Jan Willem Janssens
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Jonkheer Jan Willem Janssens GCMWO |
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._Gouverneur_van_de_Kaapkolonie_en_gouverneur-generaal_van_Nederlands_Oost_Indi%C3%AB_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-2219.jpeg)
Portrait by Jan Willem Pieneman.
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| Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies | |
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In office 1811–1811 |
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| Preceded by | Herman Willem Daendels |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Minto |
| Governor of the Dutch Cape Colony | |
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In office 1803–1806 |
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| Preceded by | Jacob Abraham Uitenhage de Mist |
| Succeeded by | David Baird |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
12 October 1762 Nijmegen, Guelders, Dutch Republic |
| Died | 23 May 1838 (aged 75) The Hague, Netherlands |
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.
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 Napoleonic Wars, he held the rank of colonel, and was wounded in the campaign.
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.
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