Jan van Riebeeck

Jan Anthoniszoon van Riebeeck (Culemborg, April 21st 1619 - Batavia, January 18th 1677) established for the Compagnie Dutchwoman of the Eastern Indies the first European establishment in South Africa. Near to the Cape of Good Hope, become the Colony of the Cape in 1791, its borders did not cease moving back until becoming a province of South Africa.

Born in Culemborg with the Netherlands, Jan van Riebeeck grew with Schiedam.

Starting from 1639, Jan van Riebeeck worked for the Company of the Indies Orientales. It thus began its career of administrator in station with Batavia then visited the Japan.

Its most important station was that of chief of the commercial counter of Tonkin, in the future Vietnam. He was however recalled of this station to have led businesses to personal profit.

The March 28th 1649, it married Maria of Quellerie in Schiedam. The couple will have eight children whose majority died in low age.

In 1651, the Company of the Eastern Indies charged Jan van Riebeeck with establishing with the Cape of Good Hope a station of reprocessing to make it possible the ships of the company to supply itself out of water and food. It had at its disposal five ships (Drommedaris, Reijger, Goede Hoope, Walvis and Oliphant) to accomplish the voyage and to carry out the erection of a fort. The April 6th 1652, after having lost some 130 people during the voyage, Jan Van Riebeeck reached bay of the mountain of the Table and founded there the first Dutch establishment of the Cape.

The pioneers, 90 (including eight women), set up the fort thereafter then installed gardens around, to guarantee resources fraiches to them while counting on the trade with the local natives (whom they called the " Hottentotten") for the meat. There was no central will to build a permanent establishment and the instructions given to van Riebeeck were clearly not to establish a colony but just a relay establishment for the ships on the way towards the Eastern Indies.

The first times were difficult for Dutch. Nineteen of them did not spend the first winter but the station was nevertheless operational as of 1659.

Between 1657 and 1667, several forwardings were organized to recognize the interior of the grounds.

Van Riebeeck recommended whereas the free Dutchmen (released their obligations with respect to the company) were authorized to trade and to settle as farmer and it 1657 is in February which the company delivered its first authorizations with nine (ex-) paid company to be established freely along the Liesbeek river. The same year, of the Esclave S were imported of Batavia and Madagascar whereas several forwardings were organized to recognize the interior of the grounds.

Van Riebeeck left the Cape in 1662 to set out again towards the Eastern Indies whereas the embryo of Colonie of the Cape counted 134 paid Company of the Indies Orientales, 35 free colonists, 15 women, 22 children and 180 slaves imported overseas.

It is with Malacca in November 1664 that Maria van Riebeeck died whereas it was only 35 years old.

In 1676, colonization was finally recommended by the Company of the Indies Orientales in order to stimulate the agriculture of the area of the Cape.

Jan van Riebeeck died in Batavia (current the Jakarta) on the island of Java the January 18th 1677.

There exists today a museum in its native house with Culemborg, with the Netherlands.

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