Herman Willem Daendels (21 October 1762 – 2 May 1818) was a Dutch military officer and colonial administrator who served as governor-general of the Dutch East Indies from 1808 to 1811.

Herman Willem Daendels was born on 21 October 1762 in Hattem, Netherlands. His father, Burchard Johan Daendels, served as a mayoral secretary; his mother was Josina Christina Tulleken. Daendels pursued a legal education at the University of Harderwijk and obtained his doctorate on 10 April 1783.

In 1785, Daendels aligned himself with the Patriots, a faction gaining control in various Dutch cities. In September 1786, he unsuccessfully defended the town of Hattem against troops loyal to the stadholder. The following year, in September 1787, Daendels played a role in the defense of Amsterdam against the invading Prussian army, which aimed to reinstate William V of Orange. Subsequently, when William V regained power, Daendels fled to French Flanders to evade a death sentence resulting from the Patriots' defeat. During this time, he closely observed the French Revolution unfolding.

In 1794, Daendels returned to the Netherlands as a general in the French revolutionary army, serving under General Charles Pichegru and commanding the Batavian Legion. His troops entered the Dutch Republic after crossing frozen rivers in January 1795. The Batavian Republic was subsequently founded by citizen committees. He actively supported the elevation of unitarian politician Pieter Vreede to power through a coup d'état on 25 January 1798. This move was motivated by dissatisfaction with the conservative-moderate majority in parliament, which hindered the development of a more democratic and centralized constitution. However, Vreede's rule did not yield the anticipated outcomes, leading to another coup d'état against him on 14 June 1798, in which Daendels played a role. In the Batavian Republic, Daendels held various political positions but was compelled to resign after failing to avert the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland in 1799. He later pursued farming in Heerde, Gelderland.

Louis Bonaparte appointed Daendels as colonel-general in 1806 and governor-general of the Dutch East Indies in 1807. Daendels arrived in Batavia (now Jakarta) on 5 January 1808 after a lengthy voyage, assuming the role previously held by Albertus Henricus Wiese. His primary objective was to defend the Dutch East Indies from British attacks.

During his tenure, Daendels undertook various infrastructure projects. He established new hospitals and military barracks, constructed arms factories in Surabaya and Semarang, and founded a military college in Batavia. The Castle in Batavia was dismantled and replaced by a new fort in Meester Cornelis (Jatinegara). At the same time, Fort Lodewijk (Fort Louis) was built in Surabaya. Additionally, he relocated the central government from Old Batavia to Weltevreden and commissioned the construction of a palace in Paradeplaats. His most renowned achievement was the Great Post Road (Indonesian: Jalan Raya Pos) that spanned northern Java from Anyer to Panarukan. Today, this road serves as the main thoroughfare on the island, known as Jalur Pantura. Notably, the construction of this thousand-kilometer road in a single year resulted in the deaths of numerous Javanese forced laborers.

Daendels adopted a stern stance towards Javanese rulers, causing them to align themselves with the British against the Dutch. He also imposed forced labor (Rodi) on the population of Java, which sparked rebellious incidents like the ones in Cadas Pangeran, West Java.

Opinions differ regarding the extent to which Daendels improved the efficiency of the local bureaucracy and curbed corruption, although he accumulated personal wealth during his time in office. ^{[citation needed]}