Batavia

By: Peter FitzSimons

Narrated by: Richard Aspel

The story begins in 1629, when the pride of the Dutch East India Company, the Batavia, is on its maiden voyage en route from Amsterdam to the Dutch East Indies, laden down with the greatest treasure to leave Holland. The magnificent ship is already boiling over with a mutinous plot that is just about to break into the open when, just off the coast of Western Australia, it strikes an unseen reef in the middle of the night.

While Commandeur Francisco Pelsaert decides to take the long-boat across 2000 miles of open sea for help, his second-in-command Jeronimus Cornelisz takes over, quickly deciding that 250 people on a small island is unwieldy for the small number of supplies they have. Quietly, he puts forward a plan to 40 odd mutineers how they could save themselves, kill most of the rest and spare only a half-dozen or so women, including his personal fancy, Lucretia Jansz - one of the noted beauties of Holland - to service their sexual needs. A reign of terror begins, countered only by a previously anonymous soldier Wiebbe Hayes, who begins to gather to him those are prepared to do what it takes to survive...

©2011 Peter FitzSimons (P)2011 Bolinda Publishing

Grisly story!

What a well done telling and performance of this true tale. I admit, the violence and evil were at times difficult to hear, but all in all, the research and writing were incredibly well done. The reader was among one of the best I've heard yet.

Shipwreck

Amsterdam history at sea and Jakarta’s early European conquest as well as Australia accidental discovery has many more stories to uncover!

Great listen

Super recommend. If this kind of tale is your thing then pull the trigger. You won't regret it.

So good I had to binge listen

Unbelievably amazing story, well researched, well told. Congratulations to Peter Fitzsimons for bringing it to life. Binge listened to it!

Good listen

I have listened to a lot of 17th century mishaps on the open seas. Including the tales of the whaler in the pacific and the bounty. They all talk of what humans can do for survival or to each other. Both darkness and light of humanity. I would include this one to your bucket list.