David van Nyendael
| David van Nyendael | |
|---|---|
| Envoy of the Netherlands to the Ashanti Empire | |
|
In office 9 October 1701 – 12 October 1702 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1667 Golkonda, Dutch Coromandel |
| Died | October 20, 1702 (aged 35) Elmina, Dutch Gold Coast |
David van Nyendael, also van Nijendael (1667 – 20 October 1702), was a Dutch mulatto merchant and diplomat in the service of the Dutch West India Company, and stationed at the Dutch Gold Coast.
David van Nyendael was born in Golkonda, India, to Jan van Nyendael, a Dutch East India Company employee in Dutch Coromandel, and Barbara de Wit, who, despite her Dutch name, was a local Indian woman. Jan van Nyendael had joined the Dutch East India Company as an apprentice sailor, but managed to climb the ranks to become chief of the Golkonda factory, probably helped by his talent for languages—aside from his native Dutch, he spoke Portuguese, Persian, Hindi, and a local language. Barbara died on 6 July 1677, and Jan died on 28 November 1682, making David van Nyendael an orphan at age 15.
After the death of his father, David van Nyendael left for the Dutch Republic, where he was received by his family, probably his uncle Gosvinus van Nyendael. Some time at the end of the seventeenth century, Van Nyendael employed himself at the Dutch West India Company. As there is no registration of Van Nyendael's application in the minutes of the Amsterdam chamber of the Dutch West India Company, he probably joined the company at the lower rank of assistant or provisional assistant.
Van Nyendael was installed as sub-factor, employed on ships sailing West Africa to ensure smooth barter trade with local peoples. During his second voyage to Benin, he visited the king of Benin in Benin City. His detailed description of this journey was included as an appendix to Willem Bosman's Nauwkeurige beschrijving van de Guinese Goud- Tand- en Slavekust (1703). His description of the kingdom remains valuable as one of the earliest detailed descriptions of Benin.
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