Origins & Early Life

Willem Janszoon (Dutch: [ˈʋɪləm ˈjɑnszoːn]; c. 1570 – c. 1630) was a Dutch navigator and colonial governor. He served in the Dutch East Indies in the periods 1603–1611 and 1612–1616, including as governor of Fort Henricus on the island of Solor.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

During his voyage of 1605–1606, Janszoon and his crew became the first Europeans known to have seen and land on the coast of Australia. His name is sometimes abbreviated to Willem Jansz, as was customary at his time, but "always pronounced in full and generally still is in the Netherlands where this bit of common knowledge is taught at school." However, the abbreviation Jansz is not the same as the now more predominant unabbreviated but identical Jansz that is a petrified form of Janszoon. Willem Janszoon was born around 1570 as the son of Jan (c. 1540), but nothing more is known of his early life nor of his parents. He is first recorded as having entered into the service of the Oude compagnie, one of the predecessors of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), in 1598 as a mate aboard Hollandia, part of the second fleet under Jacob Corneliszoon van Neck, dispatched by the Dutch to the Dutch East Indies.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Around 1600 he became the...

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