Court Lambertus van Beyma

In February 1782 Van Beyma undertook an attempt in the Frisian States to put into practice article VIII of the Union of Utrecht, which would effectively allow for a general arming of the population.

A provincial army, established a few months after the Kettle War and the subsequent departure of Ludwig Ernst van Brunswick-Lüneburg-Bevern in 1784/85, lead to strong resistance among the aristocracy.

Within a few weeks of the stadtholder and his family visiting Leeuwarden, a new city council regulation was introduced, which came into effect on 1 June 1787, providing stricter requirements for the election of new members of the vroedschap (i.e. banning Catholics, Mennonites and poor Patriots from being appointed).

Daendels, still a young lawyer from Hattem, but also Gerrit Paape, the journalist from Delft, Pieter Vreede, a textile manufacturer from Leiden, and John Adams, the American envoy at the time.

[5] Probably Van Beyma, who - according to advertisements in the "Leeuwarder Courant" from those days - led weekly public auctions, no longer could or wanted to be present in person at the parades and celebrations.

Mid August 1787, Friesland's disavow of Holland, which was threatened with an occupation by a Prussian army of 26.000 because it had refused to apologize after the apprehension of Wilhelmina of Prussia, lead to a crisis.

A flying-column of volunteers occupied a number of the Frisian cities, putting their internally divided vroedschappen under pressure to recognize the so-called Pretense Staten in Franeker.

On Sunday, September 23, 1787 - after the religious service - the Patriots in Friesland however came to realize that there had been insufficient support, that their financial means were limited, and that France would not come to their aid, as hoped for.

Van Beyma was involved in the "Comité Révolutionaire Batave", organized the Batavian Legion in connection with Jean Conrad de Kock.