Deaths on May 22

Pieter Willemsz. Verhoeff

Died on May 22, 1609

Pieter Willemsz. Verhoeff, Dutch captain (b. 1573)

Pieter Willemsz Verhoeff (c. 1573 – 22 May 1609) was a Dutch admiral of the Admiralty of Amsterdam, notable for his voyage to Asia between 1607 and 1612.

Verhoeff was in the service of the Dutch East India Company. In 1601, he was involved in the Siege of Ostend. During the Battle of Gibraltar, in 1607, he was flag captain of the Aeolus, the flagship of Admiral Jacob van Heemskerk.

He died during an expedition to Banda, where he and many of his crew were ambushed and murdered by natives of Banda Island while negotiating with them for the Dutch East India Company. This assassination was the direct cause of the Dutch conquest of the Banda Islands (1609–1621).

References

Pieter Willemsz. Verhoeff

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Events on 1609

9 Apr

Expulsion of the Moriscos
Philip III of Spain issues the decree of the "Expulsion of the Moriscos".
9 Jul

Freedom of religion
Bohemia is granted freedom of religion through the Letter of Majesty by the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II.
30 Jul

Fort Ticonderoga
Beaver Wars: At Ticonderoga (now Crown Point, New York), Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs on behalf of his native allies.
11 Sep

Manhattan Island
Henry Hudson discovers Manhattan Island and the indigenous people living there.
13 Sep

Hudson River
Henry Hudson reaches the river that would later be named after him - the Hudson River.

Deaths on May 22

Pieter Willemsz. Verhoeff

Died on May 22, 1609

References

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Events on 1609

Expulsion of the Moriscos

Freedom of religion

Fort Ticonderoga

Manhattan Island

Hudson River