Johannes HendricusAlso spelt in some documents as Henricus or Hendrik. van der Palm (17 July 1763 – 8 September 1840) was a Dutch Assyriologist, linguist, professor of (i) oriental languages and Hebrew antiquities and (ii) sacred poetry and rhetoric at Leiden University, educationist, theologian, Dutch Reformed Church minister, Bible translator, politician and orator. He made major contributions in all these areas.
Life Childhood and education Johannes Hendricus van der Palm was the son of Cornelis van der Palm, a school teacher by profession, head of a renowned Rotterdam boarding school who later held a similar position in Delfshaven. Biographer and relative through marriage Nicolaas Beets described the father as a man of "virtue, intelligence, and refinement, possessed of much ability and learning; for his time, a very accomplished linguist, and a not unsuccessful poet."
Van der Palm's mother was Machteld von Tonsbergen, a member of a middle-class family and directly descended from a Knight of Malta who had left the Order at the time of its decline. Beets described her as having the typical characteristics of a Dutch woman, "homely, industrious, very godly." In addition to Johannes Hendricus, there were seven other children, six brothers and a sister, all of whom lived to adulthood and died earlier than him.
Van der Palm's primary education was provided at home by his father, and for secondary education he attended Rotterdam's Gymnasium Erasmianum in the period 1774 – June 1778.Parlementair Documentatie Centrum Universiteit Leiden (PDCUL). "Dr. J. H. van der Palm". Accessed 20 January 2018.
Then aged 15 years, Van der Palm commenced studies through Leiden University focussing first on letteren (liberal arts) before moving on to theology. Under the supervision of renowned Orientalist Professor Hendrik Schultens, he submitted his doctorate dissertation in September 1783 and defended it publicly at the end of January in the following year. Titled Ecclesiastes philologic et critice illustratus,Van der Palm, Johannes Henricus. "Ecclesiastes philologic et critice illustratus" (Ecclesiastes philologically and critically illustrated). S. en. J. Luchtmans, 1784. it was an examination of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes.
According to a report from an unnamed fellow-student, during his time at university Van der Palm demonstrated "a consistent whole of rare qualities, eminent zeal, agreeable intercourse, virtuous conduct, and a character by which he won the hearts of all who enjoyed his acquaintance and society. At the same time, he gave evidences of those "gifts and powers of mind which by constant culture were carried to so great perfection, and which enabled him, even to old age, to maintain the high position attained by him when in the full maturity of his powers." Not at all straitlaced or over-intellectual, though, the report also says that Van der Palm was "lively, fond of visiting, of walking, of bodily exercises, of the theatre, of sports, and especially of playing at golf . which he did almost daily, and at which he was very expert."
Early professional life Appointment to church ministry
Van der Palm completed his studies at Leiden University in January 1784 and applied for appointment as a Minister in churches close to Leiden. There were several vacancies, but his progress was delayed because, being only 21 years old, he tended to be viewed as too young. He then started applying further afield in the province of Utrecht, and by December of that year he was fourth in place in a list six candidates being considered by Maartensdijk. Having worked to warm the classis (governing body) there in his favour, and following the necessary assessments, the classis made a formal offer to him and he undertook ministry there in March 1786. In November of that same year, he married Alida Bussingh, the daughter of a then-deceased friend of his from Delfshaven, and she joined him in Maartensdijk.
As Beets reports, "The young minister enjoyed in this charge the greatest esteem and love. "The people had much patience with me," he later said. His preaching was heard with great satisfaction. From Utrecht the people came very frequently to hear him, including students from the university." However, according to Beets, "In one thing the youthful minister felt himself deficient, and that too a very important, perhaps the most important part of the gospel ministry, - pastoral work. "In all uprightness," he subsequently wrote (1791) to a friend, "it is not my case, I venture to say it is not my gift; and I never succeeded in it."
At that time Van der Palm was involved with the more moderate side of the Patriot movement, a complex group largely inspired by Europe's so-called Enlightenment principles and whose main objectives were the ending of the Stadtholderate (or stewardship) of William V, Prince of Orange,His Stadholderate had been in demise since 1783 largely because of opposition from the Patriots, and in 1785 he had removed himself and his household from the Hague to Nijmegen in the more remote province of Gelderland. and the democratisation of the Netherlands after the model of the United States.
