Please note this episode contains information about violence including murder, rape and the killing of children. It’s a fascinating but very chilling episode in history.
In the 17th Century the Dutch Republic ruled the waves. The Dutch East India Company, known as the VOC, controlled the spice trade out of the East Indies (Indonesia) and made enormous profits. In 1628 a ship left Amsterdam bound for the trading town of Batavia, modern Jakarta. Also called Batavia, the ship was wrecked off the west coast of Australia, and what followed was six months of murder and horror for the survivors.
One of these survivors was Lucretia Jans, a 28 year old woman travelling to Batavia to join up with her husband. Her story, and how she managed to survive the months trapped with a murderous psychopath, is remarkable - but also terrifying.
Sources/Further reading (and listening)
Dash, Mike: Batavia’s Graveyard - The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led Histories Bloodiest Mutiny
Fitzsimons, Peter: Batavia - Betrayal. Shipwreck. Murder. Sexual Slavery. Courage. A Spine Chilling Chapter in Australian History.
Online Dictionary of Dutch Women: Jans, Lucretia https://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/vrouwenlexicon/lemmata/data/Jans,%20Lucretia/en
Western Australian Museum: Batavia’s History https://museum.wa.gov.au/research/research-areas/maritime-archaeology/batavia-cape-inscription/batavia
Board, Roger W: The brutal events on Houtman Abrolhos following the wreckof the Batavia in 1629
Wyatt, Red: The Shipwreck of the Batavia: A Tale of Mutiny and Murder https://historycollection.com/shipwreck-batavia-tale-mutiny-murder/
Milligan, Mark: Heritage Daily - New Horrors Unravelled in the Story of the Batavia Shipwreck https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/05/new-horrors-unravelled-in-the-story-of-the-batavia-shipwreck/147258
Wikipedia: Lucretia Jans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucretia_Jans
Wikipedia: Batavia (1628 Ship) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavia_(1628_ship)
Podcasts
Dark Histories - The Disturbing Kingdom of Batavia’s Graveyard
Casefile - Case 138: The Batavia
Most Notorious - The 1629 Batavia Mutiny & Massacre w/ Mike Dash
Not Just The Tudors - Batavia: The Worst Shipwreck in History
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