François Pyrard de Laval (; 1578 – ca. 1623) was a French navigator who is remembered for a personal written account of his adventures in the
Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
Islands from 1602 to 1607, which was part of a ten-year sojourn (1601–1611) in South Asia, et al. He was a native of
Laval, and was a cousin to theologian
Pierre Pyrard (1581–1667).
On 2 July 1602, Pyrard and a handful of sailors were
shipwreck
A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...
ed on
South Maalhosmadulu Atoll of the Maldives. They were taken captive by the Maldivians and spent five years as "unwilling guests" on the islands, with most of the time spent on
Malé
Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of , Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city i ...
. The sailors endured
malaria
Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
and sporadic cruel treatment during their captivity. Nevertheless, Pyrard took pains to learn the local
Dhivehi language and by doing so was able to achieve an insight into Maldivian society never before experienced by a European. He took extensive notes regarding
Dhivehi culture, customs and history.
''European travellers in India'' Edward Farley Oaten p.123
/ref>
In February 1607, the Frenchmen escaped from Malé by boat in the midst of chaos during a Bengali raid. Shortly after his return to Laval in 1611, Pyrard published an account of his 1601–1611 sojourn.
Bibliography
* "The Voyage of François Pyrard of Laval to the East Indies, the Maldives, the Moluccas, and Brazil". Translated into English from the Third French edition of 1619, and Edited, with Notes, by Albert Gray, formerly of the Ceylon Civil Service, assisted by Harry Charles Purvis Bell, of the Ceylon Civil Service. Volume I. 1887. Pages lviii, 452 + 1 map, 11 illustrations.
See also
* France-Asia relations
Notes
External links
Distant lands and diverse cultures
by Glenn Joseph Ames, Ronald S. Love
South Asia Visions
about: The voyage of Francois Pyrard of Laval to the East Indies, the Maldives, the Moluccas and Brazil, v.1]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyrard, Francois
History of the Maldives
17th-century French explorers
People from Mayenne
1570s births
Year of birth uncertain
1620s deaths
Year of death uncertain