Jacques l'Hermite (c. 1582 – June 2, 1624), sometimes also known as Jacques le Clerq , was a Dutch

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

, explorer and

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

known for his journey around the globe with the

Nassau Fleet Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 * Nassau Street (Winnipeg) ...

(1623–1626) and for his blockade and raid on

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists o ...

in 1624 during that same voyage in which he also died. He served the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

as chief merchant in Bantam and

Ambon Island Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of two territories: the city of Ambon, Maluku, Ambon to the south and various districts ('' ...

in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

. The Chilean

Hermite Islands __NOTOC__ The Hermite Islands () are the islands ''Hermite'', ''Herschel'', ''Deceit'' and ''Hornos'' as well as the islets ''Maxwell'', ''Jerdán'', ''Arrecife'', ''Chanticleer'', ''Hall'', ''Deceit (islet)'', and ''Hasse'' at almost the southe ...

near

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...

which his fleet charted in February 1624 are named after him.

Personal life

L'Hermite was born 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,

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

(present-day Belgium) around the year 1582. After the fall of Antwerp in 1585 in a battle with the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

, the family moved north to

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 ...

and later settled in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

. He left the Republic in 1606 and spent the next six years working in the Dutch East Indies.

Professional life

In 1606 l'Hermite set sail to the

as a secretary on the fleet commanded by Admiral Cornelis Matelief Jr. where in 1607 he was appointed chief merchant on the ''Black Lion'' ( nl, Swarte Leeuw). From 1607 to 1611 l'Hermite was chief merchant ( nl, opperkoopman) for the Dutch East India Company in Bantam, Dutch East Indies. After six years working abroad he returned to Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic. There he married Theodora van Wely in March 1613. In April 1623 l'Hermite was commissioned by Prince Maurice of Nassau and the Dutch State General to lead a fleet of eleven ships known as the ''Nassau Fleet'' ( nl, Nassausche vloot) with its flagship ''Amsterdam''. The fleet set sail on a circumnavigational voyage westwards from Amsterdam to the western coast of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

with the objective to hunt down Spanish silver ships leaving

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and to establish a Dutch colony in either Peru or Chile, at that time known as the Viceroyalty of Peru. Although commanded by Admiral l'Hermite, the fleet was ''de facto'' led by his Vice-Admiral Gheen Huygen Schapenham and Rear-Admiral Julius Wilhelm Van Verschoor after l'Hermite like most of its crew suffered from

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

Trouw ''Trouw'' (; ) is a Dutch daily newspaper appearing in compact size. It was founded in 1943 as an orthodox Protestant underground newspaper during World War II. Since 2009, it has been owned by DPG Media (known as De Persgroep until 2019). ''Tr ...

'' newspaper archive
Had Hermite gewonnen, dan sprak Peru nu Nederlands
retrieved May 19, 2009. during the journey. Early 1624 the fleet passed Cape Horn through Lemaire Channel and explored and charted the Hermite Islands. In May 1624 the fleet blocked the port of Callao and raided the cities of Pisco and

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

, but they were unsuccessful in establishing a colony and the fleet was forced to continue its voyage westwards towards the Dutch East Indies.

Death

L'Hermite died on June 2, 1624, during the blockade of Callao after suffering from

and

scurvy Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...

for months. He was buried on San Lorenzo Island off the coast of Callao, Peru.

References

Bibliography

* * * ) , publisher= Jacob Pietersz Wachter , date= 1643 , location= Amsterdam * ) , publisher= Uitgeverij Verloren , date= 2008 , isbn= 978-90-8704-047-5 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hermite 1580s births 1624 deaths Businesspeople from Antwerp 17th-century Dutch East Indies people Admirals of the navy of the Dutch Republic Dutch merchants 17th-century merchants 17th-century Dutch explorers Circumnavigators of the globe Explorers of South America Deaths from scurvy 17th-century Dutch businesspeople Dutch East India Company people

Personal life

Professional life

Death

See also

References

Bibliography