26 Facts About Peter Stuyvesant

Peter Stuyvesant was born around 1610 in Peperga or Scherpenzeel, Friesland, in the Netherlands, to Balthasar Stuyvesant, a Reformed Calvinist minister, and Margaretha Hardenstein.

At the age of 20, Peter Stuyvesant went to the University of Franeker, where he studied languages and philosophy, but several years later he was expelled from the school after he seduced the daughter of his landlord.

Peter Stuyvesant returned to the Netherlands for convalescence, where his right leg was replaced with a wooden peg.

Peter Stuyvesant was given the nicknames "Peg Leg Pete" and "Old Silver Nails" because he used a wooden stick studded with silver nails as a prosthesis.

Peter Stuyvesant had to wait for his appointment to be confirmed by the Dutch States-General.

Certain that righting New Netherland was the work which God had saved him for, Peter Stuyvesant told its people "I shall govern you as a father his children," and began the task of rebuilding the physical and moral state of the colony.

Peter Stuyvesant claimed he had power over Rensselaerwijck, despite special privileges granted to Kiliaen van Rensselaer in the patroonship regulations of 1629.

When Van Slechtenhorst refused, Peter Stuyvesant sent a group of soldiers to enforce his orders.

Peter Stuyvesant established a system of fire wardens and a volunteer fire watch that patrolled the streets to keep an eye on any fire, or potential fire, from nine o'clock in the evening until the morning drum-beat.

The treaty of Hartford of 1650 was advantageous to the English, as Peter Stuyvesant gave up claims to the Connecticut Valley while gaining only a small portion of Long island.

Peter Stuyvesant became involved in a dispute with Theophilus Eaton, the governor of English New Haven Colony, over the border of the two colonies.

Peter Stuyvesant made a speech for the occasion, saying that his authority would remain undiminished.

Peter Stuyvesant was then ordered to the Netherlands, but the order was revoked under pressure from the States of Holland and the city of Amsterdam.

Peter Stuyvesant prepared against an attack by ordering the citizens to dig a ditch from the North River to the East River and to erect a fortification.

In 1654, Peter Stuyvesant signed a deed for an allotment of land 10,000 square feet that corresponds to the modern-day Financial District of lower Manhattan.

In 1650, Peter Stuyvesant threatened to offer freedom to Maryland slaves unless the colony stopped sheltering runaways from New Netherland.

In 1657, the GWC's directors wrote to Peter Stuyvesant, telling him that they were not going to be able to send him all the tradesmen that he requested and that he would have to use slaves as well.

Peter Stuyvesant did not tolerate full religious freedom in the colony, and was strongly committed to the supremacy of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Freedom of religion was further tested when Peter Stuyvesant refused to allow the permanent settlement of Jewish refugees from Dutch Brazil in New Amsterdam, and join the handful of existing Jewish traders.

Peter Stuyvesant attempted to have Jews leave the colony "in a friendly way".

Peter Stuyvesant's decision was again rescinded after pressure from the directors of the company.

Peter Stuyvesant ordered the public torture of Robert Hodgson, a 23-year-old Quaker convert who had become an influential preacher.

Peter Stuyvesant then made an ordinance, punishable by fine and imprisonment, against anyone found guilty of harboring Quakers.

Peter Stuyvesant obtained civil rights and freedom of religion in the Articles of Capitulation.

In 1665, Peter Stuyvesant went to the Netherlands to report on his term as governor.

Peter Stuyvesant built an executive mansion of stone called Whitehall.