Johannes Thedens (1680 – 19 March 1748) was

Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies The governor-general of the Dutch East Indies (, ) represented Dutch rule in the Dutch East Indies between 1610 and Dutch recognition of the independence of Indonesia in 1949. Occupied by Japanese forces between 1942 and 1945, followed by the ...

from 6 November 1741 until 28 May 1743. Thedens, born in a largely Dutch settlement in

Friedrichstadt Friedrichstadt (; ; ; ; ) is a town in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the river Eider approx. 12 km (7 miles) south of Husum. History The town was founded in 1621 by Dutch settlers. Duk ...

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been di ...

, sailed on 17 December 1697 as a soldier aboard the ''Unie'' to the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

. In 1702 he was appointed to the post of 'Assistant' in the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

and in 1719, to 'Buyer' (''koopman''). He then progressed (between 1723 and 1725) up through the ranks to 'Chief Buyer' (''opperkoopman'') then 'Head of Post' (''

opperhoofd is a Dutch word (plural ) that literally translates to "upper-head", meaning "supreme headman". The Danish cognate , which is a calque derived from a Danish pronunciation of the Dutch or Low German word, is also treated here. The standard Ge ...

'') at

Deshima or Deshima, in the 17th century also called , was an artificial island off Nagasaki, Japan, that served as a trading post for the Portuguese (1570–1639) and subsequently the Dutch (1641–1858). For 220 years, it was the central con ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

.Historiographical Institute. (1988). ''Historical documents relating to Japan in foreign countries,'' Vol. I, pp. 36, 131, 136. In 1731, he was co-opted to the

Council of the Indies A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

and in 1736, he was made a full member (''Raad-ordinair of Indie''). In 1740 he was appointed by the Directors as a 'First Councillor and Director General' of the Indies. On 6 November 1741, following the dismissal of

Adriaan Valckenier Adriaan Valckenier (6 June 1695 – 20 June 1751) served as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1737 to 1741. He is primarily known for his role in the 1740 Batavia massacre. Valckenier was arrested for his involvement in 1742 and su ...

(whom he had arrested and placed in prison in the castle at Batavia), he became 'interim'

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

. He continued in office up to 28 May 1743, and was able to overcome the Chinese insurrection and put the sugar trade on a better footing. He was succeeded by

Gustaaf Willem baron van Imhoff Gustaaf Willem, Baron van Imhoff (8 August 1705 – 1 November 1750) was a Dutch colonial administrator for the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He served as Governor of Ceylon from 1736 to 1740 and as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies fr ...

. He died in Batavia.

Notes

References

* '. (1963). ''Historical documents relating to Japan in foreign countries: an inventory of microfilm acquisitions in the library of the Historiographical Institute, the University of Tokyo.'
OCLC 450710
* Paulus, J., Graaff, S. d., Stibbe, D. G., Spat, C., Stroomberg, J., & Sandbergen, F. J. W. H. (1917). ''Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch-Indië''. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff * Putten, L.P. van, 2002 ''Ambitie en onvermogen : gouverneurs-generaal van Nederlands-Indië 1610-1796''.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thedens, Johannes 1680 births 1748 deaths 18th-century Dutch people Governors-general of the Dutch East Indies 18th-century Dutch colonial governors Dutch chiefs of factory in Japan People from Friedrichstadt

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