Joost Schouten

Joost Schouten (*? In Rotterdam ; † July 11, 1644 in Batavia (now Jakarta ), also Justus Schouten ) was a merchant in the service of the Dutch East India Company . Schouten was a linguist , diplomat, rapporteur and member of the Raad van Indië . Despite his great services to the East India Company, he was executed for homosexual acts in 1644 . The British historian Charles Ralph Boxer describes Schouten as "without a doubt one of the most capable and energetic figures among the learned servants that the East India Company could fall back on in the 17th century".

Life

In 1622 Schouten arrived in India as a young assistant on the ship Wapen van Rotterdam . Six years later he had the honor of presenting a gift to the King of Siam as representative of the governor of the United Netherlands, Frederick Henry of Orange ; a job he did to everyone's satisfaction.

From 1630 to 1633 Schouten was involved as secretary of the "leading factor" ( opperkoopman ) and envoy Willem Jansz in negotiations aimed at the release of ship crews held hostage in Edo . Schouten had the rank of “substitute factor” ( onderkoopman ), but wanted to achieve more. With his writings " Memorabel verhael " and the " Discours van de jegenwoordigen staet ende de Generaele Compagnie best-voughende Lageheyt in Japan " he hoped to attract the attention of his superiors and to make a name for himself. Thereby he aroused the jealousy of Pieter Nuyts , one of the main actors in the Dutch-Japanese conflict, which had led to the hostage affair. Jacques Specx ended the negotiations by extraditing Pieter Nuyts.

Schouten made friends with Jeremias van Vliet , for whom he became a kind of mentor. In 1633 both were transferred to Ayutthaya , the capital of Siam . Schouten became director of a trading post for the East India Company. He proved himself through his competence and became a member of the Raad van Indië through the intercession of Antonio van Diemen . In 1636 he wrote his first scientific treatise on Siam.

Schouten then served as Admiral and Extraordinary Council of India on board the departing navy (1639). In the following years he carried out two honorable assignments: in 1641 an inspection trip to the newly conquered Malacca , and shortly afterwards an embassy to the court of the Queen of Atjeh. In the meantime he had risen to the rank of "Council of India" and was responsible for the organization of the Abel Tasman expedition . As a council, he oversaw the reporting of the so-called "buitencomptoiren" (external cantors) and represented the governor and the councilors during church council meetings. Above all, he pursued overarching goals of administration and did not concern himself with matters that did not fall under his competencies. He had no time for unnecessary arguments with pastors and church fathers. On December 4, 1642 Tasman named the island of Schoute Eylandt ( Schouten Island ) on the southwest coast of Tasmania after him.

In 1644, Schouten was caught red-handed in homosexual acts with a French corporal, which was an abomination in the eyes of the Dutch Calvinists in Batavia. He made no attempt to deny the act or evade charges, and freely confessed that he had already committed the same acts in Siam. That sealed his fate. Schouten was found guilty and sentenced to death at the stake . Because of his great services to the East India Company, the court decided to spare him the painful death by fire and to have him strangled at the topping-out post and then burned. The execution took place two days later and his body was burned to ashes. All of his property was confiscated.

The Schouten Island off Tasmania is named after him.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Charles Ralph Boxer: A True Description of the Mighty Kingdoms of Japan and Siam by François Caron and Joost Schouten , 1935, p. 139
2. ↑ Kaross and kimono - Carl Jung - Google Books. In: books.google.de. Retrieved September 28, 2011 . 
3. ↑ Beschrijvinghe van het machtigh Coninckrijcke Japan, vervattende den aert en ̄ eygenschappen van't lands, manners of the folk (avoided by Hendrick Hagenaer), etc. With “Beschrijvinghe van de Regeeringe, makes, religie ... des Coninghrijcx Siam. Made in the iare 1636, door Ioost Schouten. " J. Hartgers, 1652, p. 64 ff . (Dutch, limited preview in Google Book search).