Henri van der Noot, in Dutch Hendrik van der Noot, and popularly called Heintje van der Noot or Vader Heintje (7 January 1731 – 12 January 1827), was a jurist, lawyer and politician from Brabant. He was one of the main figures of the

Brabant Revolution The Brabant Revolution or Brabantine Revolution (, ), sometimes referred to as the Belgian Revolution of 1789–1790 in older writing, was an armed revolution, insurrection that occurred in the Austrian Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) between O ...

(1789–1790) against the Imperial rule of

Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

. This revolution led to the short-lived existence of the

United States of Belgium The United Belgian States ( or '; ; ), also known as the United States of Belgium, was a short-lived confederation, confederal republic in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) established under the Brabant Revolution. It existed from Jan ...

with himself as President of the National CongressDocuments Illustrating the History of Belgium. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, External Trade and Cooperation in Development. Brussels. 1978
Volume 2: From Prehistoric Times to 1830
(Memo from Belgium, Views and Surveys series, number 180). Page 198. (11 January 1790 – 2 December 1790).

Family

He was the son of Nicolas van der Noot, Lord of Vrechem, and is distantly related to the current Marquess of Assche.

Overview

Two lawyers, Jan Frans Vonck and Henri Van der Noot, were the leaders of the revolt but each represented a different faction. The Vonckists were inspired by the French Revolution (1789–1799) and sought a link-up with the people and the patriot army. The Statists led by Van der Noot strived for the restoration of old privileges of the nobility and the church such as the "

Joyous Entry A Joyous Entry (; ) is a ceremonial event marking the entry into a city by a monarch, prince, duke, or governor in parts of modern-day Belgium. Originating in the Middle Ages, it generally coincided with the affirmation or extension of the city' ...

" and sought cooperation with the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

. However, at the court case of apothecary Elyse Mertens, after witnessing the suspect's organized defense, the two ultimately made the decision to launch a fight together against the crown. In contrast to Vonck, who was of the opinion that the Belgian people themselves had to fight against the despot of Vienna, Van der Noot had more confidence in obtaining foreign support. In 1788 Van der Noot travelled to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, the

and

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

to get attention for the cause of Brabant liberty. Only Prussia, which itself had beaten the Dutch patriots in 1787, was inclined to support the Belgian patriots as they were at that time anti-Austrian. Van der Noot had less success seeking support from the last Grand Pensionary of Holland,

Laurens Pieter van de Spiegel Laurens Pieter van de Spiegel (19 January 1736, in Middelburg, Zeeland, Middelburg – 7 May 1800, in Lingen) was Grand Pensionary of Zeeland and, from 9 November 1787 to 4 February 1795, of Holland. He was an Orangism (Netherlands), Orangist, whic ...

. In October 1789 Van der Noot and General Vander Meersch with a small patriot army from

Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...

captured the entire province of Brabant. In his first concurred (or freed) town, ''

Hoogstraten Hoogstraten () is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises Hoogstraten, Meer, Meerle, Meersel-Dreef, Minderhout and Wortel (Meersel-Dreef includes the northernmost point in Belgium). Ho ...

'', Van der Noot published his Manifesto of the Brabant People on 24 October 1789. The document explains why the people of Brabant have the right to disobedience against a ruler. The main argument is that the will of a nation is the highest law and if that is violated by a ruler the nation has the right to revolt against the ruler. Hendrik van der Noot gravestone

Van der Noot captured Turnhout, defeating the Imperials in the Battle of Turnhout on 27 October and Ghent was taken on 13 November. On 17 November the imperial regents Albert of Saxony and Archduchess Maria Christina fled Brussels. The remains of the imperial forces withdrew behind the citadel walls of Luxembourg and Antwerp. Van der Noot declared Brabant independent, and all other provinces of the Austrian Netherlands with the exception of Luxembourg soon followed suit. On 11 January 1790 they signed a pact, establishing a confederation, headed by Van der Noot, under the name ''Verenigde Nederlandse Staten''/''États-Belgiques-Unis'' (

). When Prussia abandoned the revolt after the signing the Convention of Reichenbach (27 July 1790) with the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

the fragile state soon came under attack by the Imperials of Leopold II, who had succeeded his brother Joseph II after the latter's death on 20 February 1790. In November 1790 Van der Noot had to flee to the Dutch Republic and thereafter to England. In 1792 he made an appeal for cooperation with the French occupiers (1794–1815). He returned to Brabant but was arrested 1796 and imprisoned in 's Hertogenbosch. He died in 1826 in Strombeek, and his tomb is located in the wall of the vicar's compound of the Sint-Amandsparochie in Strombeek-Bever.

References

External links

Manuscript of Henri van der Noot on his captivity in 1796
(archived 2 October 2011)
Political trial of Henri van der Noot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noot, Hendrik van der 1731 births 1827 deaths Belgian nobility Jurists from Brussels Independence activists of the Brabant Revolution Lawyers from the Austrian Netherlands Politicians from Brussels

Family

Overview

See also

References

External links