On This Day
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Ceremony held to name the Dutch base of Batavia in the East Indies (modern Jakarta)

Batavia was an imperial Dutch port city that eventually, after two centuries of Dutch occupation, became the capital of the Dutch East Indies. The area corresponds to present-day Jakarta, Indonesia.

Batavia was an imperial Dutch port city that eventually, after two centuries of Dutch occupation, became the capital of the Dutch East Indies. The area corresponds to present-day Jakarta, Indonesia. Batavia can refer to the city proper or its suburbs and hinterland, the Ommelanden, which included the much larger area of the Residency of Batavia in the present-day Indonesian provinces of Jakarta, Banten and West Java.

The founding of Batavia by the Dutch in 1619, on the site of the ruins of Jayakarta, led to the establishment of a Dutch colony; Batavia became the center of the Dutch East India Company's trading network in Asia. Monopolies on local produce were augmented by non-indigenous cash crops.

Historical Significance

Batavia was an imperial Dutch port city that eventually, after two centuries of Dutch occupation, became the capital of the Dutch East Indies.

Events Before

  1. Pilgrim Fathers depart Leiden, Netherlands, for England on their way to America

    Pilgrim Fathers depart Leiden, Netherlands, for England on their way to America

  2. The Mayflower sets sail from Southampton, England, with 102 Pilgrims bound for the New World

    Mayflower was an English square-rigged merchant sailing ship, active from before 1609 until 1622. Her tonnage was 180+, and she was 110 feet long and 25 feet in the beam, with several decks.

  3. The Mayflower departs Plymouth, England, with 102 Pilgrims and about 30 crew for the New World [O.S. Sep 6]

    The Mayflower departs Plymouth, England, with 102 Pilgrims and about 30 crew for the New World [O.S. Sep 6]

  4. Great Patent granted to Plymouth Colony

    The Pilgrims, also known as the Pilgrim Fathers, were the English settlers who travelled to North America on the ship Mayflower and established the Plymouth Colony at what now is Plymouth,...

  5. Mayflower Compact is signed by Pilgrims at Cape Cod, establishing the first framework of government in the territory tha

    Mayflower Compact is signed by Pilgrims at Cape Cod, establishing the first framework of government in the territory that is now the USA [N.S. Nov 21]

Events After

  1. Papal Chancery adopts January 1 as the beginning of the year (previously March 25)

    Papal Chancery adopts January 1 as the beginning of the year (previously March 25)

  2. First American Indian (Powhatan) massacre of Europeans around Jamestown, Virginia, 347 killed

    First American Indian (Powhatan) massacre of Europeans around Jamestown, Virginia, 347 killed

  3. Pope Gregory XV forms Congregatio the Propagande Fide

    The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; Latin: Congregatio pro Gentium Evangelizatione) was a congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for...

  4. Germany & Transylvania sign Peace of Nikolsburg

    Germany & Transylvania sign Peace of Nikolsburg

  5. English East India Company forces capture the Portuguese fort on the island of Hormus in the Persian Gulf, an important

    English East India Company forces capture the Portuguese fort on the island of Hormus in the Persian Gulf, an important trading center on the route to Mughal India

More from the 1620s

Papal Chancery adopts January 1 as the beginning of the year (previously March 25)

Papal Chancery adopts January 1 as the beginning of the year (previously March 25)

First American Indian (Powhatan) massacre of Europeans around Jamestown, Virginia, 347 killed

First American Indian (Powhatan) massacre of Europeans around Jamestown, Virginia, 347 killed

Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland ascends the English throne

Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland ascends the English throne

Viceroy Frederick Henry marries Amalia countess von Solms-Braunfels

Viceroy Frederick Henry marries Amalia countess von Solms-Braunfels

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 18, 1621?
Batavia was an imperial Dutch port city that eventually, after two centuries of Dutch occupation, became the capital of the Dutch East Indies. The area corresponds to present-day Jakarta, Indonesia. Batavia can refer to the city proper or its suburbs and hinterland, the Ommelanden, which included the much larger area of the Residency of Batavia in the present-day Indonesian provinces of Jakarta, Banten and West Java.
Why is Ceremony held to name the Dutch base of Batavia in the East Indies (modern Ja... significant?
Batavia was an imperial Dutch port city that eventually, after two centuries of Dutch occupation, became the capital of the Dutch East Indies.

Explore More

January 18 in HistoryYear 1621