Jacob Cornelisz. van Neck
Encyclopedia
Jacob Corneliszoon van Neck (often anglicized to Jacob Cornelius van Neck) (1564–1638) was a Dutch
naval officer and explorer who led the second Dutch expedition to Indonesia
from 1598 to 1599.
family in good standing, and received a thorough education. Since he came from a commercial background and was not experienced in sailing, he took extra classes in navigation.
. In May of 1598, he left the port of Texel
with eight vessels under his command. He was accompanied by Vice-Admiral Wybrand van Warwyck and noted polar explorer Jacob van Heemskerck. Following sailing directions written by Petrus Plancius
, they made excellent progress, reaching the Cape of Good Hope
in only three months.
Soon after this, heavy storms separated Van Neck, with three ships, from the rest of the fleet under Warwyck. Neck landed on the east coast of Madagascar and refreshed his supplies, then continued on towards the Indonesian city of Bantam
. He reached it on November 25, 1598, after less than seven months of sailing. Within one month, all three of his ships had been filled with spice, and on December 31 the other half of the fleet sailed into port at Bantam, prompting a huge New Years celebration. Van Neck filled one more ship full of spices, making four ready to be sailed back to Amsterdam, then sent Warwyck and Heemskerck with the other four ships to the east in order to procure more spices. Van Neck then took the four ships that had been loaded with spices back to Amsterdam, where he arrived July, 1599.
He brought back with him nearly one million pounds of pepper and cloves, in addition to half of ship full of nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon. The explorers where greeted by an ecstatic city of Amsterdam that paraded them through the city behind a band of trumpeters, with every church bell in the city tolling. The merchants who had backed the voyage rewarded Van Neck with a gold beaker (it later turned out to be only gold-plated) and the crew were given as much wine as they could drink.
The voyage was a tremendous success, earning the backers a 400 percent return on their investment.
. He retired from exploring after that, and later became a mayor of Amsterdam, and alderman, and a member of two admiralty colleges. He died on March 8, 1638.
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...
naval officer and explorer who led the second Dutch expedition to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
from 1598 to 1599.
Early life
Van Neck was from an AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
family in good standing, and received a thorough education. Since he came from a commercial background and was not experienced in sailing, he took extra classes in navigation.
Second Dutch Expedition
Following the success of the first Dutch expedition to Indonesia in 1597, Van Neck was chosen to lead a second expedition in 1598, with the purpose of bringing back various spicesSpice trade
Civilizations of Asia were involved in spice trade from the ancient times, and the Greco-Roman world soon followed by trading along the Incense route and the Roman-India routes...
. In May of 1598, he left the port of Texel
Texel
Texel is a municipality and an island in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the biggest and most populated of the Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea, and also the westernmost of this archipelago, which extends to Denmark...
with eight vessels under his command. He was accompanied by Vice-Admiral Wybrand van Warwyck and noted polar explorer Jacob van Heemskerck. Following sailing directions written by Petrus Plancius
Petrus Plancius
Petrus Plancius was a Dutch astronomer, cartographer and clergyman. He was born as Pieter Platevoet in Dranouter, now in Heuvelland, West Flanders. He studied theology in Germany and England...
, they made excellent progress, reaching the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
in only three months.
Soon after this, heavy storms separated Van Neck, with three ships, from the rest of the fleet under Warwyck. Neck landed on the east coast of Madagascar and refreshed his supplies, then continued on towards the Indonesian city of Bantam
Bantam (city)
Bantam in Banten province near the western end of Java was a strategically important site and formerly a major trading city, with a secure harbor on the Sunda Strait through which all ocean-going traffic passed, at the mouth of Banten River that provided a navigable passage for light craft into...
. He reached it on November 25, 1598, after less than seven months of sailing. Within one month, all three of his ships had been filled with spice, and on December 31 the other half of the fleet sailed into port at Bantam, prompting a huge New Years celebration. Van Neck filled one more ship full of spices, making four ready to be sailed back to Amsterdam, then sent Warwyck and Heemskerck with the other four ships to the east in order to procure more spices. Van Neck then took the four ships that had been loaded with spices back to Amsterdam, where he arrived July, 1599.
He brought back with him nearly one million pounds of pepper and cloves, in addition to half of ship full of nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon. The explorers where greeted by an ecstatic city of Amsterdam that paraded them through the city behind a band of trumpeters, with every church bell in the city tolling. The merchants who had backed the voyage rewarded Van Neck with a gold beaker (it later turned out to be only gold-plated) and the crew were given as much wine as they could drink.
The voyage was a tremendous success, earning the backers a 400 percent return on their investment.
Later life
Van Neck made one more expedition to the Indies after his voyage of 1598, losing three fingers while doing battle with a Spanish-Portuguese fleet near TernateTernate
Ternate is an island in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia. It is located off the west coast of the larger island of Halmahera, the center of the powerful former Sultanate of Ternate....
. He retired from exploring after that, and later became a mayor of Amsterdam, and alderman, and a member of two admiralty colleges. He died on March 8, 1638.