Jeronimus Cornelisz
Encyclopedia
Jeronimus Cornelisz (properly Corneliszoon, 'son of Cornelis') was a Frisian
apothecary
and Dutch East India Company
(VOC) merchant. In June 1629 he led one of the bloodiest mutinies in history after the merchant ship Batavia
was wrecked in the Houtman Abrolhos
, a chain of coral islands off the west coast of Australia
.
church. It has been speculated that they may have had links with some of the more militant Anabaptist movements, such as the Batenburgers
, that flourished in the Netherlands
during the sixteenth century.
The young Jeronimus was well educated, probably at the Latin School at Dokkum, and followed his father into the family trade by training to become an apothecary
. He qualified around the year 1623 and practiced in his home town until 1627, leaving in that year apparently as a result of disagreements with the town council.
Cornelisz moved to the much larger Dutch city of Haarlem
, where he opened up an apothecary shop near the centre of the town. In November 1627 he and his wife had a son, but the child died less than three months after being placed in the care of a wet nurse. The cause of death was established as syphilis
, and Cornelisz became embroiled in a legal action against the nurse, seeking to prove that his child had contracted the disease from her and not from his wife. Perhaps partly as a consequence of this distraction, his apothecary shop shortly thereafter failed and Cornelisz himself was driven to the brink of bankruptcy
.
('Torrentius'), another Haarlem resident, at about this time. Torrentius was a notorious libertine and suspected heretic
, and in 1627 he was tried and sentenced for his religious beliefs. Whether or not Cornelisz was a member of Torrentius's circle, or shared his heterodox beliefs, he certainly left Haarlem within weeks of the end of the painter's trial, going to Amsterdam
and taking service with the Dutch East India Company, or VOC. He was posted to the new ship Batavia
, which sailed for Java in the East Indies
in October 1628.
Cornelisz, whose main motive in sailing for the East seems to have been to recover from his crippling financial position, became friendly with the Batavias skipper, Ariaen Jacobsz, in the course of the ship's long voyage. He and Jacobsz became discontented with the leadership of the commander of the ship, the merchant Francisco Pelsaert
, and plotted a mutiny. Before the plot could be put into effect, however, the Batavia ran aground in the Abrolhos archipelago and was lost. More than 200 survivors made their way ashore, and when Pelsaert and Jacobsz set off for help in the only boat, Cornelisz was left in command on the islands.
.jpg)
What followed horrified all Europe. Cornelisz established a brutal personal rule in the islands, backed by a core of men who had plotted with him on board ship. When food and water supplies became scarce, the mutineers began to kill their fellow survivors, at first covertly, then more and more openly. In all, Cornelisz and his henchmen were responsible for the deaths of between 110 and 124 men, women and children over a two month period. Their victims were drowned, strangled, hacked to pieces or bludgeoned to death singly or in large groups. Seven surviving women were forced into what amounted to prostitution
. Lucretia Jans
was given preferential treatment by only having to serve Cornelisz.
Cornelisz's rule in the Abrolhos was challenged by a group of loyalists, led by a common soldier, Wiebbe Hayes
, who managed to establish themselves on a nearby island. Their survival made it impossible for Jeronimus to carry out his intention of seizing any rescue ship, massacring its crew and turning pirate in the Indian Ocean, and when Pelsaert eventually returned in a small ship called the Sardam
, Cornelisz and his men were captured.
Jeronimus was tried in the islands, found guilty of mutiny, and hanged along with half a dozen of his men. Both of his hands were amputated prior to the hanging (it appears with a hammer and chisel). The remaining mutineers were taken back to Java and tried; many were subsequently executed. Ariaen Jacobsz apparently died in the dungeons of Castle Batavia.
", which analyzes the incident in more detail than ever before based on research in Dutch archives amongst other sources, author Mike Dash
theorizes that Cornelisz was almost certainly a psychopath
. This is shown by his often erratic behavior on the islands, his unattainable dreams of setting up a personal kingdom in the islands, and his complete assurance that he could do no wrong and that God
himself inspired all of his deeds. This ties in with the heretical ideas he had picked up during his acquaintance with the controversial painter Johannes van der Beeck
, also known as Torrentius.
comic book Desolation Jones
is named after Jeronimus Corneliszoon.
A fictionalised version of Jeronimus is the main character of "The Company" by Arabella Edge
, which is based on the shipwreck of the Batavia.
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
apothecary
Apothecary
Apothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers....
and Dutch East India Company
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...
(VOC) merchant. In June 1629 he led one of the bloodiest mutinies in history after the merchant 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...
was wrecked 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...
, a chain of coral islands off the west coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Early life
Born in the Frisian capital, Leeuwarden, Cornelisz grew up in a non-conformist household. His mother and probably his father were Mennonites, members of an AnabaptistAnabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
church. It has been speculated that they may have had links with some of the more militant Anabaptist movements, such as the Batenburgers
Batenburgers
The Batenburgers were members of a radical Anabaptist sect led by Jan van Batenburg, that flourished briefly in the 1530s in the aftermath of the Münster Rebellion.-Jan van Batenburg:...
, that flourished in 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...
during the sixteenth century.
The young Jeronimus was well educated, probably at the Latin School at Dokkum, and followed his father into the family trade by training to become an apothecary
Apothecary
Apothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers....
