Lucretia Jans
Encyclopedia
Lucretia Jans, or Lucretia van der Miles (Amsterdam
1602 – fl. 1641), was a suspected Dutch mutiny
leader at the Dutch East Indies
1629.
She was the daughter of merchant Jan (or Hans) Meynertsz and Steffanie Joosten. She was married in 1620 to Boudewijn van der Miles (c. 1599–1629), diamond
cutter, and 1630 to sergeant
Jacob Cornelisz Cuick.
In October 1628, Jans embarked Netherlands on a ship, the Batavia
, to reunite with her spouse in Batavia of the Dutch East Indies. On 4 June 1629, the ship was forced to lay anchor in Australia
, and a team left for Batavia to provide help. Meanwhile, the crew mutinied under the leadership of Jeronimus Cornelisz
, with the intent of creating a pirate ship. The women were used for sexual comfort and Jans was given to Cornelisz. Jans would at this point, with the rest of the women, have been the first western woman to have set foot in Australia.
When the rescue team arrived from Batavia, Cornelisz was executed on the scene of the crime and the rest were put on trial in Batavia. During the trial, however, Jans was pointed out as the true instigator and leader of the mutiny and the true power behind Cornelisz. Jans was put on trial and denied the charges. The court applied for permission to torture
her, but it is unknown whether such a permission was granted. She seems to have been acquitted from the charges. She returned to the Netherlands in 1635.
In 1647, the mutiny was described in the publication Ongeluckige voyagie van ’t schip Batavia, which was based on the trial. This led to a law change which limited female passengers on ships on the grounds that it led to disturbances, with reference to the case.
The opera
Batavia
commissioned by Opera Australia
, is based on historical events.
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...
1602 – fl. 1641), was a suspected Dutch mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
leader at the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
1629.
She was the daughter of merchant Jan (or Hans) Meynertsz and Steffanie Joosten. She was married in 1620 to Boudewijn van der Miles (c. 1599–1629), diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
cutter, and 1630 to sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Jacob Cornelisz Cuick.
In October 1628, Jans embarked Netherlands on a ship, the 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...
, to reunite with her spouse in Batavia of the Dutch East Indies. On 4 June 1629, the ship was forced to lay anchor in 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...
, and a team left for Batavia to provide help. Meanwhile, the crew mutinied under the leadership of Jeronimus Cornelisz
Jeronimus Cornelisz
Jeronimus Cornelisz was a Frisian apothecary and Dutch East India Company merchant...
, with the intent of creating a pirate ship. The women were used for sexual comfort and Jans was given to Cornelisz. Jans would at this point, with the rest of the women, have been the first western woman to have set foot in Australia.
When the rescue team arrived from Batavia, Cornelisz was executed on the scene of the crime and the rest were put on trial in Batavia. During the trial, however, Jans was pointed out as the true instigator and leader of the mutiny and the true power behind Cornelisz. Jans was put on trial and denied the charges. The court applied for permission to torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
her, but it is unknown whether such a permission was granted. She seems to have been acquitted from the charges. She returned to the Netherlands in 1635.
In 1647, the mutiny was described in the publication Ongeluckige voyagie van ’t schip Batavia, which was based on the trial. This led to a law change which limited female passengers on ships on the grounds that it led to disturbances, with reference to the case.
The opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Batavia
Batavia (opera)
Batavia is an opera in three acts and a prologue by Richard Mills to a libretto by Peter Goldsworthy,commissioned by Opera Australia. The plot is based on the historical events surrounding the Dutchsailing ship Batavia....
commissioned by Opera Australia
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
, is based on historical events.