Batavia's Graveyard: The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny

This book is a surprising gem, bringing to life a period of history which not many contemporary authors have paid much attention to.The life and times of the Dutch during the zenith of their influence and power in the 16th century as the premier commercial traders of the world is described in the context of a truly horrible story of mutiny, madness and slaughter.Dash describes life aboard a Dutch sailing vessel of the period at a time in which little was known about nautical navigation. Life and physical accommodations aboard ship itself were a nightmare to all but the wealthiest travelers .Based on extensive research, including ship's logs, the Dutch Trading Company's (VOC) records, memoirs and letters of several principals involved and even anthropological evidence unearthed in the 1960's and 70's, one is swept into a fascinating look at how a voyage of commerce to the East Indies ended in shipwreck, followed by the breakdown of civil behavior among the survivors and leading to the murders of dozens of innocent people for no reason other than to satisfy the blood lust of the leader of a relatively (at first) small number of mutineers.That any of the crew and passengers survived, marooned on a small coral atoll in the East Indian Sea is astonishing. The subsequent rescue of survivors and punishment of those guilty for the slaughter provides a fitting end to this well written sea tale.To readers interested in expanding their knowledge of world History I heartily recommend this book. You won't regret it.

After reading "Batavia's Graveyard" this reviewer wonders why this incredible story is not more well-known. Being that it occurred in 1629 is probably the main reason. This story covers almost everything: greed, political intrigue, plans of mutiny, a shipwreck, sex, rape, murders, gruesome executions, heretical convictions, psychopathic behavior, even a baby dying from syphilis. Mike Dash does an excellent job researching the many topics that make up this complicated story to try and bring some understanding of how such horrible events unfolded.The book begins at the moment around 3 a.m. on June 4, 1629 with the collision of the Dutch ship Batavia with a reef at high tide near a group of islands in the Houtman Abrolhos atoll off the western shore of Australia. The ship was carrying valuable exports east for the Jan Company--a member of the United East India Company (VOC). An unruly chain of events followed where passengers struggled to reach an island that would be known as "Batavia's Graveyard." The last man to escape the shipwreck alive, unfortunately, was under-merchant Jeronimus Cornelisz. He would take charge of the survivors when the over-merchant and skipper, along with a group of other passengers, left on a boat to find help. Most left stranded under Cornelisz would not survive. Dash then gives background on the VOC and, most importantly, on the man who was the catalyst of the horrors that occurred on the island.Dash tries to present an understanding of Jeronimus Cornelisz, the dominant figure in this story, by examining his background. He had a troubled, often bizarre, family life in Holland and an apothecary business that was victim to a financial depression. He also adopted strange, heretical ideas that, among other things, made him believe that he was incapable of sin. Eight months after the death of his baby that was surrounded by a legal struggle with a deranged wetnurse, he signed on as a senior officer of the Jan Company and set sail on the Batavia a "desperate and dangerous man." Dash explains that the life expectancy of merchants in the Indies was short due to the harsh conditions, but two successful voyages could restore fortunes.Cornelisz's self-centered and destructive plans actually began on the Batavia as he and the skipper no less planned a mutiny. Dash describes life on the Batavia which was quite eye-opening. It was after the Batavia passengers were stranded on the Abrolhos, however, that Jeronimus's evil took hold. He was a "seducer of men" and was able to convince the strongest to kill the weakest (the ill or otherwise dispensable, women not kept for rape, and even children) with glee. Fortunately, he did not count on a group of survivors he had sent off to, what he believed to be, a completely desolate island surviving and defending themselves.After all the horrors are concluded, Dash presents what information that can be found on the survivors and brings the story to more recent times with the uncovering of skeletal remains, the identification of the islands that were the settings of the brutal killings, and the reconstruction of the Batavia that was launched in 1995. Finally, he discusses the characteristics of a psychopath and how Cornelisz fit the mold. Cons are that there are no images. It is understandable that illustrations of the principal characters do not exist, but many artifacts from the ship are in museums today and there is also the islands themselves. Also, the way Dash goes back and forth with different names is a bit confusing at first (he explains the way names were used in the United Provinces at that time in his Prologue), but this reader got used to it. This reviewer prefers books on shipwrecks and exploration, but usually post 19th century. Although this book goes back another two hundred years, the author does such a fine job explaining the times where it pertained to the story, that is was easy to fall into the story and have a better understanding of it. This riveting book is highly recommended.

