Dr. Adriaan Pauw, Lord of Heemstede

There were 8 representatives in the Dutch peace delegation to Westphalia, one for every province and a second for Holland (by far the biggest in wealth and population). Most of them had little active role in the negotiations; Adriaan Pauw almost certainly had the greatest.

He represented the largest province and was an important figure in Holland’s government, having been Grand Pensionary (raadpensionaris) from 1631-1636. He had also undertaken several diplomatic missions in the 1620’s, and negotiated the subsidy treaty with France in 1635.

By the 1640’s, Holland thought the war with Spain served no useful purpose and wanted to make peace, contrary to the will of Frederick Henry. Pauw was instrumental in bringing negotiations with Spain to a rapid close, and then convincing the other Dutch provinces to accept the terms.