Renaissance · Africa · Exploration

1599

Dutch Reach Mauritius

1599

A Dutch squadron under Admiral Jacob van Neck landed on the uninhabited Indian Ocean island of Mauritius and named it after Prince Maurice of Nassau. They feasted on flightless dodos and turtles. Within a century the dodo would be extinct, and Mauritius would have become a minor stopover for the VOC.

More from 1599 Renaissance

In context

Also in 1599 (5 other events on record)

Globe Theatre Opens · Europe · Culture
Caravaggio Paints the Calling of Saint Matthew · Europe · Culture
Earl of Essex Fails in Ireland · Europe · War
London Population Passes 200,000 · Europe · Politics
Spanish Art Flourishes in Seville · Europe · Culture

Before and after in Africa

Before: March 13, 1591: Tondibi and the Fall of Songhai
After: 1620: Slave Ship Trade Intensifies

Before and after in Exploration

Before: 1597: Second Roanoke Mystery Deepens
After: April 19, 1600: Dutch Ship Liefde Reaches Japan

Era

Renaissance (1501–1650), one of 715 events from that era on Saeculum.

Sources

Wikipedia: Dutch Mauritius