28-29 October 1628

East Indies fleet Dordrecht, ‘s Gravenhage, Assendelft, Sardam, Kleine David and escort warship Buren depart Texel. The flagship Batavia sets sail the following day with VOC Fleet Commander Francisco Pelsaert, Skipper Ariaen Jacobsz and undermerchant Jeronimus Cornelisz. There were 341 people on board.

LOCATION

Texel, the Netherlands

Fleet of ships leaving Amsterdam for the Dutch East Indies.

Credit: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Late December 1628

Batavia puts in at Sierra Leone to take on water and fresh supplies.

LOCATION

Sierra Leone, West Africa

Dutch map of the West African coastline. Sierra Leone is at the very top of the map.

Credit: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

14 April 1629

Batavia arrives at the Cape of Good Hope, anchors in Table Bay to take on water and fresh supplies, and to put sick people ashore.

LOCATION

Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

View of Cape of Good Hope from Table Bay.

Credit: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

22 April 1629

Batavia departs the Cape of Good Hope, sailing for the Spice Islands. Jacobsz and Cornelisz begin plotting against Pelsaert, who has been ill for much of the voyage.

LOCATION

Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

Dutch map of the Cape of Good Hope.

Credit: Koninklijke Bibliotheek

May 1629

Jacobsz separates Batavia from the rest of the convoy during a storm. Members of the crew violently assault noblewoman Lucretia Van der Mijlen as part of a mutinous plot to provoke and overthrow Pelsaert.

LOCATION

Southern Indian Ocean

Ships in a storm, attributed to painter Andries van Eertvelt.

Credit: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

4 June 1629

Batavia runs aground on a reef two hours before daybreak, and 40 people drown trying to swim to shore. Survivors make it to nearby islands.

LOCATION

Morning Reef, Wallabi Group, Houtman Abrolhos Islands

Survivors escaping Batavia after it wrecked on Morning Reef. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_1

5 June 1629

Commander Pelsaert and Skipper Jacobsz sail in the ship’s sloop (longboat) to East Wallabi Island in search of water. Finding none, they set sail for the Southland to continue their search. There are 48 people on board. The remaining survivors believe they have been abandoned by their Commander, and name the nearby island ‘Traitors Island’ after Pelsaert.

LOCATION

Traitors Island, High Island (East Wallabi Island)

Survivors in the days following the wreck. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_2

12 June 1629

Cornelisz is the last to leave the Batavia wreck, floating ashore on a mast. He takes command of the ship’s council set up by the survivors.

LOCATION

Batavia wreck site, Batavia’s Graveyard (Beacon Island)

Wreck of Batavia. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_2

14-15 June 1629

Crew from Pelsaert’s sloop go ashore on the mainland to search for water. They see Aboriginal people, and return to the boat. Pelsaert decides to sail to Java to report the wreck to authorities and obtain a rescue ship.

LOCATION

Midwest Western Australian coast

Detailed Dutch map of the West Australian coast, including the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, from about 1753.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, MAPR0000001

End of third week of June

Cornelisz orders Wiebbe Hayes and 20 other soldiers (identified by Cornelisz as ‘loyalists’, and a threat to his command) to go to the ‘High Land’ to search for water.

LOCATION

High Island (West Wallabi Island)

Survivors using small boats to look for fresh water. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_2

1-4 July 1629

Pelsaert arrives in the Sunda Strait and meets four VOC ships, including Sardam from their own fleet. Pelsaert and the survivors board Sardam and continue to Batavia.

LOCATION

Sunda Strait, Java

Sardam. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_4

3 July 1629

Cornelisz begins to order his men to murder the survivors. These are first committed at night or in secret. Over the next three months, the mutineers murder 115 adults and children.

LOCATION

Batavia’s Graveyard (Beacon Island)

Massacre on Beacon Island. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_3

7-8 July 1629

Pelsaert arrives in Batavia, and reports the disaster to Governor-General Jan Pieterszoon Coen.

LOCATION

Batavia, Java

View of Batavia in the Dutch East Indies.

Credit: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

9 July 1629

The remaining survivors strong enough to escape Batavia’s Graveyard, join Wiebbe Hayes on High Island and tell the soldiers about the actions of Cornelisz and his men.