They were opposed by an equally-complex group called the OrangistsThe words 'Orangist' and 'Orangism derived from the name of the Dutch noble House of Orange which had fulfilled the role of Stadtholder in the Dutch Republic in the period of its operation from 1588 to 1795, with Prince William V of Orange in this role at the time of Van der Palm's life we are discussing here. whose uniting principle was the preservation of the nobility's role either as an absolute monarch or in a Stadtholderate role as had been set up in one form or another in the Dutch Republic from the time of the Spanish withdrawal in 1581 onwards.The Netherlands' relationships within the international context were made more complex by the fact that, at the time of the Anglo-French War (1778–1783), the Patriots were pro-French and pro-American and the Orangists were pro-British, an alliance that was also held in reverse.
Van der Palm had been raised in a household which strongly supported Patriot principles; he in turn met many of similar mind at university, including Professor Schultens, and then again found himself in the company of many more in Maartensdijk. Beets tells how a close friendship with poet Jacobus Bellamy "had blown the youthful fire of excited patriotism into a great flame" and because Van der Palm was seen participating in civilian weapons exercises, and was even advocating this to others from the pulpit, he was criticised by "several people who were calmer, or who were attached to another party."
In the period 1780-1787, the control of the Orangists and Patriots varied from place to place, and specifically in the area relevant to Van der Palm, the Patriots held power in the city of Utrecht while the surrounding province was controlled by the Orangists. Civil war escalated in that period; but the climax arrived in September 1787 when the Prussian army invaded at the order of King Frederick William II of Prussia, allegedly as an angry response to the way his sister, Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, wife of Prince William V, had been arrested by Patriots while on her way to the Hague to argue the case for her husband's reinstallment as Stadtholder. However, she had been released two days later, and the more likely reasons for King Frederick William's action were to assist the Orangists in opposing the Patriots and to restore Prince William to the Stadtholderate.Although Prince William himself, referred to as gun-shy, had indicated that he would only return to the Stadtholderate if invited. Ultimately, Prussia was successful, many Patriots were driven into exile, and Prince William V was restored, briefly, as Stadtholder.
Once the Prussian invasion began, and he was already under attack not so much from residents of his own town as Orangists from Bunschoten, Van der Palm and his wife fled on 16 September, going to Monster in South Holland where his brother-in-law Johannes Wilhelmus BussinghJongelen, Ton. "Bussingh, Johannes Wilhelmus." Biografisch lexicon voor de geschiedenis van het Nederlands protestantisme, Vol. 3. Edited by C. Houtman and others, KOK Publishers, 1998. pp. 68-9. . "Bussingh, Johannes Wilhelmus" Accessed 4 February 2018. was Minister. Despite appeals from some for him to return to Maartensdijk, there was opposition from others; but regardless, Van der Palm had no desire to do so, he tendered his resignation on 30 October, informal acceptance was received on 4 November, and formal release in writing was sent on 12 March 1788. He was 24 years old.
Movement away from ministry Remaining in Monster for the time being, Van der Palm considered his next options which included studying medicine in Leiden, or returning to his former position in Maartensdijk, when in 1787 an answer emerged through the action of Schultens who had been approached about the suitability of another former student for appointment to a position and had, in response and without referral to Van der Palm, put his name forward as equally suitable. The position was in the household of wealthy nobleman Johan AdriaanAdriaen in some sources. van de Perre.See Encyclopedie van Zeeland (EZ). "Van de Perre". Accessed 23 January 2018.
At this time, Van de Perre was 51 years old and living in a 'palatial' house called De Commanderij which he and his wife Jacoba van den Brande had built in his birthplace Middelburg within the province of Zeeland. He held the title Lord of NieuwerveEZ "Nieuwerve". Accessed 26 January 2018. and Welsingen, was the leader of the Orangist movement in his area, and in his professional life had served as a magistrate, before being appointed as chief magistrate whereby he also became representative of Prince William V in his role as Stadtholder of Walcheren,Walcheren is an island on which Middelburg is located. a member of the Council of Zeeland, and representative of the province to the States-General.The States-General (Staten-Generaal) was the central body which operated within the Dutch Republic (Republiek der Verenigde Nederlanden) in the period 1588–1795. It was made up of representatives of the seven northern Dutch provinces constituted within the Republic, and each province had one vote in the decision-making process.
By the end of 1778 Van de Perre had resigned from all these positions so he could pursue his personal interests, especially in the sciences. He was an avid collector of arts objects, had already developed a large, comprehensive library, set up a science museum and engaged in scientific researchFor example, he was the first person to launch a balloon as part of his experiments in meteorology. (much of it in collaboration with his wife whose specific interest was physics).Van de Perre assisted her in founding the Natuurkundig Genootschap der Dames te Middelburg (Physics Society of Women in Middelburg) and often gave lectures at its meetings. He was also a charitable and generous man who frequently gave money to assist people in poverty, and he had a strong commitment to providing education especially for those to whom this was normally inaccessible.