What did Jan van Riebeeck do?
Jan van Riebeeck. Written By: Jan van Riebeeck, in full Jan Anthoniszoon Van Riebeeck, (born April 21, 1619, Culemborg, Netherlands—died January 18, 1677, Batavia, Dutch East Indies [now Jakarta, Indonesia]), Dutch colonial administrator who founded (1652) Cape Town and thus opened Southern Africa for white settlement.
What is the history of the Riebeeck hedge?
These trees are a remnant of the hedge planted in 1660 by Jan van Riebeeck as a boundary to the newly established settlement at the Cape. Jan van Riebeeck, an employee of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), arrived at the Cape in 1652, to set up a refreshment station for passing ships.
Why did van Riebeeck leave the Cape in 1662?
Van Riebeeck made the first—and futile—attempts to restrict the movement of white settlers beyond the Cape Peninsula, but white encroachments on the land of the Khoekhoe people led to war in 1659–60, the first of many. When van Riebeeck left the Cape in 1662, the settlement there had more than 100 colonists.
Where is Jan van Riebeeck's statue now?
However, statues of Jan van Riebeeck and his wife remain in Adderley Street, Cape Town. The coat of arms of the city of Cape Town is also based on that of the Van Riebeeck family, and Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck is a popular Afrikaans high school in the centre of Cape Town. Read more on the history of Cape Town.
What did Jan Riebeeck trade?
They also obtained meat provisions through bartering and trade with the native Khoikhoi people. It was known to van Riebeeck that wine, especially young red wine, sometimes carried on ships instead of water, could prevent scurvy.
What did Jan van Riebeeck discover?
Jan van Riebeeck, in full Jan Anthoniszoon Van Riebeeck, (born April 21, 1619, Culemborg, Netherlands—died January 18, 1677, Batavia, Dutch East Indies [now Jakarta, Indonesia]), Dutch colonial administrator who founded (1652) Cape Town and thus opened Southern Africa for white settlement.
What was the purpose of the Dutch settlement?
Cape Town was founded by the Dutch East India Company or the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) in 1652 as a refreshment outpost. The outpost was intended to supply VOC ships on their way to Asia with fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and to enable sailors wearied by the sea to recuperate.
What did the Dutch use South Africa for?
The Dutch, who used South Africa as a hub for their slave trade, took thousands of slaves, especially in Cape Town, to the American and European continents by ship. According to historians, in 1795 two-thirds of Cape Town's population consisted of slaves.
Who discovered South Africa?
1497 - Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama lands on Natal coast. 1652 - Jan van Riebeeck, representing the Dutch East India Company, founds the Cape Colony at Table Bay. 1795 - British forces seize Cape Colony from the Netherlands.
What was the main reason for Jan van Riebeeck?
van Riebeeck commenced immediately to fortify it as a way station for the VOC trade route between the Netherlands and the East Indies. The primary purpose of this way station was to provide fresh provisions for the VOC fleets sailing between the Dutch Republic and Batavia, as deaths en route were very high.
What were the Dutch settlers called in South Africa?
Boer, (Dutch: “husbandman,” or “farmer”), a South African of Dutch, German, or Huguenot descent, especially one of the early settlers of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. Today, descendants of the Boers are commonly referred to as Afrikaners.
Where did the Dutch first settle in South Africa?
Cape TownDutch has been present in South Africa since the establishment in 1652 of the first permanent Dutch settlement around what is now Cape Town.
How did the Dutch come to settle in South Africa?
The Dutch settlement history in South Africa began in March 1647 with the shipwreck of the Dutch ship Nieuwe Haarlem. The shipwreck victims built a small fort named “Sand Fort of the Cape of Good Hope”. They stayed for nearly one year at the Cape.
What did the Dutch want from South Africa?
The initial purpose of the settlement was to provide a rest stop and supply station for trading vessels making the long journey from Europe, around the cape of southern Africa, and on to India and other points eastward.
Where did the Dutch first settle in Ghana?
In 1482, the Portuguese built the first castle in the Gold Coast at Elmina to enhance their trading activities especially in gold and slaves. By 1598, the Dutch also arrived in the Gold Coast to trade. They built forts along the coastal areas, notable among them being the Dutch fort at Komenda.
When did the Dutch first settle in South Africa?
1652The first European settlement in southern Africa was established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company at Table Bay, 30 miles (48 km) north of the cape.
Who was the first person in South Africa?
The Khoisan were the first inhabitants of southern Africa and one of the earliest distinct groups of Homo sapiens, enduring centuries of gradual dispossession at the hands of every new wave of settlers, including the Bantu, whose descendants make up most of South Africa's black population today.
Who lived in South Africa before 1652?