It says a lot for a story when it begins with a shipwreck and builds in intensity from there.Batavia's Graveyard, painstakingly researched and written by Mike Dash, starts shortly before the proud, richly laden Dutch merchantman Batavia, on her maiden voyage for the Dutch East India Co. in 1629, shattered its hull on a coral reef near Australia and some 1,500 miles shy of its destination in Java. It could have been a simple story of survival if not for the presence of Jeronimus Cornelisz aboard the doomed vessel. At first glance a simple, mid-ranking official for the company, Cornelisz harbored heretical ideas and an overblown sense of his own importance in the scheme of things -- and he had the intelligence and charisma to bend others to his will. Long before the shipwreck occurred, Cornelisz had plotted mutiny and piracy on the Batavia. But once he found himself stranded with more than 250 survivors and limited resources to keep them alive, the Dutchman decided to take matters into his own hands and decide who should live and die.It might be somewhat hard to believe if this were fiction, but Dash has drawn his story from the logs, court records and testimonials of the day. As history, Batavia's Graveyard is a gripping, deeply disturbing tale. Dash should be commended for his ability to present the story with such perfect balance between sensational drama and stark historical facts. There are enough notes and references to sate even the most passionate researcher, and the narrative never falters in its flow.by Tom Knapp, Rambles.NET editor

It is slow to get started

The details of this story are impressive considering how long ago this incident took place. I am amazed by how many records are still available and how long it must have taken to go through them all. This story is very well written and makes you feel as if you are on this frightful journey. It is a fascinating and gripping story to read. It is also terribly sad to learn about what so many people endured. Another look into the fragile nature of human beings and what we are capable of doing to one another. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

well written good story

Extraordinary book, the history is interesting and the narrator creates a perfect equilibrium between the historic precision and the adventure tale.Absolutely recommended

This book is an excellent book to read. It is long and has intensive historical facts that give a sense of life in 16th century Holland. But that just helps to put the whole historical tale of the shocking Batavia shipwreck and what follows into perspective. Mike Dash has thoroughly researched not only the history of the times, but also of the shipwreck itself and the ensuing months of existence for its ill fated passengers and crew. Despite its length I could not put it down.

Kindle版紙の本の長さ： 416 ページ出版社: Weidenfeld & Nicolson (2011/5/12)ASIN: B00550O0L0　のレビュー　1629年ということは、まだネーデルラントの独立は国際的に承認されていません。しかし、オランダ東インド会社は当時のヨーロッパ最大の商業組織であり、海上勢力であります。ちなみに、日本は徳川家光の時代で、着々と海禁政策をすすめています。バタヴィアの総督はオランダ東インド支配の基礎を築いた辣腕のクーン、アンボイナ事件（1623）のすぐ後の時期。　その東インド会社VOCの大型船「バタヴィア」がジャワ島のバタヴィアに向かう途中、オーストラリア西岸ちかくの暗礁にのりあげ遭難、その後の乗組員、乗員、兵士の壮絶な運命を描いた本です。本文はドキュメント風ですが、本文の半分ぐらいの量の詳細な引用注がついています。1. The Heretic 反乱・殺戮の主要人物であるJeronimus Corneliszの経歴。当時の医療、衛生、再洗礼派やメノナイト派などのキリスト教の事情、民事裁判などが解説されます。2. Gentlemen XVII 　オランダ東インド会社の組織、事業について3. The Tavern of the Ocean　いよいよ出航、1628年。ここで、大型船（East Indiaman)のすさまじい居住環境が描かれます。船員の待遇も悲惨ですが、船倉に閉じ込められて輸送される兵士はもっと悲惨で、ほんと奴隷運搬と同じ。当時はなんと妻をつれて渡航することも許されていたのです。下級船員と上級オフィサーたちとは、居住も待遇も厳格に区別されています。兵士や下級船員は監獄の囚人のように扱われています。4. Terra Australis Incognita 当時の海図、航海術について。オーストラリアの地理上の位置について。5. The Tiger　いよいよ虐殺開始6. Longboat　一方、航海の最高責任者であるFrancisco Pelsaertと船長を含めた45人はlongboat（本来20人くらいが乗れる小型ボート）でジャワ島へ向かいます。乗員や下級船員を見捨て生き延びたようなものですが、彼らにはVOCの厳しい査察が待っています。7. ジャワ島から、遭難現場へPelsaertを中心にした捜索隊が出航。もっとも一番の目的は金貨や商品を回収すること。遭難した現場で大殺戮が起きていることなど、まったく予想していません。8. 反乱者たちは一応全員捕縛され、尋問をうけます。9. 関係者のその後の消息10. この事件の研究史。海難現場の位置が特定されたのは1960年代で、その後オーストラリア博物館の専門家やテレビ取材班の調査がおこなわれました。「バタヴィア」号の復元もオランダの有志によって実現し、ようやく全貌があきらかになったわけです。従来、オランダとオーストラリアでは有名な事件だったのですが、そのはかの地域への紹介は本書が最初といっていいようです。ただし、著者による首謀者Jeronimusの精神分析はよけいですね。　ともかくすさまじい内容です。スピノザやルーベンスの時代のオランダの下層民がどのような生活をしていたのか、VOC交易でどれほどの富が得られたのか、よーくわかります。また、この事件を再現できるほど記録を残しているVOCの文書管理もたいしたものです。　kindle版は地図が見にくい。索引はリンクがついています。引用注にはリンクが貼ってないので不便ですが、研究用に使う人は紙の書籍を買うでしょうから、本文を読むにはkindleで充分でしょう。

