Wilhelmus Beekman

Wilhelmus Beekman (April 28, 1623 – September 21, 1707) — also known as William Beekman and Willem Beekman (or Beeckman) — was a Dutch immigrant to America who came to New Amsterdam (now New York City) from the Netherlands in the same vessel (the ship Princess, on May 27, 1647) with Director-General (afterwards Governor) Peter Stuyvesant. Beekman soon became Treasurer of the Dutch West India Company, beginning a long life in public service that included being Mayor of New York City, Governor of Delaware, 1653-1664 and Governor of Pennsylvania, 1658-1663.

Family

Wilhelmus (William, Willem) Beekman lived at a time when Europe was engaged in religious wars and Protestants had begun to seek refuge from persecution. He was the founder of the Beekman family in America.

Wilhelmus Beekman was the son of Hendrick Beekman, born at Hasselt, Overijssel, Netherlands April 28, 1623; died September 21, 1707. Hendrick married in 1621 at Zutphen, the Netherlands, Mary Baudartius, daughter of the theologian William Baudartius. William Baudartius was one of Dutch Calvinism's most zealously orthodox protagonists. As his participation in the Synod of Dort suggests, Baudartius enjoyed considerable stature as an intellectual leader. At the Synod he had participated not only in the formulation of the doctrines of the Dutch Reformed Church, but also in prescribing its forms of worship. Furthermore, he was one of the handful of scholars selected to make the authorized translation of the Bible into Dutch. In 1632 when the Old Testament translation was completed after many years of effort, it was immediately acclaimed on all sides and has been employed ever since.

Wilhelmus

Wilhelmus van Nassouwe, usually known just as the Wilhelmus (Dutch: Het Wilhelmus; pronounced [ɦɛt ʋɪlˈɦɛlmʏs]; English translation: the William), is the national anthem of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the oldest national anthem in the world. Although it was not recognized as the official national anthem until 1932, it has always been popular with parts of the Dutch population and resurfaced on several occasions in the course of Dutch history before gaining its present status. It was also the anthem of the Netherlands Antilles from 1954–1964.

Like many anthems, the Wilhelmus originated in the nation's struggle to achieve independence. It tells of Willem van Oranje (William of Orange), his life, and why he is fighting against the King of Spain. The anthem is written in the first person, as if quoting William of Orange himself, the I-figure (Early Modern Dutch "ick") in the 1st stanza: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe ben ick van Duytschen bloet ("William of Nassau am I, of Duytschen blood").

Wilhelmus (disambiguation)

Wilhelmus is a Dutch given name and surname. It may refer to:

People with the given name Wilhelmus