Jean Vrolicq
Encyclopedia
Jean Vrolicq was a mariner from St-Jean-de-Luz in the first half of the 17th century. He served in the Danish
, Dutch, and French
whaling
industries from 1619 to 1636, and later became a privateer.
whalemen recruited for a Danish whaling expedition to Spitsbergen
. In the following years he continued to participate in the Danish whaling industry in one form or another. In 1624 Vrolicq served as a harpooner for the Dutch Noordsche Compagnie
, and the following year he represented two Basque whaling merchants who sent ships to Spitsbergen for a Copenhagen
company. In July 1629 Cardinal Richelieu gave Vrolicq a charter for whaling north of 60°. In 1631 Vrolicq was master of the ship Valk (140 tons), in which he sailed to Spitsbergen in partnership with the Hamburg
merchant Johan Braem, who also sent a ship to the island. The Dutch tried to expel them from their anchorage in Københavns Bay (Kobbefjorden
), but failed. The following year, 1632, he parted ways with Braem and sailed under the patronage of Cardinal Richelieu and the King of France. A company was formed in Le Havre
and Vrolicq was put in command of three vessels, the St.-François (200 tons), under Pierre Harel, the Grâce (130 tons), under Martingo de Lagairalde, and the Notre Dame des Anges (100 tons), under Jacques Godeffroy. When Vrolicq reached the northwest coast of Spitsbergen early in July he was promptly expelled by the admiral of the Dutch whaling fleet, Jacob Jansz Duynkercker. He fled to Iceland, where he obtained a paltry two whales, both found dead.
In 1633 Vrolicq sailed to Spitsbergen (or Terre-Verte, as the French called it) with a fleet of four vessels. Besides Lagairalde and Harel, who again commanded the Grâce and St. François, respectively, the fleet included the St. Jacques (200 tons), under Jean Herault, and the Espérance (250 tons), under Paul Languillet. Barred from Mauritius Bay (modern Smeerenburgfjorden
) and Københavns Bay (Port-Saint-Pierre to the French) by the Dutch admiral Cornelis Ys, Vrolicq was forced to the south, where he found a tiny bay he named Refuge François or Port Louis (modern Hamburgbukta
, lying just south of Magdalenefjorden
). He returned to Port Louis in 1634, this time with a total of six vessels: Vrolicq in the Hardy, Harel and Languillet again in the St. François and Espérance, as well as Abraham Oulson in the Lion Rouge (250 tons), one Martin in the barque La Marie, and an unnamed sixth vessel. In June, only a few days after their arrival in Port Louis, two English men-of-war, under William Goodlad, tried to expel Vrolicq and his ships, but failed. They left Spitsbergen in September, with a total catch of eighteen bowhead whale
s.
In 1635 Vrolicq once more resorted to Port Louis, this time with a fleet of four vessels: the St. Jacques, under Vrolicq himself, the St. François, under Harel, the Lion Rouge, under Oulson, and an unnamed fourth vessel. The St. François was armed with 14 pieces of ordnance and the Lion Rouge with 10; both were to land four pieces at the mouth of Port Louis to prevent attack from Dutch and English vessels. The following year, 1636, Vrolicq left with five vessels. Vrolicq again sailed in the St. Jacques, Harel in the St. François, Oulson in the Lion Rouge, Baptiste Girard in the Avenir (120 tons), and an unnamed fifth vessel. Following a Spanish
raid which resulted in the sacking of St-Jean-de-Luz, Ciboure
, and Socoa and the capture of fourteen French Basque whaleships in 1636, Vrolicq devoted himself to privateering.
). To the southwest of Spitsbergen lies Jan Mayen
, which is labelled as Ysle de Richelieu. Vrolicq makes the obviously spurious claim of having discovered the island in 1612.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Dutch, and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
whaling
History of whaling
The history of whaling is very extensive, stretching back for millennia. This article discusses the history of whaling up to the commencement of the International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986....
industries from 1619 to 1636, and later became a privateer.
Voyages, 1619-37
In 1619 he was among BasqueBasque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
whalemen recruited for a Danish whaling expedition to Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
. In the following years he continued to participate in the Danish whaling industry in one form or another. In 1624 Vrolicq served as a harpooner for the Dutch Noordsche Compagnie
Noordsche Compagnie
The Noordsche or Groenlandse Compagnie was a cartel for whaling, founded by several cities in the Netherlands...
, and the following year he represented two Basque whaling merchants who sent ships to Spitsbergen for a Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
company. In July 1629 Cardinal Richelieu gave Vrolicq a charter for whaling north of 60°. In 1631 Vrolicq was master of the ship Valk (140 tons), in which he sailed to Spitsbergen in partnership with the Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
merchant Johan Braem, who also sent a ship to the island. The Dutch tried to expel them from their anchorage in Københavns Bay (Kobbefjorden
Kobbefjorden
Kobbefjorden is a small fjord on the west coast of Danskøya, on the northwestern coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. The fjord is about two miles long and 1-1.2 miles wide...
