Court Lambertus van Beyma

Coert or Court Lambertus van Beyma (Harlingen, 5 February 1753 – Dronrijp, 7 September 1820), son of Julius Matthijs van Beyma and Fokel Helena van Burmania, was a public notary and auctioneer, delegate and representative of the Frisian States, and the radical leader of the Frisian patriots. He was the initiator of a Frisian coup and spent seven years in exile in north-western France. On his return to the Netherlands in 1795, he became a delegate to the National Assembly of the newly established Batavian Republic. Life His father had been Secretary to the Admiralty of Friesland in Harlingen, and his mother equally descended from a Frisian noble grietman family. As a law student, Van Beyma gave a speech in 1769 during the visit of stadholder William V to Franeker. He continued his studies in 1774 at Leiden University. Court Lambertus became a delegate to the Frisian States in 1776. In 1780, he however failed to become the grietman of West-Dongeradeel, though he did achieve the position of Secretary. In that capacity, he corresponded with Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol. Together they planned petitions for the built-up of a provincial army, the recognition of the new United States of America and to restrict the power of the stadtholder. In February 1782 Van Beyma undertook an attempt in the Frisian States to put into practice article VIII of the Union of Utrecht, which would effectively allow for a general arming of the population. When Van Beyma in 1783 achieved a successful alliance between eight Frisian cities, the Patriots gained further influence and power. Through the development of a fixed time-table schedule, the important posts within the Provincial States were subsequently attributed in a more democratic manner. A provincial army, established a few months after the Kettle War and the subsequent departure of Ludwig Ernst van Brunswick-Lüneburg-Bevern in 1784/85, lead to strong resistance among the aristocracy. Most aristocrats were republican, but with little sympathy for the democratising movement. The Frisian States were increasingly divided over the newly formed local and provincial militia. Within a few weeks of the stadtholder and his family visiting Leeuwarden, a new city council regulation was introduced, which came into effect on 1 June 1787, providing stricter requirements for the election of new members of the vroedschap (i.e.