Lambert Reynst (1613–1679) was a Dutch

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...

and politician of the

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the Go ...

. Born in Amsterdam, he belonged to the "republican"

Dutch States Party The Dutch States Party ( nl, Staatsgezinde partij) was a political faction of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. This republican faction is usually (negatively) defined as the opponents of the Orangist, or faction, who supported the monar ...

Family

He came from the patrician

Reynst family The Reijnst family was a family of soldiers and politicians in the Dutch Republic. Their surname was also spelled Reynst or Rijnst. The family played an important role in the Dutch East India Company, the Navy, Amsterdam government and as Art coll ...

and was the son of Hendrick Reynst and his wife Elisabeth Prinsen. He was also a cousin of the Grand Pensionary

Johan de Witt Johan de Witt (; 24 September 1625 – 20 August 1672), ''lord of Zuid- en Noord-Linschoten, Snelrewaard, Hekendorp en IJsselvere'', was a Dutch statesman and a major political figure in the Dutch Republic in the mid-17th century, the F ...

and brother in Law of

Cornelis de Graeff Cornelis de Graeff, also Cornelis de Graeff van (Zuid-)Polsbroek (15 October 1599 – 4 May 1664) was the most illustrious member of the De Graeff family. He was a mayor of Amsterdam from the Dutch Golden Age and a powerful Amsterdam regent after ...

and his brother

Andries de Graeff Andries de Graeff (19 February 1611 – 30 November 1678) was a powerful member of the Amsterdam branch of the De Graeff - family during the Dutch Golden Age. He became a mayor of Amsterdam and a powerful Amsterdam regent after the death of his ...

, with whom he sat together in the Amsterdam Vroedschap during the

Rampjaar In Dutch history, the year 1672 is referred to as the nl, Rampjaar, label=none (Disaster Year). In May 1672, following the outbreak of the Franco-Dutch War and its peripheral conflict the Third Anglo-Dutch War, France, supported by Münster and ...

1672. Lambert himself married Alida, daughter of Cornelis Bicker and Aertge Witsen.

Life

Reynst worked as a lawyer and between 1649 and 1655 was a counsellor for the Dutch Admiralty in the Noorderkwartier. The family lived on Keizersgracht 71. In 1667 he became a 'bewindhebber' or governor of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock c ...

and was made mayor of Amsterdam in 1667, 1668 and 1672. As mayor, he held a reception for Cosimo III de' Medici at the

Van Campen Theatre The Theatre of Van Campen ( nl, Schouwburg van Van Campen, ) was a theatre located at Keizersgracht 384 in Amsterdam. It was the first city theatre, based on the Teatro Olimpico in Italy. Since 1999 the building has been occupied by "" hotel. ...

. When the Dutch Republic was attacked by Britain and France in the '

rampjaar In Dutch history, the year 1672 is referred to as the nl, Rampjaar, label=none (Disaster Year). In May 1672, following the outbreak of the Franco-Dutch War and its peripheral conflict the Third Anglo-Dutch War, France, supported by Münster and ...

' of 1672, the Dutch people turned to Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis. After the death of both brothers and the rise of

William III of Orange William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic fro ...

stadtholder In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

, Reynst, his brother-in-law

, his cousins

Pieter Pieter is a male given name, the Dutch form of Peter. The name has been one of the most common names in the Netherlands for centuries, but since the mid-twentieth century its popularity has dropped steadily, from almost 3000 per year in 1947 ...

, Jacob de Graeff and Hans Bontemantel and nine others were dismissed. Reynst's successor as mayor was

Johannes Hudde Johannes (van Waveren) Hudde (23 April 1628 – 15 April 1704) was a burgomaster (mayor) of Amsterdam between 1672 – 1703, a mathematician and governor of the Dutch East India Company. As a "burgemeester" of Amsterdam he ordered that t ...

. Between 1667 and 1672 Reynst was 'ambachtsheer' of

Amstelveen Amstelveen () is a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands with a population of 92.353 as of 2022. It is a suburban part of the Amsterdam metropolitan ar ...

and

Nieuwer-Amstel Amstelveen () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands with a population of 92.353 as of 2022. It is a suburban part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the historical village ...

. Reynst's housekeeper was Eeltien Vinck, who in 1668 married the painter

Meindert Hobbema Meindert Lubbertszoon Hobbema (bapt. 31 October 1638 – 7 December 1709) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of landscapes, specializing in views of woodland, although his most famous painting, '' The Avenue at Middelharnis'' (1689, National Galle ...

; the same year Hobbema obtained a job with the city council, and reduced his painting.Loughman, John, "Hobbema, Meindert" in ''

Grove Art Online ''Grove Art Online'' is the online edition of ''The Dictionary of Art'', often referred to as the ''Grove Dictionary of Art'', and part of Oxford Art Online, an internet gateway to online art reference publications of Oxford University Press, ...

'', Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 12 May. 2017
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/ref> Aernout van Overbeke, a 17th-century humorist, described Reynst as the city's greatest "hoerenjager" (literally, whore-hunter), which could mean one who frequented prostitutes or one who prosecuted them. He died in Amsterdam.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reynst, Lambert Mayors of Amsterdam Administrators of the Dutch East India Company 17th-century Dutch people 1613 births 1679 deaths