How the last lord of Amerongen defended his castle that was sold in the end
While one noble family after another was forced to sell their estates, Godard van Aldenburg Bentinck (1857 - 1940) managed to keep his Amerongen Castle and greatly expand his influence in the village. How did he maintain his position in a time when the privileges of the nobility eroded? This is the question on which Amerongen resident Leo van Putten defends his doctorate at UvA.
Leo, you taught history and live in the village of Amerongen. How did you become involved in the life of Godard Count of Aldenburg Bentinck?
“Walking around the historic village of Amerongen, one immediately notices a certain monumental richness radiating from it and Amerongen Castle occupying a prominent place. I had previously written a booklet on the history of Amerongen, Amerongen, een aenzienlijck vleck, and while writing it I came across the life of Godard, the last lord of Amerongen, who left quite a mark on the village.”
Who was Godard van Aldenburg Bentinck?
“He was born in 1857 and grew up in a European high noble family at Middachten Castle in De Steeg. His mother was of German nobility, of Waldeck-Pyrmont, related in a distant line to Queen Emma. His father was related to English nobility. From an early age, Godard automatically received an international orientation from home.”
“Godard went to Brighton in England for his education, as did his three older brothers. With the intention of eventually going to the prestigious boarding school Eton. But during his preliminary training in Brighton – unlike his brothers – he was found underqualified and returned to the Netherlands to finish his education. That made him insecure, something that hampered him throughout his life.”
“At twenty-one, he was entrusted with Amerongen Castle and one-third of Amerongen’s territory. He was welcomed with much fanfare: 164 men on foot and 85 horses, preceded by flag-bearers, brought him to the castle. More than 30 years after the introduction of the constitution of 1848, which had eroded the rights of the nobility, at the local level the society of the classes continued to live on.”
“At the same time, you can see that the festive welcome is also a façade. Godard does face opposition as he tries to consolidate his position in the village. Before his arrival, the castle had been empty for almost eighty years because its previous occupants – Godard’s family – had fled to England during the French Revolution and had not returned. As a newcomer, the young count had to win his place within the main institutions within the village: the church, the town council and the influential tobacco farmers. In all these areas he managed to gain influence, but not without struggle.”
To what extent is this due to Godard’s own talents and to what extent to his privileges?
“That is hard to say. Even after the 1848 constitution, the nobility still owned territory and capital. He also took his status as an international nobleman with him. The nobility still managed to maintain its position in local, regional and national politics for a long time. They also bet on (university) education; many of them went to study law, including in Godard’s family.”
Does Godard manage to maintain his position untill the end?
“Yes, until his death he manages to maintain the estate, although his influence and financial position diminishes dramatically. The most difficult period begins after the introduction of universal suffrage in 1919. Democratisation as well as the change from a world grafted on class politics to a bureaucratic institutionalised order virtually brought the influential position of the Dutch nobility to a standstill.”
“Yet Godard’s influence continued to play out in the village for a long time. You can see this, for example, when in 1913 the new mayor is installed in Amerongen and he does not drive straight to the town hall but first goes for an audience at Amerongen Castle and then rides in Van Aldenburg Bentinck’s carriage to the town hall.”
“In the 1930s, Godard’s financial position declines further. He makes several more attempts to improve it. He invests in a butter factory using milk from local farmers, but it is not a success. The infrastructure in Amerongen is still poor and farmers have to get the milk into the village on carts, even in winter. He invests in bulb-growing, but competition with growers in the Westland is too fierce. He does not undertake any larger initiatives; he is in his seventies by then.”
Has Godard van Aldenburg Bentinck fared better than other standees?
“That’s hard to say because I haven’t studied all the noble families. He certainly managed to hold out for a long time. During the twentieth century, many noble estates were given other uses. At the same time, there are also noble families who in the 1930s managed to find a strategy that did keep them financially healthy.”
“Within his family, Godard does deviate. For instance, castles – Twickel in Delden, Zuylestein in Leersum, Middachten in De Steeg and Weldam in Markelo – remain in the family to this day or have retained residential rights. Amerongen Castle was finally sold by his grandchildren to the Utrecht Castles Foundation in 1977. Zuylestein Castle in neighbouring village Leersum, which also belonged to Godard’s estate, remained outside the sale and is now part of the Twickel foundation.”
Do you have an explanation as to why Godard failed to keep Amerongen Castle in the family’s hands for the long term?
“That remains tricky. Of imperative importance within the family was the Hausgesetz, a set of rules originating from the German nobility. Among other things, it stipulated that if the sons were not to be excluded from succession, they had to enter into a so-called Standesgemäss and Ebenbürtig (equal ed.) marriage. It was painful for Godard that all his children were marrying below their rank, which meant they no longer complied with the Hausgesetz. Also, of genuine interest in preserving the estate for the family was hardly discernible among Godard’s descendants and an economic strategy was lacking.”
What is left of the noble culture now?
“It still lives on. Economic and political power may have declined, but there is still symbolic capital: many people still look up to nobility and assign value to it. Illustrative is the request by the local fanfare orchestra in Amerongen, co-founded with the support of Godard Bentinck, for the descendants of the house of Amerongen to become patrons of the society. It shows that nobility still carries a symbolic capital.”
Leo van Putten will receive his doctorate on Friday 10 January at 11.00 on his thesis The Last Lord of Amerongen, a European nobleman in a Dutch village community. The defence will take place in the Aula of the University of Amsterdam.
Leo van Putten, A European nobleman in Amerongen. Godard Count van Aldenburg Bentinck (1857-1940), navigating between dynastic, local and (inter)national interests. (Amsterdam University Press), ISBN 9789048561070 Price: €34.99
