Maria van Riebeeck
Encyclopedia
Maria van Riebeeck was the spouse of Jan van Riebeeck
, the Dutch
colonial administrator and first commander of the settlement at the Cape
.
She was born Maria de la Quellerie, daughter of Abraham de la Quellerie (1589-1630) and Maria du Bois (1593-?) from France
. She married Van Riebeeck on 28 March 1649 in Schiedam
, Netherlands
. The couple had eight children, of whom most died young. The couple arrived to the later Cape Town in South Africa in 1652. The first period, they lived in a tent. Maria acted as the hostess to guests, is said to have entertained with a claviacord, and was described as diplomatically gifted in the company of foreigners. She was from 1658 active as a money lender to the colonists, and used a slave girl as an interpeter to communicate with the native population. She is described as very well respected and liked in the colony.
She died in Malacca
, Malaysia, on 2 November 1664 at the age of 35.
She has been referred to as the ancestral mother of the white Afrikaners: in 1952, a statue was erected to her. The South African Navy
submarine
, the SAS Maria van Riebeeck
, was named after her.
Jan van Riebeeck
Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck was a Dutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Town.-Biography:...
, the Dutch
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...
colonial administrator and first commander of the settlement at the Cape
History of Cape Colony
The written history of Cape Colony South Africa began when Bartolomeu Dias, a Portuguese navigator, discovered the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. In 1497, Vasco da Gama sailed along the whole coast of South Africa on his way to India. The Portuguese, attracted by the riches of Asia, made no...
.
She was born Maria de la Quellerie, daughter of Abraham de la Quellerie (1589-1630) and Maria du Bois (1593-?) from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She married Van Riebeeck on 28 March 1649 in Schiedam
Schiedam
Schiedam is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rotterdam metropolitan area. The city is located west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen and south of Delft...
, 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...
. The couple had eight children, of whom most died young. The couple arrived to the later Cape Town in South Africa in 1652. The first period, they lived in a tent. Maria acted as the hostess to guests, is said to have entertained with a claviacord, and was described as diplomatically gifted in the company of foreigners. She was from 1658 active as a money lender to the colonists, and used a slave girl as an interpeter to communicate with the native population. She is described as very well respected and liked in the colony.
She died in Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
, Malaysia, on 2 November 1664 at the age of 35.
She has been referred to as the ancestral mother of the white Afrikaners: in 1952, a statue was erected to her. The South African Navy
South African Navy
The South African Navy is the navy of the Republic of South Africa.-Formation:The South African Navy can trace its official origins back to the SA Naval Service, which was established on 1 April 1922....
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, the SAS Maria van Riebeeck
SAS Spear
The SAS Spear , formerly known as the SAS Maria van Riebeeck, was a of the South African Navy . It was the SAN's first submarine. It was decommissioned in 2003 and subsequently scrapped....
, was named after her.