LOCATION

High Island (West Wallabi Island)

Survivors using flotsam to reach an island. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_5

14 July 1629

First public murder by mutineers.

LOCATION

Batavia’s Graveyard (Beacon Island)

Massacre on Beacon Island. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_3

15 July 1629

Pelsaert departs Batavia aboard Sardam and returns to the Abrolhos Islands to recover survivors and the ship’s cargo.

LOCATION

Batavia, Java

Sardam. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_4

20 August 1629

Cornelisz declares himself Captain General, and 36 men sign a document pledging allegiance to him.

LOCATION

Batavia’s Graveyard (Beacon Island)

Section from Pelsaert’s journal, recounting the pledge made to Cornelisz and showing the names of five of the 36 signatories.

Credit: National Archives of the Netherlands, 1.04.02/1098

2 September 1629

After a couple of attempts by Cornelisz to capture and kill Wiebbe Hayes, Cornelisz is captured, arrested by Hayes and kept prisoner on High Island.

LOCATION

High Island (West Wallabi Island)

Four leaders of the mutiny are killed by Hayes’ group. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_5

16 September 1629

Sardam arrives off East Wallabi Island. Loyalist Hayes with his men, as well as the remaining mutineers race in their small boats to the ship. Hayes arrives first, reporting the mutiny and murders to Pelsaert.

LOCATION

High Island (East Wallabi Island)

Pelsaert returns aboard Sardam. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_4

18 September 1629

Pelsaert goes to Batavia’s Graveyard and arrests all remaining mutineers, recovers the jewels, and commences examinations. Mutineers are taken to Seals Island.

LOCATION

Batavia’s Graveyard (Beacon Island), Seals Island (Long Island)

Pelsaert brought two Dutch divers, and four Gudjerati (Indian) divers (most likely pearl divers) from Batavia. They were tasked with the arduous work of salvaging goods from the wreck. Diving naked with no air supply, they would have appeared similar to this depiction of Indian pearl divers at work.

Credit: Freshwater and Marine Image Bank, University of Washington Libraries

25 September 1629

The salvage of money chests and other cargo from the wreck commences.

LOCATION

Batavia wreck site

Selection of coins recovered from Batavia.

Credit: WA Museum

2 October 1629

Eight mutineers including Cornelisz are taken to Seals Island and seven, including Cornelisz, are executed.

LOCATION

Seals Island (Long Island)

Hanging of mutineers on Long Island. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_6

12 October 1629

The Sardam’s skipper goes missing in a yawl during salvage work on Batavia.

LOCATION

Batavia wreck site

Sardam. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_4

15 November 1629

Sardam sails for Batavia via the Southland to search for the missing Sardam skipper.

LOCATION

Indian Ocean

Dutch map of south-east Asia. It shows Australia as it was known to the Dutch, prior to Abel Tasman’s expeditions in the 1640s.Credit: State Library of Western Australia, MAPR0000037

16 November 1629

Sardam’s crew visit a small inlet and obtain fresh water. Two of the younger mutineers are marooned on the mainland.

LOCATION

Midwest Western Australia

View of the Kalbarri coast. It is believed the inlet visited by survivors was Wittecarra Creek in Kalbarri.

Credit: I. Brodie

Early December 1629

Sardam arrives in Batavia with the jewels, money chests and remaining Batavia survivors and mutineers.

LOCATION

Batavia, Java

View of Batavia in the Dutch East Indies.

Credit: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

28-31 January 1630

The remaining mutineers are condemned and executed in Batavia.

LOCATION

Batavia, Java

Batavia’s mutineers facing punishment. Illustration from Ongeluckige voyagie, 1647.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729_6

September 1630

Francisco Pelsaert’s health remains poor and he dies.

LOCATION

Batavia, Java

Elevated view of Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. This engraving shows scaffolding where the portico carried on Batavia was meant to go.

Credit: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

1647

Ongeluckige Voyagie, van’t schip Batavia, nae de Oost-Indien (Unlucky voyage of the ship Batavia) is published.

LOCATION

The Netherlands

First page of Ongeluckige Voyagie, van’t schip Batavia, nae de Oost-Indien.

Credit: State Library of Western Australia, b1660729