Cornelis de houtman biography for kids
Biography for 2nd graders...
Cornelis de Houtman
Dutch explorer (–)
Cornelis de Houtman (2 April &#;– 11 September ) was a Dutch merchant seaman who commanded the first Dutch expedition to the East Indies.[1] Although the voyage was difficult and yielded only a modest profit, Houtman showed that the Portuguese monopoly on the spice trade was vulnerable.
Cornelis de houtman biography for kids
A flurry of Dutch trading voyages followed, eventually leading to the displacement of the Portuguese and the establishment of a Dutch monopoly on spice trading in the East Indies.[2]
Early life
Cornelis de Houtman was born in in Gouda, South Holland.
His father, Pieter de Houtman, was a brewer. Cornelis had a younger brother, Frederick de Houtman, born in and two sisters.
In , Houtman's wealthy cousin, Reynier Pauw, and several other prosperous merchants in Amsterdam formed a company, Compagnie van Verre, to finance a Dutch trading expedition to the East Indies.
Their initial inspiration had been the publication of a series of m