Olivier Brunel
Encyclopedia
Olivier Brunel was a Flemish
merchant and explorer, born in Brabant
in the 16th century. He was the first to establish trade routes between the Netherlands and Russia. He also explored the northern coast of Russia
searching for a route to China
and the East Indies
.
- 1570s-1580s Olivier Brunel, imprisoned by Russians, thanks to English intrigues, including a Thos Hudson. Sent via Ob R. overland from Muscovy to trade with the Chinese
- 1580s Olivier Brunel returns to Netherlands and informs Plancius of NorthEast route to China – [Olivier Brunel] “sailed north for the English. Then he vanished. However Brunel had failed, he had not been a failure. It was he who made the White Sea Trading Company of the Dutch a success; he was the first Dutch Arctic navigator. Others were to follow along the path he had blazed.”
– Jeanette Mirsky, To the Arctic! The Story of Northern Exploration from Earliest Times, p.37
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
merchant and explorer, born in Brabant
Province of Brabant
Brabant was a province of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1815 until 1830 and a province of Belgium from 1830 until 1995, when it was split into the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant, the French-speaking Walloon Brabant and the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region.-United Kingdom of the...
in the 16th century. He was the first to establish trade routes between the Netherlands and Russia. He also explored the northern coast of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
searching for a route to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
.
- 1570s-1580s Olivier Brunel, imprisoned by Russians, thanks to English intrigues, including a Thos Hudson. Sent via Ob R. overland from Muscovy to trade with the Chinese
- 1580s Olivier Brunel returns to Netherlands and informs Plancius of NorthEast route to China – [Olivier Brunel] “sailed north for the English. Then he vanished. However Brunel had failed, he had not been a failure. It was he who made the White Sea Trading Company of the Dutch a success; he was the first Dutch Arctic navigator. Others were to follow along the path he had blazed.”
– Jeanette Mirsky, To the Arctic! The Story of Northern Exploration from Earliest Times, p.37