Portrait of Jan Anthony d'Averhoult (1756-1792)

Jan Anthony d’Averhoult was of Huguenot descent, his ancestors having fled to the Netherlands at the end the 17th century. Following family tradition, he joined the army, but in 1785 he became a member of the Patriot movement. As leader of the militia, he defeated the stadtholder’s troops on 9 May 1787. Once the revolution was crushed by Prussian troops half a year later, he fled to France, where he was granted citizenship on grounds of his origin. From 1789, he joined the French Revolution, even becoming chairman of parliament in 1792. Here he is depicted as such by Louis Léopold Boilly.