author
J. van de Capelle
1812–1850
Known by the pen name J. van de Capelle, this 19th-century Dutch writer focused on vividly told historical subjects from the Netherlands. His best-known surviving work revisits the siege and defense of Haarlem in the years 1572–1573.
3 Audiobooks
Het beleg en de verdediging van Haarlem, in 1572-1573 (deel 3 van 3)
by J. van de Capelle
Het beleg en de verdediging van Haarlem, in 1572-1573 (deel 2 van 3)
by J. van de Capelle
Het beleg en de verdediging van Haarlem, in 1572-1573 (deel 1 van 3)
by J. van de Capelle
About the author
Born as Jacques François Bosdijk in Goes on November 29, 1812, he was the son of Jacobus Bosdijk and Apolonia Harinck. A Dutch biographical source says he devoted himself from a young age especially to learning modern languages, and in 1842 he married Elizabeth Antoinette Petit.
He published under the name J. van de Capelle. His work is chiefly remembered for historical writing, especially Het beleg en de verdediging van Haarlem, in 1572–1573, a substantial account of the siege of Haarlem that remains the main title associated with him in library and public-domain catalogs.
Bosdijk died on June 15, 1850, in The Hague. Read today, he stands out as a lesser-known Dutch author whose surviving books show a strong interest in bringing national history to life for general readers.