (1738-1818). The family is of Dutch origin and is descended from Peter Stuyvesant (1610-1672), who was born in Peperga, Friesland, Netherlands and served as the last Dutch Director-General of New Netherland. Updates? In 1650 he sacrificed a large amount of territory in a settlement of the boundary between New Netherland and Connecticut. In 1953 his son, Augustus Van Horne Stuyvesant Jr., the last direct descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, died. De Leeuw, Adle. historians[example needed] a precursor to the United States Constitution's provision on freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights. Paved roads and marked property lines were created, and littering was forbidden. During his rule the population expanded from 2,000 to 8,000, trade flourished and he was able to establish a sense of law and order in the community populated by people from many countries and many backgrounds. In 1653, a convention of two deputies from each village in New Netherland demanded reforms, and Stuyvesant commanded that assembly to disperse, saying: "We derive our authority from God and the company, not from a few ignorant subjects.". A harsh,unpleasant, and intolerant man, Stuyvesant was feared more than loved, especially by his dozens of slaves. Curaao. The most serious was the economic rivalry with England regarding trade. A pear tree which he brought back from Holland stood at Thirteenth Street and Third Avenue before giving up the ghost. Stuyvesant was the son of a Calvinist minister. flashcard set. His disability did not generate much mercy among his citizens who called him peg leg Stuyvesant. Merchant, militia officer, and rebel Stuyvesant. Peter Stuyvesant (1610-1672), the Director-General of New Netherland who was involved with the Dutch West . James, Duke of York (later King James II), the younger brother of the English King Charles II, wanted to expand the English kingdom. Retrieved June 30, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/stuyvesant-peter. ." The city surrendered to the British, who then proceeded to not only take over New Amsterdam but all of New Netherland which included all of New York State and parts of New England and New Jersey. Retrieved June 30, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/peter-stuyvesant. Records from the Amsterdam Chamber of the West India Co. New Amsterdam Kitchen Petrus "Peter" Stuyvesant (October 13, 1727 - October 7, 1805) was a New York landowner and merchant who was a great-grandson of his namesake, Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch Director-General of New Amsterdam . Encyclopedia.com. He promised "life, estate, and liberty to all who would submit to the king's authority.". Always an adventurous person, Stuyvesant entered the military in order to serve his country both at home and abroad. Peter Stuyvesant was the colorful and controversial director general of the Dutch colony of New Netherland (presentday New York State). Those concessions proved hollow, for Stuyvesant never ceased to dominate the government. First governor of New Netherland. Stuyvesant called it, 'a Babel of confusion', a biblical reference to the Tower of Babel, where many languages were spoken. But they are also connected to slave owners. Despite all these shortcomings, Stuyvesant was essential to the growthof the city. 2023 . Among the projects built by Stuyvesant's administration were the protective wall on Wall Street, the canal that became Broad Street, and Broadway. More. He rejected the constant pleas of New Amsterdamers for increased democracy, setting up sham advisory councils. He then returned to New York and settled on a farm that had been given to him in 1650 by the directors of the Dutch West India Company. The paucity of descendants bearing his name may have something to do with the fact that Peter Stuyvesant has been blamed for turning over New Amsterdam to the British in 1664. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Stuyvesant retained all of his power, however, and the proclamation did very little to change the structure of the colonial government. Before his mother's death, Peter lived with his family in Scherpenzeel (now in West Stellingwerf), where his father was He also tried to control the Dutch Reformed Church and even banned some of its ministers from the colony. A new plan of municipal government was arranged in the Netherlands, and the name "New Amsterdam" was officially declared on 2 February 1653. "My son Henry, my son Henry, ah my poor child," wrote John Winthrop. The contract for the purchase of Manhattan has been lost, but it is perhaps not too far-fetched to take . Under his leadership the population crossed 1,000 residents. At one time, after leaving the house of the minister, where the consistory [church governing body] had been sitting and had risen, it happened that Arnoldous Van Herdenbergh related the proceedings relative to the estate of Zeger Teunisz, and how he himself, as curator [caretaker], had appealed from the sentence; whereupon the Director [Stuyvesant], who had been sitting there with them as an elder [church official], interrupted him and replied, "It may during my administration be contemplated to appeal, but if any one should do it, I will make him a foot shorter, and send the pieces to Holland, and let him appeal in that way." Dutch Colonial Governor. One of Stuyvesant's first official acts was to organize a naval expedition against the Spaniards operating within the limits of the West India Company's charter. https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/stuyvesant-peter, "Stuyvesant, Peter We do get one quick look because Jesus did give us a forewarning about how Peter would eventually die. She was a direct descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch colonial governor of New York. The chapel is still standing in Manhattan, and it is now known as St. Mark's Episcopal Church. During that time he married Judith Bayard, who was the daughter of a Huguenot minister, and hailed from Breda. About 18 different languages could be heard on the city's streets including: French, English, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. His slaughter of Lenapes fleeing an invasion from a rival tribe prompted a bloody war (Kiefts War) that led to the abandonment of Dutch outposts around the tri-state area. Peter Stuyvesant, Dutch Petrus Stuyvesant, (born c. 1592, Scherpenzeel, Friesland, Netherlandsdied February 1672, near New York, New York [U.S.]), Dutch colonial governor who tried to resist the English seizure of New York. In fact, many New Netherland citizens felt they were better off under English rule than they had been under Stuyvesant. The wharf area was also improved and, in general, things began to shape up, and both the economy and the population increased, reaching 3,000 souls by 1664. Peter Stuyvesant [1610-1672] Early Founder/Historic Leader Peter Stuyvesant, also known as Petrus Stuyvesant, is an important figure in the history of New York City [earlier New Amsterdam], New York State and New Netherland. When a farmer killed a Native American woman for stealing a peach, the Peach War led to New Amsterdam nearly being overrun, as Stuyvesant had left the city defenseless on a successful but ultimately pointless attack on New Sweden in Delaware. . [30] The Dutch settlers mainly belonged to the Dutch Reformed church, a Calvinist denomination, holding to the Three Forms of Unity (Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dordt).