Before the arrival of Europeans, the area was inhabited by San and Khoikhoi peoples. In 1652, Jan van Riebeeck established a small colony on the Cape of Good Hope as a refreshment station for the Dutch East India Company.
Who colonized South Africa?
The two European countries who occupied the land were the Netherlands (1652-1795 and 1803-1806) and Great Britain (1795-1803 and 1806-1961).
When was SA founded?
May 31, 1961South Africa / Founded
What was the purpose of the Riebeeck way station?
The primary purpose of this way station was to provide fresh provisions for the VOC fleets sailing between the Dutch Republic and Batavia, as deaths en route were very high.
What is the coat of arms of Cape Town?
The coat of arms of the city of Cape Town is based on the Van Riebeeck family coat of arms. 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.
What is the Dutch name for Van Riebeeck?
In this Dutch name, the surname is Van Riebeeck. Johan Anthoniszoon " Jan " van Riebeeck (21 April 1619 – 18 January 1677) was a Dutch navigator and colonial administrator who located Cape Town and the Dutch Cape Colony of the Dutch East India Company.
What did Van Riebeeck do to help the colony?
Van Riebeeck established a vineyard in the Colony to produce red wine in order to combat scurvy. Van Riebeeck reported the first comet discovered from South Africa, C/1652 Y1, which was spotted on 17 December 1652.
How old was Maria de la Queillerie when she died?
He grew up in Schiedam, where he married 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 ...
What is the significance of Jan van Riebeeck?
The painting of Bartholomeus Vermuyden, thought to be of van Riebeeck instead, which was used on banknotes and coins. Jan van Riebeeck is of cultural and historical significance to South Africa. Many of the Afrikaner population view him as the founding father of their nation.
Where did Jan van Elseracq go to?
In 1643, 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.
What was the purpose of Jan van Riebeeck's defensive barrier?
Jan van Riebeeck decided to create a defensive barrier along the eastern boundary of the settlement that would also prevent the Khoikhoi from raiding their livestock.
What is Kirstenbosch NBG?
Kirstenbosch NBG: Van Riebeeck’s Hedge. These trees are a remnant of the hedge planted in 1660 by Jan van Riebeeck as a boundary to the newly established settlement at the Cape. Jan van Riebeeck, an employee of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), arrived at the Cape in 1652, to set up a refreshment station for passing ships.
When did Van Riebeeck leave the Cape?
Van Riebeeck left the Cape in 1662 when he was promoted to the Council of Justice in Batavia. Read more about the early days of Kirstenbosch on the History page.
Is an almond a protea?
The wild almond is a member of the Protea Family, most closely related to the Australian genus Macadamia, the Macadamia nut. Wild almond nuts contain cyanide and are poisonous unless specially treated by soaking and roasting, a technique discovered by the Khoisan people who used to eat them.
Why did the VOC give freehold lands to the Liesbeeck Valley?
Due to the growing need for supplies, in 1657 the VOC released some employees from their contracts and granted them freehold lands along the Liesbeeck Valley for them to start farming. The ‘free burgers’ were provided with seeds, tools and loans to start farming. They were ordered to sell their produce to the company and forbidden to trade with the Khoikhoi. Thus, the settlement steadily spread from shores of Table Bay to other parts of the Cape.
Why was Cape Town founded?
The outpost was intended to supply VOC ships on their way to Asia with fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and to enable sailors wearied by the sea to recuperate. What influenced the location of the town in the Table Bay area was the availability of fresh water which was difficult to find in other areas.
Where did the Khoikhoi move?
In the summer months the Khoikhoi moved around between the areas of Table Bay, Swartland and Saldanha Bay in search of fresh grazing pastures with their cattle herds. It was the gradual dispossession of local Khoikhoi pastoralists by early Dutch settlers that opened up the area for European settlement.
What was the largest trade in Europe in 1620?
By 1620, the VOC was the largest corporation in Europe trading in cotton and silk from India and China. In the 1600s both the VOC and East India Company companies were increasingly using the Cape as a halfway stop in their maritime trade and occasionally set up tents along the shore to trade with the Khoikhoi.
What was the area around Table Bay and Robben Island used for?
During the same period the area around Table Bay and Robben Island were increasingly used by the Dutch and British. For instance in 1611, Dutch sailors were shipwrecked on Robben Island. In 1615 ten British prisoners were also dumped on Robben Island and in 1648 the Dutch dumped mutineers on the shores of Table Bay.
Why was the Cape of Good Hope named after the king?
The name expressed the king’s optimism that a sea trade route to India could be opened up via the Cape. In 1497 Vasco da Gama and later Ferdinard Magellan also sailed round the Cape all the way to India.
Why did Dias go to Port Elizabeth?
