Nathaniel Courthope
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Courthope was an English
merchant navy officer involved in the wars with the Dutch
over the sea
.
He was of the wealthy cloth-maker Courthope family of Goddards Green in Cranbrook, Kent, the son of Alexander Courthope and brother of the Peter Courthope who bought Danny House in Hurstpierpoint
, Sussex and who was painted by Cornelius Johnson. He was left £200 in his father's will.
On November 13, 1609, Nathaniel Courthope was hired by the East India Company
to go to the Spice Islands
. He left England with great fanfare and by 1616 was a factor at Sukadana
in Borneo
.
On December 25, 1616, Nathaniel Courthope landed his ships, Swan and Defence, on Run
, the smallest (approx. 2 x 2.5 miles) island of Banda Islands
, in a quest to break the Dutch hold on the nutmeg
supply. He persuaded the islanders to enter an alliance with the British for nutmeg. After losing his two ships to mutiny and sinking by the Dutch, he fortified the island by erecting forts to overlook approaches from the east. With 39 men and the natives, with scarce food and water (springs of which the island is devoid of) supply, he proceeded to hold off a siege of the Dutch - who outnumbered them considerably - for over 1,540 days.
Despite numerous letters from the Company's directors allowing Courthope to leave his post, and even awarding him repeatedly for his efforts, he never gave in. Even after the fleet of Sir Thomas Dale sent from England to Run had been defeated by the Dutch governor of the archipelago, Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the decision never changed.
He was shot by the Dutch, who awaited him at night having received their spy's message, while rowing towards a nearby island in a small boat with several of his men in order to support resistance of the native and to prepare them for a rebellion. Noticing the trap, he leapt into the sea and swam for it, dying en route.
The English departed without a struggle shortly following Courthope's death and their local allies - who considered themselves to be under His Majesty's reign - were being oppressed..
's book Nathaniel's Nutmeg: or, The True and Incredible Adventure of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History, gives a vivid account of the struggle for possession of the Banda Islands.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
merchant navy officer involved in the wars with the 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...
over the sea
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
.
He was of the wealthy cloth-maker Courthope family of Goddards Green in Cranbrook, Kent, the son of Alexander Courthope and brother of the Peter Courthope who bought Danny House in Hurstpierpoint
Hurstpierpoint
Hurstpierpoint is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. Together with Sayers Common it forms one of the Mid Sussex civil parishes, with an area of 2029.88 ha and a population of 6,264 persons....
, Sussex and who was painted by Cornelius Johnson. He was left £200 in his father's will.
On November 13, 1609, Nathaniel Courthope was hired by the East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
to go to the Spice Islands
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands are an archipelago that is part of Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone...
. He left England with great fanfare and by 1616 was a factor at Sukadana
Sukadana
Sukadana is the capital city of North Kayong regency , on the island of Borneo. North Kayong regency is one of the regencies of West Kalimantan province in Indonesia...
in Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
.
On December 25, 1616, Nathaniel Courthope landed his ships, Swan and Defence, on Run
Run (island)
Run is one of the smallest islands of the Banda Islands, which are a part of Indonesia...
, the smallest (approx. 2 x 2.5 miles) island of Banda Islands
Banda Islands
The Banda Islands are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about south of Seram Island and about east of Java, and are part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. The main town and administrative centre is Bandanaira, located on the island of the same name. They rise...
, in a quest to break the Dutch hold on the nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
supply. He persuaded the islanders to enter an alliance with the British for nutmeg. After losing his two ships to mutiny and sinking by the Dutch, he fortified the island by erecting forts to overlook approaches from the east. With 39 men and the natives, with scarce food and water (springs of which the island is devoid of) supply, he proceeded to hold off a siege of the Dutch - who outnumbered them considerably - for over 1,540 days.
Despite numerous letters from the Company's directors allowing Courthope to leave his post, and even awarding him repeatedly for his efforts, he never gave in. Even after the fleet of Sir Thomas Dale sent from England to Run had been defeated by the Dutch governor of the archipelago, Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the decision never changed.
He was shot by the Dutch, who awaited him at night having received their spy's message, while rowing towards a nearby island in a small boat with several of his men in order to support resistance of the native and to prepare them for a rebellion. Noticing the trap, he leapt into the sea and swam for it, dying en route.
The English departed without a struggle shortly following Courthope's death and their local allies - who considered themselves to be under His Majesty's reign - were being oppressed..
Further reading
The author Giles MiltonGiles Milton
Giles Milton is a writer who specialises in the history of exploration. His books have been published in seventeen languages worldwide and are international best-sellers...
's book Nathaniel's Nutmeg: or, The True and Incredible Adventure of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History, gives a vivid account of the struggle for possession of the Banda Islands.