Peter Minuit
Channel: 宇宙のすべての知識 プリンシピア
Date: 2019-03-17

Peter Minuit, by Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=43699 / CC BY SA 3.0

#1589_births
#1638_deaths
#Governors_of_New_Sweden
#People_from_Wesel
#Deaths_in_tropical_cyclones
#People_who_died_at_sea
#Directors_of_New_Netherland
#German_people_of_Walloon_descent
#Dutch_people_of_Walloon_descent
#Dutch_emigrants_to_New_Netherland
Peter Minuit

Peter Minuit, Pieter Minuit, Pierre Minuit, or Peter Minnewit (between 1580 and 1585 – August 5, 1638) was a Walloon from Wesel, in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, then part of the Duchy of Cleves. His surname means "midnight" in French. He was the 4th Director of the Dutch North American colony of New Netherland from 1626 until 1631, and 3rd Governor of New Netherland. He founded the Swedish colony of New Sweden on the Delaware Peninsula in 1638.

Minuit is generally credited with orchestrating the purchase of Manhattan Island for the Dutch from the Lenape Native Americans. Manhattan later became the site of the Dutch city of New Amsterdam, and the borough of Manhattan of modern-day New York City. A common account states that Minuit purchased Manhattan for $24 worth of trinkets. A letter written by Dutch merchant Peter Schaghen to directors of the Dutch East India Company stated that Manhattan was purchased "for the value of 60 guilders" in goods, an amount worth approximately $1,050 in 2015 dollars.

Peter Minuit was born sometime between 1580 and 1585, into a Calvinist family that had moved from the city of Tournai (presently part of Wallonia, Belgium) in the Southern Netherlands, to Wesel in Germany, in order to avoid Spanish Catholic colonials, who were not favorably disposed toward Protestants.

His father, Johan, died in 1609 and Peter took over management of the household and his father's business. Peter had a good reputation in Wesel, attested by the fact that he was several times appointed a guardian. He also assisted the poor during the Spanish occupation of 1614–1619.

Minuit married Gertrude Ra...