Joris van Spilbergen was a Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 naval officer of the 17th century.

His first major expedition was in 1596, when he sailed to Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

.

He then left for Asia on May 5, 1601, commanding the fleet of the company of the Moucheron (a trading company before the esablishement of the VOC

Dutch East India Company

The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...

). His ships were the Ram, Schaap, and Lam. Spilbergen met the king of Kandy (Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

) Vimala Dharma Suriya in 1602, and discussed the possibility of trade in cinnamon

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...

.

In 1607, Spilbergen, onboard Aeolus, was with Jacob van Heemskerk

Jacob van Heemskerk

Jacob van Heemskerk was a Dutch explorer and later admiral commanding the Dutch fleet at the Battle of Gibraltar.-Arctic exploration:...

 at the Battle of Gibraltar

Battle of Gibraltar

The naval Battle of Gibraltar took place on 25 April 1607 during the Eighty Years' War when a Dutch fleet surprised and engaged a Spanish fleet anchored at the Bay of Gibraltar. During the four hours of action, most of the Spanish fleet was destroyed....

.

In 1614, he sailed beyond the Straits of Magellan and raided the Spanish settlements of the coast of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. From 1578, El Quisco

El Quisco

El Quisco is a Chilean city and commune in San Antonio Province, Valparaíso Region. Located in the country's central coast, it serves as a popular summer resort for the population of Santiago...

 together with the neighbor Algarrobo and El Canelo were a hiding place of pirates such as the Englishmen Francis Drake

Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...

, Thomas Cavendish

Thomas Cavendish

Sir Thomas Cavendish was an English explorer and a privateer known as "The Navigator" because he was the first who deliberately tried to emulate Sir Francis Drake and raid the Spanish towns and ships in the Pacific and return by circumnavigating the globe...

, Richard Hawkins

Richard Hawkins

thumb|250px|right|Sir Richard HawkinsAdmiral Sir Richard Hawkins was a 17th century English seaman, explorer and Elizabethan "Sea Dog", and was the son of Admiral Sir John Hawkins....

 and the Dutchmen Oliver Van Noort and Joris van Spilbergen. He had some fights with Sebastian Vizcaino

Sebastián Vizcaíno

Sebastián Vizcaíno was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Japan.-Early career:...

 and Nicolas de Cardona

Nicolás de Cardona

Nicolás de Cardona was a Spanish entrepreneur and adventurer from Seville, who was involved in the exploration of the Western coast of the North American continent....

. He circumnavigated the earth, and returned to Holland in 1617.

He died a poor man in Bergen-op-Zoom in 1620.