Isaac Dorislaus (1595 in

Alkmaar Alkmaar () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland. Alkmaar is well known fo ...

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

– 2 May 1649 at

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, Holland) was a Dutch Calvinist historian and lawyer who was an important official in

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

's period of rule. He came to England as a historian. His lectures were seen as political rhetoric, with references to kings with unjustified power aimed at portraying the reigning monarch,

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

, as a tyrant. Little was done about his propagandizing, however. Dorislaus became advocate general of the army in the first civil war, and for all his previous theorizing about ancient liberties, quickly showed authoritarian tendencies by his attempted introduction of martial law to help him root out Royalists. He is remembered for his part in the

High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I The trial of Charles I was a significant event in English history that took place in January 1649, marking the first time a reigning monarch was tried and executed by his own subjects. Following years of conflict during the English Civil War, ...

, although his role was not prominent, and he was assassinated by Royalists while on a diplomatic mission in his native country. Dorislaus, a Hollander in English service, was appointed by Parliament as ambassador in addition to Strickland. A few days after his arrival, he was murdered by Royalists seeking to avenge Charles I's death.

Background and influence

From a strongly Calvinist family, he was educated at

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

. He arrived in England as the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

's first ever professor of History. From the outset he attacked the legitimacy of kings and justified revolt, as when he emphasized the Anglo-Saxon roots of England before 1066, emphasizing what he saw as democratic freedom enjoyed by all Englishmen before they lost it to the Norman conquerors and also justified the Dutch uprising against Spain. His apparent propagandizing for republicanism and regicide was seen as aimed at the King

, who was suspected of Catholic sympathies and failure to uphold the country's interests against powerful foreign enemies. Despite his thinly veiled condemnation of the reigning royal power, little real action was taken against him apart from his doctorate being delayed. In 1629 he was admitted a commoner of the College of Advocates. In 1632 he made his peace at court, and on two occasions acted as judge advocate, in the Bishops War of 1640 and in 1642 in the army commanded by the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

. Despite his early advocacy of freedom from untrammelled power, once ensconced in a position of authority, Dorislaus attempted to sweep away legal protection for the accused. He assisted in preparing the charge of high treason against Charles I but was not prominent in the proceedings themselves.

Official of Commonwealth

In 1648 he became Judge of the High Court of Admiralty, and was sent on a diplomatic errand to the states-general of Holland, which was accused of having profited from England's civil war. Dorislaus did not live to see the

First Anglo-Dutch War The First Anglo-Dutch War, or First Dutch War, was a naval conflict between the Commonwealth of England and the Dutch Republic. Largely caused by disputes over trade, it began with English attacks on Dutch merchant shipping, but expanded to vast ...

in which the Puritan regime of Cromwell fought its fellow Protestant power over commercial rivalries. While negotiating as a representative of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

in 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 ...

, he was murdered at the Hague by a group of Royalists led by Walter Whitford, largely because of his role in the trial of Charles I. The assassination caused dismay among Cromwell's associates and great jubilation among royalists. His death also strained relations with the Dutch, whom the English Government accused of allowing Whitford to escape. In truth, Whitford had escaped to the Spanish Netherlands with the help of the Portuguese Ambassador, which would have made any attempt by the Dutch to catch him almost impossible. His remains were buried in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, and moved in 1661 to St. Margaret's churchyard.Spencer, Charles, Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I p 33 His death may have loosely inspired the short story ''Gentlemen of the Sealed Knot'' by Geoffrey Trease, about an unsuccessful Royalist attempt to assassinate the English ambassador to the Netherlands.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorislaus, Isaac 1595 births 1649 deaths Burials at St Margaret's, Westminster 17th-century Dutch diplomats Lawyers from The Hague People from Alkmaar Regicides of Charles I Unsolved murders in the Netherlands Assassinated diplomats Dutch murder victims People murdered in the Dutch Republic People murdered in the 1640s

Background and influence

Official of Commonwealth

See also

References