Un livre absolument exceptionnel car il cumule trois qualités majeures :-constituer un récit aussi passionnant que vivant de la 1ère à la dernière page, et ce, en étant pourtant dépourvu de fioritures ou de dialogues "inventés".-offrir une vision solidement documentée de certains aspects de la vie quotidienne au XVIIème siècle aux Pays Bas, sur les navires marchands et dans les lointaines implantations Européennes.-interpeller sur les comportements humains et les mécanismes qui ont conduit à la prise du pouvoir d'un effarant psychopathe sur une micro-société ponctuelle.Le récit s'articule en 9 chapitres + un prologue et un épilogue :Prologue, entrée dans le vif du sujet avec l'histoire précise du naufrage du 4 juin 1629 sur le récif des Abrolhos.Chapitre 1, mise en scène du principal protagoniste Jeronimus Cornelisz dans ce que l'on peut savoir de sa vie et de ses origines avant qu'il ne s'embarque sur le Batavia.Chapitre 2, la VOC (Compagnie Hollandaise des Indes) et son fonctionnement avec son conseil, Herren XVII (les 17 administrateurs), le commerce des épices et les routes maritimes.Chapitre 3, récit des 6 premiers mois de voyage en mer jusqu'à l'escale au Cap pour ravitaillement.Chapitre 4, retour au jour du naufrage.Chapitre 5, installation sur les îlots, prise du pouvoir par Jeronimus Cornelisz et première partie des massacres.Chapitre 6 récit du périple du bateau de sauvetage parti chercher du secours à Java après le naufrage avec 40 personnes à bord dont le skipper.Chapitre 7, suite des massacres et guerre avec un petit groupe de survivants réfugiés sur un autre îlot.Chapitre 8, arrivée du navire de sauvetage, capture et jugement de Jeronimus Cornelisz et des ses hommes de main.Chapitre 9, retour à Java des survivants avec le navire de sauvetage et destin des uns et des autres selon ce qui peut être historiquement établi.Epilogue, redécouverte du site du naufrage et les fouilles qui y ont été faites au siècle dernier.A la suite, plus de 100 pages de notes et références historiques qui complètent le récit et donnent l'ampleur de la solidité de cet ouvrage comme de véritables références pour ceux qui veulent en savoir plus.Au final, c'est un livre que je conseillerais ABSOLUMENT aux passionnés d'histoire, étudiants ou autres, désireux de découvrir les conditions de vie (épouvantables) sur un bateau marchand du XVIIème siècle, le fonctionnement de la Compagnie Hollandaise des Indes (le passage sur la vie de marins et des soldats de la VOC et les règlements de châtiments corporels sont à peine imaginables, il faut avoir le coeur bien accroché...), le commerce des épices, la société néerlandaise de l'époque, le poids épouvantable de la religion sur la vie et le sort des gens...A conseiller également ABSOLUMENT aux sociologues, psychologues ou psychiatres car au delà de tous les aspects historiques, ce récit interpelle profondément sur les comportements humains et l'organisation d'une micro-société ponctuelle. Il y aurait sans doute une thèse de sociologie ou de psychologie à en tirer !!!Comment un effroyable psychopathe bien éduqué, orgueilleux et ambitieux, doué d'une grande habilité verbale mais au final assez peu intelligent et organisé, a t-il pu ainsi s'emparer du pouvoir en s'appuyant juste sur une toute petite poignée de tueurs vraisemblablement aussi psychopathes que lui ?Comment peut se mettre en suite en place une spirale de tueurs engendrés par les 1ers tueurs au nom de la simple survie, c'est à dire accepter de tuer soi-même pour ne pas être tué ?Comment ceux qui n'étaient pas du groupe des tueurs, et étaient à la base très majoritaires, ont pu se laisser massacrer ainsi, un par un, chacun espérant juste chaque jour que ce serait le voisin qui serait tué ?Un point à savoir, ce livre met en scène une histoire effroyable situé dans une époque qui fait froid dans le dos. L'ensemble est raconté sur le mode "réaliste". Ce n'est donc pas un livre à faire lire à des enfants ou à des personnes fragiles mentalement ou trop sensibles. Il y a vraiment des moments où on a des "haut le coeur".