De Witt, JAN

De Witt, JAN, a celebrated statesman of Holland, born at Dort in 1625, was the son of Jacob de Witt, a vehement opponent of William II., Prince of Orange. Jan inherited his father's hatred of the office of stadtholder, and of the family that filled it. His education was carefully attended to, and he soon exhibited remarkable ability. He was one of the deputies sent by the States of Holland in 1652 to Zealand, for the purpose of dissuading that province from adopting an Orange policy, and there his eloquence secured him universal confidence. In the same year he was made grand pensionary. The Orange party (supported by the populace and the clergy), during the war carried on between England and Holland, was ever striving to increase the power of the young prince (afterwards William III.), who was then a mere infant; the republican, or oligarchic party, composed of the nobles and the wealthier burgesses, at the head of which was De Witt, on the other hand sought to strip the House of Orange of all power, and to abolish entirely the office of stadtholder. During William's minority the advantage was, of course, with De Witt and the republicans. In 1654, on the conclusion of the war with England, a secret article was inserted in the treaty drawn up between De Witt and Cromwell, in virtue of which the House of Orange was to be deprived of all state-offices. After the restoration of Charles II., De Witt leaned more to the side of France, all the more when hostilities were renewed between England and Holland in 1665. During the two years' war De Witt's influence declined, but his star paled altogether when the designs of Louis XIV. upon the Spanish Netherlands became manifest. The Orange party carried their point in the elevation of William to the family dignity of stadtholder; and on the invasion of the Netherlands by Louis XIV. in 1672, the Prince of Orange was appointed commander of the Dutch forces. The first campaign proved unfortunate, which did not improve the temper of the people towards De Witt, who had previously resigned his office of grand pensionary. His brother, Cornelius, accused of conspiring against the life of the stadtholder, was imprisoned and tortured. De Witt went to see him on his release. When they were coming out of prison, they were attacked by an infuriated crowd, and were both murdered, August 20, 1672. The States-general demanded an investigation, and the punishment of the murderers, but the stadtholder did not take the necessary steps. De Witt was personally a man of upright character. Among his writings are his Memoirs (1709) and his Letters (6 vols. 1723-25). See the Lives by Simons (1832-36), Knottenbelt (1862), J. Geddes (vol. i. Lond. 1879), and Pontalis (Eng. trans. 2 vols. 1885).