Adm. Hendrick Corneliszoon Lonck (or Loncque and Loncq) (born 1568,

Roosendaal Roosendaal () is both a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. Towns/villages of the municipality * Roosendaal (population: 66,760) * Wouw (4,920) * Heerle (1, ...

– 10 October 1634,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

), a Dutch naval hero, was the first Dutch

sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficie ...

to reach the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

Early years

He was born in

in the southern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, of

Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...

origin. His parents were Cornelis Pieterszoon Lonck and Dichna Heinrich. He was a full cousin of the

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

Vice Admiral Cornelis Symons Son Loncque. In 1604, he married Grietgen Lenaerts in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Career

In 1606, Lonck captained the ''Witte Leeuw'' (White Lion), a 320-ton merchant ship armed for war, and approached the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Near

Tadoussac Tadoussac () is a village in Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saguenay and Saint Lawrence rivers. The indigenous Innu call the place ''Totouskak'' (plural for ''totouswk'' or ''totochak'') meaning "bosom", probably in reference to the t ...

, he boarded two of

Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons Pierre Dugua de Mons (or Du Gua de Monts; c. 1558 – 1628) was a French merchant, explorer and colonizer. A Calvinist, he was born in the Château de Mons, in Royan, Saintonge (southwestern France) and founded the first permanent French sett ...

' ships, pillaging them for cannons, furs, mounts, and munitions. In 1623 and 1624, Lonck participated in the expedition of Admiral

Willem de Zoete Willem de Zoete, Heer Haultain (1565 – 26 September 1637, Sluis) was a Dutch people, Dutch Admiral of the 17th century. He served as a Lieutenant-Admiral from 1601 to 1627. During the Eighty Years' War he directed Dutch fleets in various nava ...

against the Barbary Coast pirates. Having made admiral by 1628, Lonck, in the service of the

Dutch West Indies Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...

, joined Admiral Piet Hein in the Battle in the Bay of Matanzas, a naval battle during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

in which a Dutch squadron was able to defeat and capture a

Spanish treasure fleet The Spanish treasure fleet, or West Indies Fleet ( es, Flota de Indias, also called silver fleet or plate fleet; from the es, label=Spanish, plata meaning "silver"), was a convoy system of sea routes organized by the Spanish Empire from 1566 to ...

. Lonck replaced Hein in 1629 as captain-general. In 1630, he commanded a Dutch colonizing expedition of 52 ships, 15 sloops, and 3,780 sailors that captured the historic city of

Olinda Olinda () is a historic city in Pernambuco, Brazil, in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region. It is located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, in the Recife metropolitan area, Metropolitan Region of Recife, the state capi ...

, Brazil on 14 February, followed by the capture of the

Brazilian state The federative units of Brazil ( pt, unidades federativas do Brasil) are subnational entities with a certain degree of autonomy (self-government, self-regulation and self-collection) and endowed with their own government and constitution, which ...

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the 19 ...

after a feeble resistance by

Matias de Albuquerque Matias de Albuquerque (Olinda, Colonial Brazil, colony of Brazil, 1580s – Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal, 9 June 1647), the first and only Count of Alegrete, was a Portuguese colonial administrator and soldier. He was nicknamed "Hero of Two Con ...

, its Portuguese Governor. It was to be his last voyage, returning to the Netherlands on 20 July 1630. He died in

and was buried on 10 October 1634 in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lonck, Hendrick 1568 births 1634 deaths Admirals of the navy of the Dutch Republic Burials at the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam People from Roosendaal People of Dutch Brazil Sailors on ships of the Dutch West India Company