Gerard Pietersz Hulft

Gerard Hulft by Michiel van Musscher (1677)

Gerard Pietersz Hulft (12 December 1621 in Amsterdam – 10 April 1656 in Colombo), was a Dutch general. In 1655 he was sent with a fleet to Ceylon and died in action.

Life

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Hulft was born as the youngest son of the brewer Pieter Hulft, and member of the Civic Guard at the Lastage, a neighborhood near the port of Amsterdam. After concluding his law studies Gerard Hulft was made Secretary to the City Council in 1645, a position he held until 1653.[1] He served under Johan Huydecoper van Maarsseveen, and Cornelis de Graeff. In 1652, a merchant vessel in which he had invested a fortune, was captured by the British. In the ensuing war Hulft hired and kept at his own expense a group of 24 sailors. After the war he lost his job as Secretary due to an administrative conflict with the burgomasters, when he refused to change the wording.[2] He seemed to have been a friend of Govert Flinck, who painted his portrait before his departure to the East.[2]

View of the lake from Rajapihilla Mawatha, on the right the golden roof of the Temple of the Tooth, top left a toque macaque

Enlisting with the VOC, where his brother Joan was a governor, he left for Batavia in April 1654, carrying letters nominating him either as Governor-General or Director-General of the Indies. Upon his arrival in Batavia in October, after a six-month journey, he joined the Council of Indies. In August 1655 the shrewd Joan Maetsuycker sent him with eleven ships and 1120 soldiers to Ceylon.[3] His mission was to crush the Portuguese utterly.[4] Hulft arrived in mid-September in Negombo. During his staying in Ceylon he maintained cordial relations with Rajasinghe II of Sri Lanka, the most powerful king of the island.[5]

Hulft marched from Maggona and fought the Portuguese in the vicinity of the Panadura Moya Kata.[6] The Dutch took the fort of Kalutara by surprise and laid siege to the city of Colombo, in October 1655.[7][8] On their first attack on 12 November, the Dutch lost 300 people, and 350 were seriously wounded. Half a year later Hulft died in action, being hit from the townwall by an arquebus in his right shoulder. This happened a month before the surrender of Colombo and two weeks after his visit to the Royal Palace, as described by the Dutch minister and orientalist Philippus Baldaeus.[9] His corpse was decorated with flowers and fruits and transported to Galle.[10] His ensign Pieter de Bitter brought the news to Batavia.[citation needed]

See also

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Bibliography

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References

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  1. ^ "[anonymous] - Inventories". frick.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  2. ^ a b "Section - CODART - Dutch and Flemish art in museums worldwide". codart.nl. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  3. ^ Balbian Verster, J.F.L. (1932) Gerard Hulft 1621 - 1656, p. 141. In: Yearbook Amstelodamum.
  4. ^ "Homepage - History - VOC/Dutch East India Company - WolvenDaal". wolvendaal.org. Archived from the original on 2011-09-02. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  5. ^ Atlas of Mutual Heritage. "The arrival of general Hulft at the court of Rajasingha II". atlasofmutualheritage.nl.
  6. ^ "Kalutara — An Odyssey". thesundayleader.lk. Archived from the original on 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  7. ^ "Colonial Ceylon | New World | Portugal | Military History | Balagan | Steven Thomas". Archived from the original on 2011-01-06. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  8. ^ Newton, Arthur Percival (1940). The Cambridge history of the British Empire. Vol. 2.
  9. ^ Baldaeus, Philip (1996). A description of the East-India coasts of Malabar and Coromandel and also of the Isle of Ceylon with their adjacent kingdoms and provinces. ISBN 9788120611719.
  10. ^ "Dutch Reformed Church of Galle". AmazingLanka.com. Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
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