Jan Willem Janssens GCMWO (1762 - 1838)

Born 12 Oct 1762 in Nijmegen, Gelderland, Nederland

Husband of Anna Barbara (Balneavis) Janssens — married 1786 in Den Haag, Holland, Nederland

Descendants

Died 23 May 1838 at age 75 in Den Haag, Zuid-Holland, Nederland

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Preceded by 1st Governor after the Treaty of Amiens (25 March 1802) Jacob de Mist

Jan Janssens 2nd Governor of the Batavian_Republic as agreed with the Treaty of Amiens (25 March 1802) 25 September 1804 - 8 January 1806

Succeeded by {{{after}}}

Jan Willem Janssens GCMWO was part of the settlement of the Dutch Cape Colony. Join: Cape of Good Hope - Kaap de Goede Hoop (1652-1806) Project Discuss: dutch_cape_colony

Biography

Jhr. Jan Willem Janssens GCMWO (12 October 1762 – 23 May 1838) was a Dutch nobleman, soldier and statesman who served both as the governor of the Cape Colony and governor-general of the Dutch East Indies.^[1]

General Jan Willem Janssens

Jan Willem Janssens was born on 12 October 1762 in the city Nijmegen ^[1] in the eastern part of the Dutch Republic. His military career began when he was nine years old, when he entered the Dutch army as a cadet in the infantry Regiment 'Van Aylva' in 1771. The regiment renamed 'Van Burmania' on 24 December 1772, Janssens entered 'real' service when he was eleven years old, March 1775. His presence with the regiment lasted longer as its colonels; on 12 September the regiment was renamed 'Prince Frederik van Oranje-Nassau', and in this regiment Janssens became an ensign on 5 February 1777. Again, the regiment was renamed, and became on 5 November 1784 Regiment No. 1 'De Schepper'. On 5 April 1785 Janssens became quartermaster of the 2nd battalion of his regiment. During the patriot rising in Holland in 1787, the regiment choose the side of the Stadtholder, and remained in the province Noord-Brabant during the Prussian invasion, missing action.[2] Probably because of staying on the victorious side, on 31 December 1787 Janssens was promoted 1st lieutenant. However, finally he would leave the regiment, to become a captain on 12 December 1788, commanding the grenadier-company of the 2nd battalion / Infantry Regiment No. 18 'Van Pabst'. His rank became effective two years later, on 25 February 1790. Regarding the colonels, the same pattern continued; in April 1793 the regiment was renamed 'Von Wartensleben'. Janssens served during 1793-'94 with the regiment in Flanders, in the campaign against the French. On 13 September 1793 he was wounded by a musket ball in his right shoulder, during the capture of Menin. He took part in the siege of Lanrécies (20-30 April 1794), and the battle of Fleurus on 26 June 1794.

After the defeat of the Dutch and British troops by the French in the beginning of 1795, the Dutch Republic was changed in the Batavian Republic, a French satellite state. The Batavian army was reorganised along French lines, and Janssens regiment, much depleted by the heavy fighting, became the 3rd battalion of the 1st Halve Brigade ('Demi-Brigade'). However because of his wounds, received during the above campaign, Janssens was pensioned out of the standing army, and assigned to the administration of the French troops present in the Batavian Republic on 16 June 1796.[3] His administrative capabilities soon came to the surface, and already the next year, on 11 March 1797, Janssens became First-Commissary of the Administration, and entrusted with a number of missions to France in 1797, 1798 and 1800. On 29 March 1800 he became secretary of the Department of War, but resigned this post on 10 October 1800, staying advisor of the Agent of War. On 29 January 1801 he resumed the function as First-Commissary of the Administration of the French troops in the Batavian Republic.

Cape of Good Hope, 1802 – 1810

Following the Peace of Amiens on 25 March 1802, the Cape of Good Hope, captured by the British, would be returned to the Batavian Republic. Already during the preliminaries before the peace was signed, on 18 February 1802, 39 years old Janssens was appointed Governor-General and Commander in Chief of the Batavian colony at the Cape of Good Hope. He received the rank of Lieutenant-General in the Batavian Army and a salary of 50,000 guilders, a big achievement for someone so young, even during this era, and in addition promoted from Captain to Lieutenant-General after having fulfilled only administrative functions! Discharged honourable from his function as First-Commissary on 28 May, it would last until 5 August before he left for the Cape of Good Hope, sailing on the 'Bato', part of the squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Dekker. The squadron arrived at the roads of Capetown on 24 December 1802, and on 21 February 1803 Janssens took over government from the British. Expecting that peace would not last long, he immediately ordered defence works to be raised and existing ones strengthened. And as he expected, the Peace of Amiens was short-lived and on 16 May the British declared war again. Janssens was however ordered to send most of his garrison to Java, which possession was estimated of more importance by the Batavian Government then the Cape of Good Hope. All that was left to him were 1,900 men, Batavians and the 5th Waldeck Battalion in Batavian service, augmented by a few hundred trained Hottentots.[4] However, it took some time before the British would return. Only on 4 January 1806, General Baird landed with 10,000 men at the Tafelbaai, near Capetown. Capetown, defended by the Waldeck battalion, surrendered and was occupied by the British. Janssens retreated with about 1,500 men remaining, making himself no illusions about his chance to defeat the British. On 18 January, a battle was fought between the British invaders and Janssens, at the plain of Blauwberg. Janssens lost, receiving a concussion to his right hip by a musket ball during the battle, and was forced to capitulate on 23 January. Permitted to leave for the Batavian Republic with his garrison on British ships Janssens left Capetown on 5 March. He arrived in his homeland at The Hague on 8 June 1806.