), but failed. The following year, 1632, he parted ways with Braem and sailed under the patronage of Cardinal Richelieu and the King of France. A company was formed in Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
and Vrolicq was put in command of three vessels, the St.-François (200 tons), under Pierre Harel, the Grâce (130 tons), under Martingo de Lagairalde, and the Notre Dame des Anges (100 tons), under Jacques Godeffroy. When Vrolicq reached the northwest coast of Spitsbergen early in July he was promptly expelled by the admiral of the Dutch whaling fleet, Jacob Jansz Duynkercker. He fled to Iceland, where he obtained a paltry two whales, both found dead.
In 1633 Vrolicq sailed to Spitsbergen (or Terre-Verte, as the French called it) with a fleet of four vessels. Besides Lagairalde and Harel, who again commanded the Grâce and St. François, respectively, the fleet included the St. Jacques (200 tons), under Jean Herault, and the Espérance (250 tons), under Paul Languillet. Barred from Mauritius Bay (modern Smeerenburgfjorden
Fairhaven, Svalbard
Fairhaven generally speaking is the area between Amsterdamøya and Danskøya and the mainland, while specifically it refers to the sound between Danskøya and the mainland , in particular the strait between Moseøya and Danskøya...
) and Københavns Bay (Port-Saint-Pierre to the French) by the Dutch admiral Cornelis Ys, Vrolicq was forced to the south, where he found a tiny bay he named Refuge François or Port Louis (modern Hamburgbukta
Hamburgbukta
Hamburgbukta is a one-kilometer-long bay on the western side of Hoelhalvøya, Albert I Land, Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. -History:...
, lying just south of Magdalenefjorden
Magdalenefjorden
Magdalenefjorden is an 8 km long and up to 5 km wide fjord between Reuschhalvøya and Hoelhalvøya, Albert I Land, on the west coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago.-History:...
). He returned to Port Louis in 1634, this time with a total of six vessels: Vrolicq in the Hardy, Harel and Languillet again in the St. François and Espérance, as well as Abraham Oulson in the Lion Rouge (250 tons), one Martin in the barque La Marie, and an unnamed sixth vessel. In June, only a few days after their arrival in Port Louis, two English men-of-war, under William Goodlad, tried to expel Vrolicq and his ships, but failed. They left Spitsbergen in September, with a total catch of eighteen bowhead whale
Bowhead Whale
The bowhead whale is a baleen whale of the right whale family Balaenidae in suborder Mysticeti. A stocky dark-colored whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow to in length. This thick-bodied species can weigh to , second only to the blue whale, although the bowhead's maximum length is less than...
s.
In 1635 Vrolicq once more resorted to Port Louis, this time with a fleet of four vessels: the St. Jacques, under Vrolicq himself, the St. François, under Harel, the Lion Rouge, under Oulson, and an unnamed fourth vessel. The St. François was armed with 14 pieces of ordnance and the Lion Rouge with 10; both were to land four pieces at the mouth of Port Louis to prevent attack from Dutch and English vessels. The following year, 1636, Vrolicq left with five vessels. Vrolicq again sailed in the St. Jacques, Harel in the St. François, Oulson in the Lion Rouge, Baptiste Girard in the Avenir (120 tons), and an unnamed fifth vessel. Following a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
raid which resulted in the sacking of St-Jean-de-Luz, Ciboure
Ciboure
Ciboure is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It lies across the river Nivelle from the harbour of Saint-Jean-de-Luz....
, and Socoa and the capture of fourteen French Basque whaleships in 1636, Vrolicq devoted himself to privateering.
Contributions to cartography
A map (c. 1634) of Spitsbergen entitled La France Artique has been attributed to Vrolicq. Among the features labelled are Baie des Holandois (Smeerenburgfjorden), Port St. Pierre (Kobbefjorden), Port-Louis or Refuge Français (Hamburgbukta, mentioned above), and Baie aux Anglois (KongsfjordenKongsfjorden
thumb|Kongsfjorden as seen from [[Blomstrandhalvøya]]Kongsfjorden is an inlet on the west coast of Spitsbergen, an island which is part of the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. The inlet is long and ranges in width from 6 to 14 km...
). To the southwest of Spitsbergen lies Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen Island is a volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean and part of the Kingdom of Norway. It is long and 373 km2 in area, partly covered by glaciers . It has two parts: larger northeast Nord-Jan and smaller Sør-Jan, linked by an isthmus wide...
, which is labelled as Ysle de Richelieu. Vrolicq makes the obviously spurious claim of having discovered the island in 1612.