Jan de Liefde was a Dutch vice‑admiral who served under Michiel de Ruyter during the Battle of Schooneveld (1666). According to the source, he was among the senior officers who fell in the action, his death contributing to the high cost of the battle for the Dutch Republic (see 275). As a senior naval commander, de Liefde played a part in safeguarding the Indische retourvloot, whose voyages to Aceh were essential for the Dutch East India Company’s spice trade.
Role in the 1660s naval conflicts
De Liefde’s career was cut short by the heavy fighting against the combined French navy and English navy. His loss was noted in contemporary Dutch accounts as a blow to the experienced officer corps that protected the maritime routes to the East Indies, including the port of Aceh.
See Also
- Michiel de Ruyter
- Battle of Schooneveld
- Dutch Republic
- Dutch East India Company
- Indische retourvloot
- Aceh
Source
De geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Korps Mariniers van 1665‑1945, OCR text, p. 275.