Person

Willem Kieft

1597–1647 · 17th century

Willem Kieft was Director of New Netherland from 1638 to 1647. His attempt to tax the Lenape and other local peoples, and the massacres at Pavonia and Corlears Hook in 1643, provoked Kieft's War of 1643 to 1645, which devastated the colony. Recalled after settlers complained, he died in 1647 when the ship carrying him back to the Netherlands was wrecked.

Willem Kieft
Image: Reproduction of painting by Charles Bescler Co. · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

New Netherland

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Willem Kieft. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/willem-kieft
MLA
“Willem Kieft.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/willem-kieft. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Willem Kieft.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/willem-kieft.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Willem Kieft’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/willem-kieft (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