Things had changed during his absence. Napoleon had decided to abolish the Batavian Republic and to create the Kingdom of Holland, to be ruled by his brother, Louis Napoleon, who would be known as Koning Lodewijk by the Dutch. King Louis, needing all the support he could get, immediately recognised the benefits he could get by winning over Janssens to his side. Offered on 11 July 1806 to become Secretary-General of the Department of War, and Privy Council Extraordinary with the 4th Section ('War') of the State Council[5] for the year 1806, Janssens had no reluctance to accept. One after the other, Janssens received and fulfilled a number of appointments, but saw no active duty: 24 September 1806, Quartermaster-General of the Expeditionary Army, destined for Germany; 7 October, Quartermaster-General of the Army of the North in Germany under King Louis; 4 November, Governor-General of Westphalia occupied by the Dutch troops; 15 December, Director-General of the War Administration; 1 January 1807, Privy Council in normal service with the 3rd Section ('War and Navy') of the State Council for the year 1807, and on 6 March also Privy Council in normal service with the 4th Section ('War').

In addition, Janssens was distinguished for his good conduct by being appointed a Knight in the Koninklijke Orde van Verdienste ('Royal Order of Merit') on 1 January 1807.[6] On 28 May 1807 he was confirmed in his rank of Lieutenant-General on half-pay, receiving his payment from 19 January 1806. His career continued: on 26 June 1807 he was appointed President of the 3rd Section ('War and Navy') of the Sate Council, replacing Dirk van Hogendorp, who fell in disgrace because of his pro-Napoleonic feelings. Again Janssens was distinguished by being appointed Commander in the Koninklijke Orde der Unie on 25 November 1807. And again replacing Dirk van Hogendorp, Janssens became on 7 December Minister of War of the Kingdom of Holland. As a Lieutenant-General he was pensioned on 1 January 1808. While continuing being Minister of War, in addition for the years 1808 and 1809 he was appointed Privy Council Extraordinary with the 3rd Section ('War and Marine') of the State Council. On 27 March 1809, Janssens was replaced as Minister of War because of his ill health. On his own request, because of the same reason, on 22 May of the same year he was pensioned as Minister of War, receiving a pension of 8,000 guilders, and retaining his rank as Lieutenant-General and his function as Privy Council Extraordinary.

On 8 July he was distinguished by being made a knight of the Grootkruis ^[2]

Knight of the Imperial Order of the Reunion (in Dutch), 7 March 1812 ^[3] of the Militaire Willemsorde, and appointed Chancellor of the Order. On 7 November 1816 he was authorized to wear his decoration of grand officier de la Légion d'honneur, to be confirmed by the King of France on 6 October 1817. Finally, Janssens became also a member of the Netherlands nobility when he was made a Jonkheer by Royal Order ^[4] of 24 November 1816. On 10 November 1828 he was also promoted to General of Infantry, the highest rank existing in the Netherlands army. On 9 January 1834 Janssens was charged with the function of Chancellor of the Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw ('Order of the Netherlands Lion'). This would be his last appointment; he died on 23 May 1838 ^[1] in The Hague, 75 years old. ^[5]

Awards

Commander of the Order of the Union, 25 November 1807 ^{[1] [5]}

Grand Cross of the Order of the Union, 3 February 1808 ^{[1] [5]}

Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, 16 May 1811 ^{[1] [5]}

Grand Cross of the Order of the Reunion, 22 February 1812 ^{[1] [5]}

Grand Cross of the Military William Order (KB No.16, 8 July 1815) ^{[1] [5]}

Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion ^{[1] [5]}

Early life

"Born in Nijmegen, his military career began at the age of nine when he became a cadet in the Dutch army. He rose through the ranks and by 1793, at the start of the Revolutionary Wars, he held the rank of colonel, and was wounded in the campaign."

