Francis Van Den Enden ( February 5 , 1602 , Antwerp - November 27 , 1674 , Paris ) is a former Jesuit , Neolatian poet , doctor , art dealer , philosopher and conspirator against Louis XIV , who is mostly known as the teacher of Baruch de Spinoza (1632 —1677) [1]
| Francis Van Den Enden | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | February 5, 1602 |
| Place of Birth | Antwerp , Belgium |
| Date of death | November 27, 1674 (72 years old) |
| A place of death | Paris , France |
| Alma mater | |
| Influenced | Aurelius Augustine |
| Influenced | Spinoza Benedict |
| Signature | |
Content
- 1 Biography
- 2 Democracy advocate
- 3 Importance
- 4 Works
- 5 list of references
- 6 notes
- 7 References
Biography
Van den Enden is the son of weavers . Baptized in Antwerp on February 6, 1602 . He was a student at the Augustinian and Jesuit colleges of this city. In 1619 he joined the Jesuit Order, but in 1633 he was removed. In the late 1630s, he wrote several Neolatin poems for religious works of the Spanish Augustinian Bartolome De Los Rios and Alarcon . At the same time, he traded works of art in Antwerp . His brother Martinus van den Enden also contributed to this, as he was the publisher of the works of Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck . In 1640, Van den Enden married Clara Maria Vermerend in Antwerp , and in 1641 their first child was born, named after her mother, Clara Maria. Where and when their second daughter Margeret Aldegonis was born is unknown. In 1645, the family moved to Amsterdam , where Van den Enden opened his own art store on Nes Street. Only a few prints and one brochure published by him became known. After the art store went bankrupt, he opened a Latin school at Singel in Amsterdam . His students performed several classical plays in the theater of Amsterdam, as well as the Neolatian play of his own composition Philidonius (1657). By that time, his family had expanded: in 1648, the twins Anna and Adriana Clementine were born, in 1650 - the son of Jacob, in 1651 - the daughter of Marianne, and in 1654 the daughter again - Maria (Anna, Jacob and Maria, probably died very young ) In the late 1650s, the famous philosopher Baruch Spinoza and the anatomist Theodor Kerkring studied at his school. In the early 1660s, some people thought that Van Den Enden was an atheist , [2] while others believed that he was a Catholic . During this period, he worked with Peter Corneliszun Plotchim on a project of a utopian settlement in New Holland , more precisely in the area of present Delaware . Van den Enden's views on an ideal society are described in Kort Verhael van Nieuw-Nederland (A Brief Description of New Holland, 1662). A few years later, in 1665, another edition of the political book “Vrye Politijke Stellingen” (“Free Political Suggestions”) appeared, which defends democracy and pays great attention to the social and educational tasks of the state. In the same year, when the Second Anglo-Dutch War had just begun, he wrote to Johan de Witt asking him to sell him secret weapons for the Navy. Shortly after the wedding of his eldest daughter Clara Maria with Theodore Kerkring in 1671, Van den Enden moved to Paris, where he opened another Latin school. There he was visited by Antoine Arnauld and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz . He was also involved in a conspiracy against Louis XIV , but all the conspirators were caught before they could fulfill their plans (creating a republic in Normandy ). Francis Van den Enden was sentenced to death, and on November 27, 1674, after beheading the noble conspirators, he was hanged in front of the Bastille .
Democracy Advocate
In Kort Verhael van Nieuw Nederlants Gelegenheit (A Brief Description of New Holland, 1662), Van den Enden expresses his opinion on the political concept of Gelijkheidsbeginsels - equality : “The state should equally benefit everyone. The influence of the state on improving welfare should be manifested regardless of the ability, gender, property and social status of a person. He is categorically against equality being reduced to equalization. Laws should be aimed at the common good and at the same time give everyone the same space for individuality. ”(Translation, as close as possible to its original Dutch wording according to the Dutch Wikipedia article“ Francis Van Den Enden ”- the initiator of democratic ideas ). In Vrije Politieke Stellingen (Free Political Theses, 1665), Van den Enden advocates freedom of speech and the common right to development. He further develops the idea of popular sovereignty . He is convinced that the people, practicing democracy in public meetings and conversations, will gain experience and insight. As an example of democratic functioning, he cites the method of work that was used in Holland during the Eighty Years War against Spain. But he also warns that all officers should be closely monitored, especially those who are distinguished by eloquence and greed.
In a sense, Van den Enden can be considered the forerunner of the French Revolution , during which the concepts of freedom, equality and fraternity became the measure of a new model of society.
Importance
One of the main questions regarding Francis Van den Enden - whether he influenced the philosophy of Spinoza and to what extent - the question that was already raised by Mainnesma. In 1990, Mark Bedzai and Wim Clover independently determined that Van den Enden was the author of two anonymous pamphlets: “Kort Verhael van Nieuw Nederland” (“A Brief Description of New Holland”) and “Vrye Politijke Stellingen” (“Free Political Theses”). "). In general, based on his recent work, Clover argued that the whole philosophy of Spinoza was developed by Van den Enden. The idea of a strong influence on Spinoza was later adopted in Spinoza 's most recent biographies (by Stephen Nadler and more openly Margaret Gullan-Voor). However, a careful analysis of both pamphlets shows that the possible influence was rather limited, and the chronology of the sources does not allow us to determine whether the teacher affected the student or vice versa.
Besides this question, which, due to fragmentary source material, is likely to never be answered exactly, Van den Enden's later works are of great interest. Obviously, with Johan De La Corte, he should be considered one of the earliest Dutch writers and the earliest modern propagandists of democracy . His defense of tolerance , a secular state , public education, and less violent forms of justice puts him in an era of enlightenment . Moreover, his radical abolitionism is unique even in the circle of Amsterdam freethinkers. Finally, Van den Enden's concern for social issues and his suggestions for organized forms of solidarity, supposedly under the influence of Bad, should be considered original for his time.
Works
- Philedonius (1657)
- Kort Verhael van Nieuw Nederland (1662)
- Vrye Politijke Stellingen (1665)
- Vrije Politijke Stellingen (ed. W. Klever, 1992)
List of references
- M. Bedjai, 'Metaphysique, éthique et politique dans l'œuvre du docteur Franciscus van den Enden (1602-1674)', Studia Spinozana , nr. 6 (1990), p. 291-301.
- J. Israel, The Radical Enlightenment , Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
- W. Klever, 'Proto-Spinoza Franciscus van den Enden', Studia Spinozana , nr. 6 (1990), p. 281-289.
- J. v. Meininger & G. van Suchtelen, Liever met wercken, als met woorden , Weesp: Heureka, 1980.
- KO Meinsma, Spinoza en zijn kring , Den Haag, 1896, p. 125-157.
- Omero Proietti, Philedonius, 1657. Spinoza, Van den Enden ei classici latini , Eum, Spinozana, Macerata 2010, p. 344. ( https://web.archive.org/web/20110119000154/http://eum.unimc.it/catalogo/catalogo-2010/philedonius-1657 )
Notes
- ↑ Frank Mertens, Ghent University. Franciscus van den Enden / Biography (June 30, 2009). Date of treatment June 1, 2019.
- ↑ Frank Mertens, Ghent University. Franciscus van den Enden / Rumors of Atheism and Decline of the Latin School (June 30, 2009). Date of treatment June 1, 2019.