Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck
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Sir Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck |
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Schimmelpenninck around 1805.
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| Grand Pensionary of Batavia | |
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In office 29 April 1805 – 4 June 1806 |
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| Preceded by | Staatsbewind |
| Succeeded by | Carel de Vos van Steenwijk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 October 1761 Deventer, Overijssel, United Provinces |
| Died | 15 February 1825 (aged 63) Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Political party | Patriottentijd, Moderates |
| Spouse(s) | Catharina Nahuys |
| Alma mater | Leiden University |
| Religion | Dutch Reformed |
Sir Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck (31 October 1761 – 15 February 1825), Lord of Nyenhuis, Peckedam and Gellicum, was a Dutch jurist, ambassador and politician who served as Grand Pensionary of the Batavian Republic from 1805 to 1806.
Schimmelpenninck was born into a bastard branch of the noble family Schimmelpenninck van der Oye in Deventer, Overijssel on 31 October 1761. His father, Gerrit Schimmelpenninck, was a wine trader who had no rights in the Dutch Republic because of his commitment to the Mennonite Church. Schimmelpenninck attended Athenaeum Illustre of Deventer, and started studying Roman and Contemporary Law at Leiden University in 1781. He received his doctorate in 1784 with his essay De imperio populari rite temporato, in which he defended Rousseau's doctrine of popular sovereignty, although in which this is limited to the wealthy bourgeoisie. He also spoke positively of the Constitution of the United States with its dominating president in this thesis. The wealthy bourgeoisie, to which Schimmelpenninck belonged, was devoid of any power, particularly in the east of the Netherlands. This frustrated him and others who enjoyed a good education but weren't assigned influential positions in government because of their background and religion, since these were reserved to scions from the nobility and patricians, and limited to followers of the Reformed Church in the eastern provinces. He was one of the first Patriots as a student in Leiden. As the leader of a vrijkorps, he suppressed an insurrection of Orangist students in June 1784.
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