Reynier Pauw

Reynier Pauw was born in Amsterdam on 29 July 1564 into a merchant family that originally came from Gouda. His father Adriaen, a grain trader, fled to Emden when the Duke of Alba arrived in the Low Countries. The family returned in 1578, the year of the Alteratie, when Amsterdam switched to the Protestant side. Father Pauw immediately became burgomaster but died four months later.

Bound for the Indies

Reynier grew into one of the city's most powerful merchants. The Compagnie van Verre, the "Company of Far Lands" that sent the first Dutch fleet to the East Indies in 1595, was probably founded in his house on Warmoesstraat in 1594. He made sure his relative Cornelis de Houtman became chief merchant of that voyage. When the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was set up in 1602, Pauw was one of its biggest investors, and he later became one of its directors. In 1631 his fortune was estimated at 200,000 guilders.

His political rise was just as quick. He became an alderman in 1590, joined the city council in 1591 and served as one of Amsterdam's four burgomasters eight times: in 1605, 1609, 1611, 1614, 1616, 1617, 1619 and 1620.

Judging Oldenbarnevelt

His best known and most controversial role came in the great conflict of his age. The Dutch Republic was split between moderate and strict Calvinists, and between the statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt and Prince Maurice of Orange. Pauw sided with Maurice. In February 1619 he was appointed to the court that tried Oldenbarnevelt, and he was one of the judges who sentenced the elderly statesman to death.

From 1618 to 1622 Pauw represented Amsterdam in the States General. After being passed over, he went as envoy to King Christian IV of Denmark. He died on 19 February 1636.