Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol

Joan Derk, Baron van der Capellen tot den Pol (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjoːɑn vɑn dər kɑˈpɛlən tɔt dən ˈpɔl]; 2 November 1741, Tiel – 6 June 1784, Zwolle) was a Dutch nobleman who played a prominent role in the revolutionary events that preceded the formation of the Batavian Republic. As a member of the Patriots and inspired by the American Revolution, he wrote the noted pamphlet Aan het Volk van Nederland ("To the People of the Netherlands"), pleading for a more liberal society and the end of the Stadtholder regime, which had been marked by corruption and nepotism. He was also an ardent supporter of the legal recognition of the recently created United States of America.

Van der Capellen became a member of the States of Overijssel in 1772. It was the beginning of his political career. He described himself as a "born regent", but that did not prevent him from being an ardent champion of the Enlightenment ideals and a critic of the Dutch Old Regime.

For that reason, his opponents compared Van der Capellen's public appearance with the style of the English politician John Wilkes. Wilkes criticized the policy of King George III and his ministers, but became very popular. This was partly due to his strategic use of the political press. The press also became a powerful weapon in the hands of Van der Capellen and his patriot friends.

As a member of the States Van der Capellen applied himself to the abolition of the so-called "drostendiensten", which compelled the farmers of Overijssel to labour for a pittance a few days every year for the local magistrate, the Drost ("bailiff"). This relic from medieval times was wrongfully applied in his opinion.

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