Batavia's Graveyard
The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny
Crown · Print & ebook · May 27, 2003
In 1628 the Dutch East India Company loaded the Batavia, the flagship of its fleet, with a king’s ransom in gold, silver, and gems for her maiden voyage to Java; the ship itself was a tangible symbol of the world’s richest and most powerful monopoly.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A documented maritime disaster opens into a tense account of ambition, mutiny, and survival.
- Themes
- Historical mutiny, Shipwreck, Survival
- Genres
- Historical True Crime, Maritime History & Piracy, Australia & New Zealand History
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genre: Maritime History & Piracy.
Skeletons on the ZaharaDean King, Michael Prichard50% match
A Voyage for MadmenPeter Nichols56% match
The BountyCaroline Alexander, Nicholas Boulton64% match
Empire of Blue WaterStephan Talty, John H. Mayer54% match
The Gales of NovemberJohn U. Bacon45% match
The Wide Wide SeaHampton Sides53% match
For younger readers: Left for Dead, The Whydah: a Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found, The Buccaneers
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
In 1628 the Dutch East India Company loaded the Batavia, the flagship of its fleet, with a king’s ransom in gold, silver, and gems for her maiden voyage to Java; the ship itself was a tangible symbol of the world’s richest and most powerful monopoly. The company also sent along a new employee to guard its treasure. He was Jeronimus Corneliszoon, a disgraced and bankrupt man with great charisma and dangerously heretical ideas.
Continue reading
With the help of a few disgruntled sailors, he hatched a plot to seize the ship and her riches. The mutiny might have succeeded, but in the dark morning hours of June 3, 1629, the Batavia smashed through a coral reef and ran aground on a small chain of islands near Australia. The captain and skipper escaped the wreck, and in a tiny lifeboat they set sail for Java—some 1,500 miles north—to summon help. More than 250 frightened survivors waded ashore, thankful to be alive. Unfortunately, Jeronimus and the mutineers had survived too, and the nightmare was only beginning.
A Wreck at Sea
A documented maritime disaster opens into a tense account of ambition, mutiny, and survival.
Come here for
- A 17th-century voyage carrying extraordinary wealth
- The collision of shipwreck and a mutiny already in motion
Expect
- A sustained narrative drawn from a real maritime catastrophe
- An unsettling mix of historical detail and human danger
Where it sits
| Australia & New Zealand History | 53% |
|---|---|
| Historical True Crime | 49% |
| Maritime History & Piracy | 40% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Australia & New Zealand History
- 17th-Century History
- Exploration & Discovery
- Authors
- Mike Dash
- Publisher
- Crown
- Published
- May 27, 2003
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Historical mutiny · Shipwreck · Survival
- Reading lane
- Australia & New Zealand History