Dias went as far as Port Elizabeth before turning back presumably due to protests by his ship crew. On his return Dias erected a cross (on the Gulf between the Mountains later named by sailors as ‘False Bay’). Dias named the Cape, the Cape Storms, but John II the king of Portugal renamed it the Cape of Good Hope.
What was the first fort in Cape Town?
The initial fort, named Fort de Goede Hoop ('Fort of Good Hope') was made of mud, clay and timber, and had four corners or bastions. This first fort should not be confused with Redoubt Duijnhoop or the Cape Town Castle. The Castle, built between 1666 and 1679, four years after Van Riebeeck's departure, has five bastions and is made of brick, stone and cement. (Zacharias Wagenaer laid the cornerstone of this castle.)
What was the purpose of the Dutch settlement in Cape Town?
The primary purpose of this way-station was to provide fresh provisions for the VOC fleets sailing between the Dutch Republic and Batavia, as deaths en route were very high . The Walvisch and the Oliphant arrived later in 1652, having had 130 burials at sea.
When was the first comet discovered?
Van Riebeeck reported the first comet discovered from South Africa, C/1652 Y1, which was spotted on 17 December 1652.
What did Van Riebeeck do after he arrived in the Cape?
Van Riebeeck was under strict instructions not to colonise the region but to build a fort and to erect a flagpole for signaling to ships and boats to escort them into the bay. However, a few months after their arrival in the Cape, the Dutch Republic and England became engaged in a naval war (10 July 1652 to 5 April 1654).
Why did Van Riebeeck plant almonds?
In response to the growing skirmishes with the local population , in 1660 Van Riebeeck planted a wild almond hedge to protect his settlement. By the end of the same year, under pressure from the Free Burghers, Van Riebeeck sent the first of many search parties to explore the hinterland. Van Riebeeck remained leader of the Cape until 1662.
What was Jan van Riebeeck's mission?
On 24 December 1651, accompanied by his wife and son, Jan van Riebeeck set off from Texel in The Netherlands for the Cape of Good Hope. Van Riebeeck had signed a contract with the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to oversee the setting up of a refreshment station to supply Dutch ships on their way to the East. Sailing on the Dromedaris with two other ships, the Rejiger and De Goede Hoop, Van Riebeeck was accompanied by 82 men and 8 women.
Why did the VOC issue a permit to farm along the Liesbeeck River?
Although the VOC did not originally intend to establish a colony at the Cape, permits were issued in February 1657 to free nine company servants (who became the Free Burghers) to farm along the Liesbeeck River in order to deal with a wheat shortage.
What was Van Riebeeck's aim?
The aim was to establish a refreshment station to supply the crew of the Company's passing trading ships with fresh water, vegetables and fruit, meat and medical assistance. However, the first winter experienced by Van Riebeeck and his crew was extremely harsh, as they lived in wooden huts and their gardens were washed away by the heavy rains.
How many slaves did Jan van Riebeeck have?
By the time he left the settlement in May 1662 it had grown to 134 officials, 35 Free Burghers, 15 women, 22 children and 180 slaves. Statue of Jan van Riebeeck, Adderly Street, Cape Town. The day of Jan Van Riebeeck’s arrival became a public holiday with the 300th anniversary in 1952 ...
What is the coat of arms of Cape Town?
The coat of arms of the city of Cape Town is also based on that of the Van Riebeeck family, and Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck is a popular Afrikaans high school in the centre of Cape Town. Read more on the history of Cape Town.
What was Van Riebeeck's job?
In 1651 van Riebeeck was appointed to go to the Cape of Good Hope. His job was to build a fort and establish a supply station for ships sailing to the east (Asia). He traveled there with five ships. He landed in Table Bay with three of the ships on April 6, 1652. The first ships were called Reijger, Drommedaris, and Goede Hoop. There were 82 men and 8 women with him. The other two ships, Walvisch and Oliphant, arrived later.
How many slaves were there at the Cape?
After 10 years at the Cape, van Riebeeck was sent to Batavia. When he left the Cape, there were more than 150 settlers and about an equal number of slaves at the Cape. In 1665 van Riebeeck became secretary to the Council of India. Jan van Riebeeck died in Batavia on January 18, 1677.
What did the Khoekhoe people grow?
They needed food for themselves and for the ships that stopped there. Shortly after the arrival of the Europeans they began to grow fruits, vegetables, grains, and herbs . Van Riebeeck also built the Fort of Good Hope. It was completed in 1653. The fort no longer exists. The Castle of Good Hope was later built on the same site.
What was the purpose of Van Riebeeck's settlement?
In 1651 van Riebeeck was appointed to go to the Cape of Good Hope. His job was to build a fort and establish a supply station for ships sailing to the east (Asia). He traveled there with five ships. He landed in Table Bay with three of the ships on April 6, 1652.