Joost van Trappen Banckert (c.1597 – 12 September 1647) was a Dutch vice admiral who spent most of his career in the service of the

admiralty of Zeeland The Admiralty of Zeeland was one of the five admiralties of the navy of the Dutch Republic. Some of its famous admirals include, Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest, Cornelis Evertsen the Elder, and Joost Banckert. The Admiralty of Zeeland was dises ...

. He was born in

Vlissingen Vlissingen (; ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an importan ...

in 1597 or 1599. Early in his career, he was active against the

Dunkirkers During the Dutch Revolt (1568–1648), the Dunkirkers or Dunkirk Privateers were commerce raiders in the service of the Spanish monarchy and later the Kingdom of France. They operated from the ports of the Flemish coast: Nieuwpoort, Ostend, a ...

and was promoted to captain in 1624. That year he took service with the Zeeland Chamber of the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company () was a Dutch chartered company that was founded in 1621 and went defunct in 1792. Among its founders were Reynier Pauw, Willem Usselincx (1567–1647), and Jessé de Forest (1576–1624). On 3 June 1621, it was gra ...

(WIC), remaining there until 1636. He defeated four Spanish galleons in 1626 when commander of a squadron of three ships taking or sinking three of them, he also repeatedly defeated the

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

corsairs Banckert often fought together with Piet Hein, with whom he attacked and captured the Portuguese settlement

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

on the coast of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

in 1624 and as a vice admiral helped capture the

Spanish treasure fleet The Spanish treasure fleet, or West Indies Fleet (, also called silver fleet or plate fleet; from the meaning "silver"), was a convoy system of sea routes organized by the Spanish Empire from 1566 to 1790, which linked Spain with its Spanish Empi ...

in the Bay of Matanzas in 1628. Thanks to these and other feats he earned the nicknames "Scourge of the

Marranos ''Marranos'' is a term for Spanish and Portuguese Jews, as well as Navarrese jews, who converted to Christianity, either voluntarily or by Spanish or Portuguese royal coercion, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but who continued t ...

" (the latter word then being used as a pejorative nickname for the Spanish in general) and "Terror of the Portuguese". Having rejoined the navy, he was promoted to rear-admiral on 3 May 1637, being a vice-admiral in the WIC not entailing an equivalent rank in the navy. From 1 October 1637 to 11 January 1638, he was a temporary vice-admiral. In 1639, again a rear-admiral, he served under Lieutenant-Admiral

Maarten Tromp Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp or Maarten van Tromp (23 April 1598 – 31 July 1653) was an army general and admiral in the Dutch navy during much of the Eighty Years' War and throughout the First Anglo-Dutch War. Son of a ship's captain, Tromp spe ...

and was present at the first skirmish (the action of 18 September 1639) against a large Spanish fleet in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

and the subsequent

Battle of the Downs The Battle of the Downs took place on 21 October 1639 (New Style), during the Eighty Years' War. A Spanish fleet, commanded by Admiral Antonio de Oquendo, was decisively defeated by a Dutch force under Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp. ...

. He again served the WIC from 1645 until his death. He again attained the ''navy'' rank of temporary vice-admiral on 10 December 1646. In 1647 he once again set sail for the coast of Brazil. On the return voyage, he suddenly fell ill and died at sea. He was married to Adriana Janssen. His sons were Lieutenant-Admiral

Adriaen Banckert Adriaen van Trappen Banckert (c.1615 – 22 April 1684) was a Dutch admiral. In English literature he is sometimes known as ''Banckers''. His first name is often rendered in the modern spelling ''Adriaan''. ''Van Trappen'' was the original family ...

; Captain Joost Banckert de Jonge, who was killed at the

Battle of Portland The naval Battle of Portland, or Three Days' Battle, took place during 18–20 February 1653 (28 February – 2 March 1653 (Gregorian calendar)), during the First Anglo-Dutch War, when the fleet of the Commonwealth of England under General at ...

; and Captain Jan Banckert, who was killed on the ''Delft'' in the

Battle of Lowestoft The Battle of Lowestoft took place on during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the Dutch Republic, United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam, Jacob van Wassenaer, Lord Obdam, at ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Banckert, Joost 1590s births 1647 deaths 17th-century Dutch military personnel Admirals of the navy of the Dutch Republic Naval commanders of the Eighty Years' War Sailors on ships of the Dutch West India Company People from Vlissingen