Jan van Riebeeck
Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck[2] (21 April 1619 – 18 January 1677)[3] was a Dutch navigator, ambassador and colonial administrator of the Dutch East India Company.[4][5]
In this Dutch name, the surname is van Riebeeck.
Jan van Riebeeck
Life[edit]
Early life[edit]
Jan van Riebeeck was born in Culemborg on 21 April 1619, as the son of a surgeon. He grew up in Schiedam, where he married a 19-year-old Maria de la Queillerie on 28 March 1649. She died in Malacca, now part of Malaysia, on 2 November 1664, at the age of 35. The couple had eight or nine children, most of whom did not survive infancy. Their son Abraham van Riebeeck, born at the Cape, later became Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.[6]
Employment in the VOC[edit]
Joining the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) (Dutch East India Company) in 1639, he served in a number of posts, including that of an assistant surgeon in the Batavia in the East Indies.[6]
He was head of the VOC trading post in Tonkin, Indochina. After being dismissed from that position in 1645 due to conducting trade for his own personal account, he began to advocate a refreshment station in the Cape of Good Hope after staying 18 days there during his return voyage. Two years later, support increased after a marooned VOC ship was able to survive in a temporary fortress. The Heeren XVII requested a report from Leendert Jansz and Mathys Proot, which recommended a Dutch presence.[6]
In 1643, van Riebeeck travelled with Jan van Elseracq to the VOC outpost at Dejima in Japan. Seven years later in 1650, he proposed selling hides of South African wild animals to Japan.[7]
Jan van Riebeeck's coat of arms, the basis of the coat of arms of Cape Town
The painting of Bartholomew Vermuyden, thought to be of van Riebeeck instead, which was used on banknotes and coins
Towns and suburbs in South Africa named after Van Riebeeck. These include: Riebeek-Kasteel, Riebeek West, Riebeek East, Riebeeckstad and Van Riebeeck Park.
Jan van Riebeeck is of immense cultural and historical significance to South Africa, as he was in particular during the Apartheid era. Many Afrikaners view him as the founding father of their nation.[14] Consequently, his image appeared ubiquitously on postage stamps and banknotes issued until 1994. An image used on currency notes after South Africa became a republic in 1961 was thought to be that of van Riebeeck, but was instead of Bartholomew Vermuyden.[15][16][17]
Van Riebeeck's Day, also known as Founders' Day, used to be celebrated on 6 April; but the holiday was cancelled by the African National Congress after the 1994 election. However, it is still celebrated in the community of Orania in South Africa (a whites-only enclave). His image no longer features on any official currency or stamps today, but statues of him and his wife remain in Adderley Street, Cape Town. The coat of arms of the city of Cape Town is based on the van Riebeeck family coat of arms.[18]
Many South African towns and villages have streets named after him. Riebeek-Kasteel is one of the oldest towns in South Africa, situated 75 km from Cape Town in the Riebeek Valley together with its sister town Riebeek West.[19]
Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck is an Afrikaans high school in Cape Town.[20]
