Ambush near the Bay of Manila
| Ambush near the Bay of Manila | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Conflict between Willem Leyel and Bernt Pessart | |||||||||
 Map of the Bay of Manila, 1886 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Danish India Dutch East Indies | Indigenous people | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Bernt Pessart † Unknown mate (WIA) | Unknown | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
Dend gode Haab | Native archers | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Some men | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
1 dead 2 wounded | Negligible | ||||||||
The Ambush near the Bay of Manila (Danish; Angrebet nær Manilabugten), alternatively the Death of Bernt Pessart (Danish; Bernt Pessarts død), was an ambush by the Indigenous peoples of the Philippines, against a combined Dano-Dutch espionaging expeditionary force in 1645. The ambush led to the death of former governor and president of Danish India, Bernt Pessart.
Background
[edit]
Bernt Pessart's regime led to a financial crisis for the Danish East India Company.[1][2] This damaged the Danish East Indian reputation to such a point that Christian IV of Denmark ordered the arrest of Pessart and sent Willem Leyel to Dansborg to succeed him.[3][4][2]
When Pessart was notified of Leyel's arrival, he hastily bought a Portuguese sloop, which he renamed Dend Gode Haab (The Good Hope), and left for Japan.[3][2][5] Though, Dend Gode Haab was intercepted by the Dutch at Malacca and, together with Pessart, brought to Batavia.[3][2] Here Pessart received 10 men and new goods by the Dutch authorities, which then ordered him to espionage on the Spanish Philippines.[3][4][2]
When they reached the Philippines Pessart's Dutch mate, had difficulties finding the Bay of Manila, and accidentally entered another nearby bay.[4][6] Though in the hopes to find someone to direct them, they dropped anchor.[3][6] Here they would stay for the next couple of days to gather fresh water, firewood and to repair their sails.[3][4][2]
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Ambush
[edit]They remained for a week; but on the seventh day Pessart went fishing with a boat and some of the men and caught three large fish.[3][6] While preparing the fish, some natives came out of the nearby woods and shot at Pessart and his men.[4][2] Pessart, the Dutch mate and a Laplander were all shot.[3][4] Pessart managed to get out to the boat, where he and the Laplander were dragged up, while Pessart gasped: Help me up, or i am a dead man![6] The boat only had one oar, though they still managed to get out to ship, Dend Gode Haab.[3] When Pessart got onboard on Dend Gode Haab he was already dead,[2] and was subsequently buried on a small island nearby.[4][6]
Aftermath
[edit]Since the captain was dead, Michel Evertsen took command and decided to continue to Manila, where they would successfully sell their goods and gather information in the local fortifications.[3][4] Though in Manila, one of Pessart's slaves broke out and informed the local commander about the espionage.[3][6] In response, the Spanish administration would confiscate Dend Gode Haab and imprison its crew.[3][4]
Afterwards the new governor of Tranquebar, Willem Leyel, would try to get the Danish seamen out of captivity, but seemingly without prevail.[3][4][6]
See also
[edit]- Cattle War – Conflict between Danish India and the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom
- Siege of Dansborg (1644) – Siege in Tranquebar, India 1644
- Willem Leyel's siege of Dansborg – Siege of Fort Dansborg, 1644
- Roland Crappé's raids on Portuguese colonies – Danish raids in India and Sri Lanka, 1619
- Assault on Osu – 1678 Attack on Osu between Akwamu and Accrans forces
References
[edit]- ^ Wellen, Kathryn (2015). The Danish East India Company's War against the Mughal Empire, 1642-1698 (PDF). Royal Netherlands Institute for Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies. pp. 447–448.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "B. Pessart - www.foreningen-trankebar.dk". 123hjemmeside.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Bredsdorff, Asta (2009). "Leyel arrives". The Trials and Travels of Willem Leyel. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Søhistoriske Skrifter (PDF) (in Danish). Vol. XXI. Copenhagen: Handels- og Søfartsmuseet Kronborg. 1999.
- ^ "Den danske tropekoloni i Trankebar". www.aerenlund.dk. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g Leyel, William (1644). Rentekammerafdelingen: Willum Leyels arkiv (1639 - 1648). Danske Kancelli.
- Battles involving Denmark
- Battles involving Norway
- Ambushes in the Philippines
- Danish colonisation of Asia
- Conflicts in 1645
- 1645 in the Dutch Empire
- Battles involving the Netherlands
- 1645 in Asia
- Battles involving the Danish East India Company
- History of the Philippines (1565–1898)
- Manila Bay
- Indigenous peoples of the Philippines
- Military history of Manila