Frederick Coyett

Frederick Coyett
Bust of Coyett in Tainan
12th Governor of Formosa
In office 30 June 1656 – 1 February 1662
Preceded by	Cornelis Caesar
Succeeded by	none
14th Opperhoofd at Dejima
In office 4 November 1652 – 10 November 1653
9th Opperhoofd at Dejima
In office 3 November 1647 – 9 December 1648
Personal details
Born	c. 1615 , Swedish Empire
Died	17 October 1687 Amsterdam, Dutch Republic
Nationality	Swedish
Spouse(s)	Susanna Boudaens (1645–1656) Helena de Sterke (1658–?)
Children	Balthasar Coyett

Frederick Coyett (Chinese: 揆一; pinyin: Kuíyī; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kûi-it), born in c. 1615, buried in Amsterdam on 17 October 1687, was a Swedish nobleman and the last colonial governor for the Dutch colony of Formosa. He was the first Swede to travel to Japan and China and became the last governor of Dutch-occupied Taiwan (1656–1662).

In common with many people of the time, Coyett's name was spelled differently at different times and by different people. Frederick could also be Fredrik or Fredrick, and Coyett was also spelled Coyet, Coignet or Coijet.

It is supposed Coyett was born in , Sweden, in a family with Dutch/Flemish roots. His father, a goldsmith, died in 1634 in Moscow. Peter Julius Coyet was his brother. From 1647 (?) he worked for the Dutch East India Company. Coyett served twice as the VOC Opperhoofden in Japan, serving as the chief officer in Dejima first between 3 November 1647 and 9 December 1648 and then between 4 November 1652 and 10 November 1653.

Frederick Coyett was the brother-in-law of François Caron, both involved in releasing ten Dutch prisoners. Their discussion centered on the Nambu affair of 1643, when the skipper Hendrick Cornelisz Schaep and nine members of the crew of the Breskens were captured in Yamada in Iwate Prefecture.

Unhappily for the Breskens’ crew, a group of four Jesuits intent on infiltrating into Japan had been caught at around the same time in a different part of Japan. As a result, bakufu officials were extremely anxious about the problem of coastal defenses. However after it was understood that the crew were Dutch and not Catholics, bakufu fears were calmed and the problem to be solved became one of deciding by which procedure the Dutch should be released.