Maximiliaan le Maire

Maximiliaan le Maire was a merchant and official of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). His father Isaac was one of the founders and the largest shareholder of the VOC. Although Isaac was sort of an enemy of the VOC from 1605, Maximiliaan joined the VOC around 1630.

He first served in Malabar followed by Mozambique and Hirado. While serving as the chief merchant of the VOC in Japan from 14 February 1641 to 30 October 1641, he visited Edo from April 11 to May 19, and he met with several senior officials, but not Tokugawa Iemitsu, the shogun. Maximiliaan was ordered to move the VOC’s trading post from Hirado to Dejima, but was also granted permission to attack Spanish and Portuguese ships bound for Japan. The move started on June 12. His next big assignment was from 1643 to 1644, when he was Governor of Formosa (Taiwan). He returned to Holland in 1645 and settled in Egmond aan den Hoef. In 165o he returned to Batavia and died a few years later.