Batavian Republic

"The Dutch surrender in 1795 made way for the mostly peaceful establishment of the Batavian Republic, a satellite state under Napoleon's growing empire. From 1795 to 1802, Colonel Janssens served mostly as an administrator within the new Batavian Army. He was appointed governor of the Cape Colony upon its return to the Dutch by the British under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. Arriving in early 1803, he attempted to strengthen the defences of the colony, but found resources lacking, having few trained troops at his disposal and the political situation tenuous at best. During this time, he was promoted to Lieutenant-General. The start of the War of the Third Coalition marked another British invasion of the Cape Colony. Janssens was under no impression that he had the ability to defeat the British force, led by Lieutenant-General Sir David Baird, yet he mobilized his forces and engaged the British on 8 January 1806, at the Battle of Blaauwberg, near Cape Town. His force was routed and the Cape Colony was surrendered to the British for the last time on January 18. Under the terms of the surrender, Janssens was transported back to the Netherlands, arriving at the Hague on 8 June 1806. By the time Janssens surrendered to the British, the war in Europe had ended with the Treaty of Pressburg. When he returned to the Netherlands, Napoleon had already installed his brother Louis Bonaparte as the king of the newly formed Kingdom of Holland."

Kingdom of Holland and the French Empire

"Louis Bonaparte named Janssens Secretary-General of the Department of War upon his return. He held a series of high-ranking administrative posts within the kingdom until the abdication of Louis Napoleon and the annexation of the Netherlands by France in 1810. On 11 November 1810, he was appointed governor-general of the territory known, before the annexation, as the Dutch East Indies, replacing Herman Willem Daendels. He arrived in Batavia, Java on 15 May 1811 and immediately involved himself in efforts to strengthen the colony's defenses. Java benefited from a larger amount of both Dutch and French troops, as well as better defenses, compared to the Cape Colony. However, the British invasion fleet arrived shortly thereafter, on 30 July, led by Sir Samuel Auchmuty. Janssens mounted a defense that centered around the existing fortifications, namely Meester Cornelis. However, the French soldiers under his command lacked well-trained officers and as the British laid siege to the fortress, Janssens personally led a futile defense and was forced to retreat to Buitenzorg (later the place of residence of the British governor-general, Sir Stamford Raffles). A large number of French soldiers were captured during the retreat and ensuing pursuit and Janssens was forced to surrender on 18 September 1811. He was imprisoned in Britain until 12 November 1812, when he was repatriated to the Netherlands. In mid-March 1814, Janssens collected 3,600 French soldiers from various garrisons and successfully marched through Allied-held territory to join Napoleon at Reims. At the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube his division was assigned to the corps commanded by Marshal Michel Ney. On 21 March 1814 his division was embroiled in a terrific struggle for the village of Grand-Torcy during which he was wounded. He resigned his post in the French Army on 9 April 1814."

Post-Napoleonic War career

"Janssens was involved with the nascent Kingdom of the Netherlands as the provisional Commissary-General of War, but he resigned his post after his request to be posted once again as the governor-general of the Dutch East Indies was denied. He resigned from active duty on 22 May 1815."

Marriage and family

In 1786 he married Anna Barbara Balneavis, with issue one daughter and one son.

Death

He died on 23 May 1838 in The Hague, aged 75, a highly decorated veteran.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} Jan Willem Janssens. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, [1]. Seen and entered July 23, 2017 by Susanna de Bruyn
2. ↑ Order of the Union. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [2]. The Order of the Union (Dutch: Orde van de Unie) was a chivalric order established in 1806 by Louis Napoleon, younger brother of Napoleon I, for the Kingdom of Holland. The order was abolished in 1811 when the French Empire absorbed the Kingdom of Holland. It was succeeded by the Order of the Reunion. Seen and entered July 23, 2017 by Susanna de Bruyn
3. ↑ Orde van de Reünie, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [3]. De Keizerlijke Orde van de Reünie (Frans: Ordre Imperial de la Réunion) werd gesticht door de keizer van Frankrijk, Napoleon I, op 11 oktober 1811 (andere bronnen noemen 18 oktober). Seen and entered July 23, 2017 by Susanna de Bruyn
4. ↑ Jonkheer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [4]. Jonkheer (female equivalent: Jonkvrouw) is a Dutch honorific of nobility. In Belgium, the title of Écuyer (in French) or Jonkheer/Jonkvrouw (in Dutch) is the lowest title within the nobility system, recognised by the Court of Cassation.[1][citation needed] It is the cognate and equivalent of the German noble honorific Junker, which was historically used throughout the German-speaking part of Europe, and to some extent also within Scandinavia. Seen and entered July 23, 2017 by Susanna de Bruyn
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6} Research subject. Lieutenant General Jan Willem Janssens. By Geert van Uythoven. Napolian series, Lieutenant General Jan Willem Janssens. Seen and entered July 23, 2017 by Susanna de Bruyn

• Biography of Jan Willem Janssens, biography in Dutch on Wikipedia.Jan_Willem_Janssens. Seen and entered July 23, 2017 by Susanna de Bruyn

• Wikipedia, Jan Willem Janssens GCMWO.[5]

• Geni.[6]