1550?-1597

Dutch Navigator

The name Willem Barents is almost as well known to Dutch children as Hans Brinker, hero of the famous finger-in-the-dyke folk story. Born around 1550, Barents went on to a naval career that brought him a permanent place in history for his deeds and heroism, for which the Barents Sea is named after him.

In the early 1500s both the Dutch and the English were interested in finding a northeast passage to China and the Indies to facilitate trade and commerce in these promising, fruitful areas. The newly established Muscovy Trading Company in London funded the first expedition in 1553 but, after 25 years without tangible results, the British settled for profitable trading with the northern Russians. This left the field wide open for the ambitious merchants in the Netherlands.

Because of his successful voyages to and from Spain, as well as numerous ports on the...