A portrait of de Houtman

Cornelis de Houtman (April 2, 1565 - August 1599), brother of Frederick de Houtman, was a Dutch explorer who discovered a new sea route from Europe to Indonesia and managed to begin the Dutch spice trade. At the time, the Portuguese Empire held a monopoly on the spice trade, and the voyage was a symbolic victory for the Dutch, even though the voyage itself was a disaster. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... Events March 1 - the city of Rio de Janeiro is founded April 27 - Cebu City is established becoming the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... Events Swedish King Sigismund III Vasa is replaced by his brother Charles IX of Sweden. ... Frederick de Houtman (1571–1627) was Dutch explorer who sailed along the Western coast of Australia (see History of Western Australia) en route to Batavia. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Portuguese Empire was one of the earliest overseas empires. ...

The voyage

In 1592 Cornelis de Houtman was sent by Amsterdam merchants sent to Lisbon (Lissabon) to discover as much information on the Spice Islands as he could. At the same time as he returned to Amsterdam, Jan Huygen van Linschoten returned from India. The merchants determined that Bantam (Banten) provided the best opportunity to buy spices. In 1594 the merchants founded the company 'compagnie van Verre' (meaning "the long-distance company"), and on April 2, 1595 four ships left Amsterdam: Amsterdam, Hollandia, Mauritius and Duyfken. Events January 30 - The death of Pope Innocent IX during the previous year had left the Papal throne vacant. ... Amsterdam Location Country The Netherlands Province North Holland Population 739,295 (1 January 2005) Coordinates 4°89E - 52°37N Website www. ... Lisbon (in Portuguese, Lisboa) is the capital and largest city of Portugal. ... This article covers the history of the idea of the Maluku Islands in other cultures, that is, as The Spice Islands. ... Map showing Banten within Indonesia Banten is one of the provinces of Indonesia and located at the western end of the island of Java. ... April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... Events January 30 - William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet is performed for the first time May 24 - Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library. ... The Duyfken (little dove in English) was a small Dutch ship that sailed from the Indonesian island of Banda in 1606 in search of gold and trade opportunities on Nova Guinea (now Papua New Guinea). ...

The voyage was beset with trouble from the beginning. Scurvy broke out after only a few weeks due to insufficient provisions. Due to quarrels among the captains and traders, several were killed or imprisoned onboard. At Madagascar, where a brief stop was planned, further complications led to many more deaths, and the boat remained there for six months on a deathwatch. (The Madagascan bay where they were anchored is now known as the "Dutch Cemetery".) On June 27, the ships finally arrived at Banten, a northwestern port in Java. Only around a hundred of the original 249 men had survived the voyage. Scurvy is a disease that results from insufficient intake of vitamin C and leads to the formation of livid spots on the skin, spongy gums and bleeding from almost all mucous membranes. ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... Map showing Banten within Indonesia Banten is one of the provinces of Indonesia and located at the western end of the island of Java. ... Map of Java Java (Indonesian: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ...

The local Portuguese traders introduced de Houtman to the Banten sultan, who promptly entered into an optomistic treaty with the Dutch, writing "We are well content to have a permanent league of alliance and friendship with His Highness the Prince Maurice of Nassau, of the Netherlands and with you, gentlemen." Unfortunately, de Houtman was undiplomatic and insulting to the sultan, and was turned away for "rude behaviour" without being able to buy any spices at all.

The ships then sailed east to Madura, but were attacked by pirates on the way. In Madura, they were received peacefully, but de Houtman ordered his men to brutally attack and rape the civilian population in revenge for the unrelated earlier piracy. For the rock band, see Madura Madura is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java, near the port of Surabaya. ...

The ships then sailed for Bali, and met with the region's king. They finally managed to obtain a few pots of peppercorns on February 26, 1597. Portuguese ships prevented them from taking in water and supplies at St. Helena. Out of the 249 man crew, only 87 returned, too weak to moor their ships themselves. Bali is an Indonesian island. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events January 24 - Battle of Turnhout. ...

Repercussions

Though the trip was a humanitarian disaster and financially probably just broke even, it was a symbolic victory. It may be regarded as the start of the Dutch colonisation of Indonesia. Within five years, sixty-five more Dutch ships had gone East to trade. Soon, the Dutch would fully take over the spice trade in and around the Indian Ocean.