Peter Stuyvesant

Timeline

1. 1592–1646Dutch Republic · Dutch RepublicStuyvesant came from a merchant family, served in the military in his youth, and later joined the West India Company. He served as governor of Curaçao, lost his right leg to injury in an expedition, and was known within the company for his tough style and religious zeal.
2. 1647–1664New Amsterdam · New NetherlandHe reformed the colony's finances and defenses, built a wall (around present-day Wall Street), and granted New Amsterdam a municipal charter in 1653. During his tenure he had frequent friction with Swedish colonial forces, neighboring English colonies, and local indigenous peoples, while also promoting Dutch expansion on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley. From 1661 to 1664 he maintained centralized rule over the colony until the Anglo-Dutch War reached North America.
3. 1664–1672Bowery farm, Manhattan · New York CityIn September 1664, facing the fleet of Richard Nicolls, Stuyvesant surrendered at New Amsterdam, and New Netherland was renamed New York. He then retired to his Bowery farm on Manhattan, held no further public office, and died in 1672.