Jacques Mahu facts for kids

Jacob Mahu (born in 1564 – died September 23, 1598) was a Dutch merchant and explorer. He led an important sea journey that aimed to find new trade routes.

The Great Expedition Begins

In 1598, Jacob Mahu led a big sea trip with five ships. Two important people, Pieter van der Hagen and Johan van der Veeken, helped organize it. The main goal was to find a new way to reach the Spice Islands. These islands were famous for valuable spices. The expedition also hoped to encourage local people to trade with them instead of the Spanish.

The ships left from Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands, on June 27, 1598. However, the journey faced many problems right from the start.

The Five Ships and Their Captains

Each ship had a special name and a captain:

• Hoop (meaning Hope). This was the lead ship, captained by Jacob Mahu himself.
• Liefde (meaning Love). This ship was led by Simon de Cordes, who was second-in-command. Before this trip, it was known as Erasmus and even had a statue of Erasmus on its front.
• Geloof (meaning Believe). Its captain was Gerrit van Beuningen.
• Trouwe (meaning Faith). This ship was captained by Jurriaan van Boekhout.
• Blijde Boodschap (meaning Good Tiding or The Gospel). This ship was also known as Vliegend Hart (Flying Heart) before this journey. Its captain was Sebald de Weert.

A Difficult Journey and Sad Losses

After leaving Europe, the ships stopped at the Cape Verde Islands near Africa. They stayed there from September 2 to September 29. Sadly, many sailors on the Hoop got sick with a fever. Some of them died, including Admiral Jacob Mahu. He passed away on September 23, 1598, leaving the expedition without its leader.

After Mahu's death, Simon de Cordes took over as the new leader of the expedition. The journey continued, but more troubles lay ahead for the ships:

• The Blijde Boodschap was captured by the Spanish in South America.
• The Hoop was lost near Hawaii.
• The Trouwe was captured by the Portuguese near an island called Tidore.

Only two ships managed to continue their long journey:

• The Geloof was the first Dutch ship to sail across the Pacific Ocean. It returned to Holland in July 1600, sailing through the Strait of Magellan. Only 36 of its original 109 crew members survived the trip.
• The Liefde was wrecked on the coast of Japan. Out of its crew, 24 people survived. One of them was William Adams. He stayed in Japan and became a trader and a trusted advisor to the powerful Japanese leader, the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

See also

In Spanish: Jacob Mahu para niños