Francisco Pelsaert
Encyclopedia
Francisco Pelsaert (c. 1595, Antwerp – September, 1630, Batavia, Dutch East Indies) was a Dutch merchant who worked for the Dutch East India Company
, who became most famous as the commander of the ship Batavia
, which ran aground in the Houtman Abrolhos
off the coast of Western Australia
in June 1629.
during which time he became a senior merchant. After a brief return to the Netherlands
in 1628, he departed for Java soon after in command of the Batavia.
and the ship's skipper Ariaen Jacobsz had plotted and attempted an unsuccessful mutiny against Pelsaert.
The wreck of the Batavia took place on Morning Reef, about a mile to the south of what is now known as Beacon Island. Of the 341 passengers and crew, about 40 drowned early on while trying to reach a small island, while the rest succeeded in getting ashore. After a brief search of the island and several nearby islands, the commander realized that the islands held no natural water source, and decided to head for Batavia (Jakarta
) on the island of Java
to get help. He left with the ship's boat and a small party of officers and passengers.
After the departure of Pelsaert, Cornelisz finally succeeded with his mutiny by gathering a group of mutineers and taking control. Cornelisz and his men then began a reign of terror, murdering over 100 men, women and children before they finally found resistance from a group soldiers under the command of Wiebbe Hayes
, who had been exiled to a neighbouring island.
In October 1628, after a 4-month absence, Pelsaert returned to the islands on the Sardam
and quickly captured Cornelisz and his men, who were tried and executed. After several weeks spent trying to salvage the Batavia's goods, Pelsaert and the survivors returned to Java.
. He died in September 1630, soon after his return to Batavia. He does not seem to have taken his seat in the High Government at Batavia for which he had been selected as extraordinary member in 1629.
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
, who became most famous as the commander of the ship Batavia
Batavia (ship)
Batavia was a ship of the Dutch East India Company . It was built in Amsterdam in 1628, and armed with 24 cast iron cannons and a number of bronze guns. Batavia was shipwrecked on her maiden voyage, and was made famous by the subsequent mutiny and massacre that took place among the survivors...
, which ran aground in the Houtman Abrolhos
Houtman Abrolhos
The Houtman Abrolhos is a chain of 122 islands, and associated coral reefs, in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia. Nominally located at , it lies about eighty kilometres west of Geraldton, Western Australia...
off the coast of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
in June 1629.
Background
Born in Antwerp he sailed to India in 1618, where he was posted as a junior merchant, spending seven years in AgraAgra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
during which time he became a senior merchant. After a brief return to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1628, he departed for Java soon after in command of the Batavia.
The Batavia
During the voyage from the Netherlands to Java, a company official named Jeronimus CorneliszJeronimus Cornelisz
Jeronimus Cornelisz was a Frisian apothecary and Dutch East India Company merchant...
and the ship's skipper Ariaen Jacobsz had plotted and attempted an unsuccessful mutiny against Pelsaert.
The wreck of the Batavia took place on Morning Reef, about a mile to the south of what is now known as Beacon Island. Of the 341 passengers and crew, about 40 drowned early on while trying to reach a small island, while the rest succeeded in getting ashore. After a brief search of the island and several nearby islands, the commander realized that the islands held no natural water source, and decided to head for Batavia (Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
) on the island of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
to get help. He left with the ship's boat and a small party of officers and passengers.
After the departure of Pelsaert, Cornelisz finally succeeded with his mutiny by gathering a group of mutineers and taking control. Cornelisz and his men then began a reign of terror, murdering over 100 men, women and children before they finally found resistance from a group soldiers under the command of Wiebbe Hayes
Wiebbe Hayes
Wiebbe Hayes was a colonial soldier from Winschoten, Netherlands. Hayes became a national hero after he led a group of soldiers, sailors and other survivors of the shipwreck of the Batavia against the murderous mutineers led by Jeronimus Cornelisz at the Houtman Abrolhos Islands , off the Western...
, who had been exiled to a neighbouring island.
In October 1628, after a 4-month absence, Pelsaert returned to the islands on the Sardam
Sardam
The Sardam was a 17th century Dutch East India Company yacht . It was a small merchant vessel designed primarily for the inter-island trade in the East Indies....
and quickly captured Cornelisz and his men, who were tried and executed. After several weeks spent trying to salvage the Batavia's goods, Pelsaert and the survivors returned to Java.
Later life
Pelsaert's health had suffered from the hardships, but nevertheless he took part in an expedition to SumatraSumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. He died in September 1630, soon after his return to Batavia. He does not seem to have taken his seat in the High Government at Batavia for which he had been selected as extraordinary member in 1629.
Further reading
- Pelsaert, Francisco, (1998). The Batavia journal of Francisco Pelsaert : Algemeen Rijksarchief [ARA], The Hague, Netherlands : Document 1630: 1098 QQII, fol.232-316 / Edited and translated by Marit van Huystee. Fremantle, W.A. Dept. of Maritime Archaeology, Western Australian Maritime Museum. Report (Western Australian Maritime Museum. Dept. of Maritime Archaeology) ; no. 136.