Joris van Spilbergen

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Joris van Spilbergen (1568-1620) was a Dutch naval officer of the 17th century.

His first major expedition was in 1596, when he sailed to Africa.

He then left for Asia on May 5, 1601, commanding the fleet of the company of the Moucheron (a trading company before the esablishement of the VOC). His ships were the Ram, Schaap, and Lam. Spilbergen met the king of Kandy (Sri Lanka) Vimala Dharma Suriya in 1602, and discussed the possibility of trade in cinnamon.

In 1607, Splibergen, onboard Aeolus, was with Jacob van Heemskerk at the Battle of Gibraltar.

In 1614, he sailed beyond the Straits of Magellan and raided the Spanish settlements of the coast of California. He had some fights with Sebastian Vizcaino and Nicolas de Cardona. He circumnavigated the earth, and returned to Holland in 1617.

He died a poor man in Bergen-op-Zoom in 1620.