. He qualified around the year 1623 and practiced in his home town until 1627, leaving in that year apparently as a result of disagreements with the town council.
Cornelisz moved to the much larger Dutch city of Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
, where he opened up an apothecary shop near the centre of the town. In November 1627 he and his wife had a son, but the child died less than three months after being placed in the care of a wet nurse. The cause of death was established as syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, and Cornelisz became embroiled in a legal action against the nurse, seeking to prove that his child had contracted the disease from her and not from his wife. Perhaps partly as a consequence of this distraction, his apothecary shop shortly thereafter failed and Cornelisz himself was driven to the brink of bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
.
Batavia
It was widely believed, though it has never been proven, that Jeronimus became acquainted with the controversial painter Johannes van der BeeckJohannes van der Beeck
Johannes Symonsz van der Beeck was a Dutch painter also known by his alias Johannes Torrentius...
('Torrentius'), another Haarlem resident, at about this time. Torrentius was a notorious libertine and suspected heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
, and in 1627 he was tried and sentenced for his religious beliefs. Whether or not Cornelisz was a member of Torrentius's circle, or shared his heterodox beliefs, he certainly left Haarlem within weeks of the end of the painter's trial, going to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
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...
and taking service with the Dutch East India Company, or VOC. He was posted to the new 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 sailed for Java in the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
in October 1628.
Cornelisz, whose main motive in sailing for the East seems to have been to recover from his crippling financial position, became friendly with the Batavias skipper, Ariaen Jacobsz, in the course of the ship's long voyage. He and Jacobsz became discontented with the leadership of the commander of the ship, the merchant Francisco Pelsaert
Francisco Pelsaert
Francisco Pelsaert 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...
, and plotted a mutiny. Before the plot could be put into effect, however, the Batavia ran aground in the Abrolhos archipelago and was lost. More than 200 survivors made their way ashore, and when Pelsaert and Jacobsz set off for help in the only boat, Cornelisz was left in command on the islands.
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
. Lucretia Jans
Lucretia Jans
Lucretia Jans, or Lucretia van der Miles , was a suspected Dutch mutiny leader at the Dutch East Indies 1629....
was given preferential treatment by only having to serve Cornelisz.
Cornelisz's rule in the Abrolhos was challenged by a group of loyalists, led by a common soldier, 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 managed to establish themselves on a nearby island. Their survival made it impossible for Jeronimus to carry out his intention of seizing any rescue ship, massacring its crew and turning pirate in the Indian Ocean, and when Pelsaert eventually returned in a small ship called 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....
, Cornelisz and his men were captured.
Execution
Psychopathy
In the historical work, "Batavia's GraveyardBatavia's Graveyard
Batavia's Graveyard: The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny is a book by Welsh author Mike Dash about the Dutch ship Batavia, shipwrecked in 1629 on a small island in the Houtman Abrolhos atoll off the western shore of Australia.The book retells the story of one of...
", which analyzes the incident in more detail than ever before based on research in Dutch archives amongst other sources, author Mike Dash
Mike Dash
Mike Dash is a Welsh writer, historian and researcher. He is best known for his books and articles looking at unusual historical events, anomalous phenomena, and strange beliefs.-Biography:...
theorizes that Cornelisz was almost certainly a psychopath
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
. This is shown by his often erratic behavior on the islands, his unattainable dreams of setting up a personal kingdom in the islands, and his complete assurance that he could do no wrong and that God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
himself inspired all of his deeds. This ties in with the heretical ideas he had picked up during his acquaintance with the controversial painter Johannes van der Beeck
Johannes van der Beeck
Johannes Symonsz van der Beeck was a Dutch painter also known by his alias Johannes Torrentius...
, also known as Torrentius.
In popular culture
A character in Warren Ellis'Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
comic book Desolation Jones
Desolation Jones
Desolation Jones was a bimonthly comic book series written by Warren Ellis. Art for the first six-issue storyline was provided by J.H. Williams III and José Villarrubia. The interrupted second storyline was illustrated by Danijel Zezelj and Villarrubia...
is named after Jeronimus Corneliszoon.
A fictionalised version of Jeronimus is the main character of "The Company" by Arabella Edge
Arabella Edge
Arabella Edge is a writer and novelist whose first work, The Company, received a 2001 Commonwealth Writers Prize and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award.-Early life :...
, which is based on the shipwreck of the Batavia.
Books
- Dash, Mike. Batavia's GraveyardBatavia's GraveyardBatavia's Graveyard: The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny is a book by Welsh author Mike Dash about the Dutch ship Batavia, shipwrecked in 1629 on a small island in the Houtman Abrolhos atoll off the western shore of Australia.The book retells the story of one of...
: The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny. New York: Three Rivers Press. 2003. ISBN 0-7538-1684-9 - Drake-Brockman, Henrietta. Voyage to Disaster, 2nd ed., 1995, University of Western Australia Press, Nedlands.
- Roeper, VD (ed). De Schipbreuk van de Batavia, 1629. Zutphen: Walburg Pers. 1994.
- FitzSimonds, Peter (2011), "Batavia" (Random House)
- Leys, Simon. "Les Naufragés du Batavia, suivi de Prosper" (Arléa 2003, Points-Seuil 2005)