Francois Valentyn (1656 - 1727)

Valentyn studied theology and travelled twice to the East Indies in the employ of the VOC, firstly as a Calvinist minister on the spice island of Amboina (1686-1694) and then to Java (1706) and again Amboina (1707-1713). In the preparation of his historical account of the VOC in the East, Valentyn was given privileged access to the secret archives of the company, enabling him to provide detailed information on previous Dutch voyages to the Indies, including those of Abel Tasman.