Editing Piet Pieterszoon Hein (section)

== Naval career ==

=== Dutch East India Company ===
In 1607, he joined the [[Dutch East India Company]] and left for Asia, returning with the rank of captain (of the ''Hollandia'') five years later. He married Anneke Claesdochter de Reus and settled in Rotterdam. In 1618, when he was captain of the ''Neptunus'', both he and his ship were pressed into service by the [[Republic of Venice]]. In 1621, he left his vessel behind and traveled overland to the Netherlands.

For a year in 1622, he was a member of the [[schepen|local government]] of Rotterdam, although he did not have citizenship of this city: the cousin of his wife, one of the three [[burgomaster]]s, made this possible.

=== Dutch West India Company ===
After capital had been raised for the Dutch West India Company, the company's directors, the Heeren XIX, devised the [[Groot Desseyn]] in October 1623.<ref>Den Heijer 1994, pp. 35, 36</ref> The plan was to first seize the capital of Brazil, São Salvador da Bahia (Salvador), and then the main Portuguese fort on the coast of Angola, São Paulo de Loanda (Luanda). In this way, the company would control both the lucrative sugar plantations in Brazil and the Atlantic slave trade.<ref>Tim Wachelder (17 December 2008). "De eerste WIC expeditie". Retrieved 18 April 2012.</ref> Control of the trade itself was necessary because of the high mortality rate from the plantations' harsh conditions and tropical diseases such as malaria.

In the same year Piet Hein became vice-admiral of the new [[Dutch West India Company]], and sailed to the [[Caribbean|West Indies]] the following year. In [[Colonial Brazil]], he briefly captured the Portuguese settlement of [[Salvador, Brazil|Salvador]], personally leading the assault on the sea fortress of that town. In August with a small and undermanned fleet he sailed for the African west coast and attacked a Portuguese fleet in the strongly defended bay of [[Luanda]], but failed to capture any ships.{{sfn|Reine|2003|p=69}}

=== Privateering activity ===
He then crossed the Atlantic Ocean again to try and capture merchant ships at the city of [[Vitória, Brazil|Vitória]], but was defeated by resistance organized by the local citizenry with the assistance of the Portuguese garrison. After finding that Salvador had been recaptured by a large Spanish–Portuguese fleet, Hein returned home. The Dutch West India Company, pleased with Hein's leadership, placed him in command of a new squadron in 1626.{{sfn|Reine|2003|p=85}} In subsequent raids during 1627 at Salvador, he attacked and captured over 30 richly laden Portuguese merchant ships before returning to the [[Dutch Republic]].

=== Spanish treasure fleet ===
{{main|Battle in the Bay of Matanzas}}
[[File:Piet Hein arriveert met de Zilvervloot in Holland, 1629 Piet Hein brengt de Zilvervloot binnen, in 't begin van 1629 (titel op object), BI-1997-1407B-17.jpg|thumb|The arrival of Piet Hein in Holland, 1629]]
In 1628, during the eighty years-long Dutch war of liberation from Spain, Admiral Hein, with [[Witte de With]] as his [[flag captain]], sailed out to capture a [[Spanish treasure fleet]] loaded with silver from the Spanish American colonies and the [[Philippines]]. With him was Admiral [[Hendrick Lonck]]. He was later joined by a squadron under Vice-Admiral [[Joost Banckert]], as well as the pirate [[Moses Cohen Henriques]]. Part of the Spanish fleet in [[Venezuela]] had been warned because a Dutch cabin boy had lost his way on [[Blanquilla]] island and was captured and betrayed the plan, but the other half from [[Mexico]] continued on its voyage, unaware of the threat. Sixteen Spanish ships were intercepted and captured: one galleon was taken after a surprise encounter during the night, nine smaller merchants were talked into surrendering, two fleeing small ships were taken at sea, and four fleeing [[galleon]]s were trapped on the [[Cuba]]n coast in the [[Matanzas Province|Bay of Matanzas]].

After some musket volleys from Dutch sloops, the crews of the galleons also surrendered and Hein captured 11,509,524 [[Dutch gulden|guilder]]s of booty in gold, silver, and other expensive trade goods, such as [[Indigo dye|indigo]] and [[cochineal]], without any bloodshed. The Dutch did not take prisoners: they gave the Spanish crews ample supplies for a march to [[Havana]]. The released were surprised to hear the admiral personally giving them directions in fluent Spanish; Hein after all was well acquainted with the region as he had been confined to it during his internment after 1603.

The capture of the treasure fleet was the Dutch West India Company's greatest victory in the [[Caribbean]]. It enabled the Dutch, at war with Spain, to fund their army for eight months (and as a direct consequence, allowing it to capture the fortress [['s-Hertogenbosch]]), and the [[shareholder]]s enjoyed a cash [[dividend]] of 50% for that year. The financial loss strategically weakened their Spanish enemy. Hein returned to the Netherlands in 1629, where he was hailed as a hero. Watching the crowds cheering him as he stood on the balcony of the town hall of [[Leyden]], he remarked to the burgomaster: "Now they praise me because I gained riches without the least danger; but earlier when I risked my life in full combat they didn't even know I existed...". Hein was the first and the last to capture such a large part of a Spanish "silver fleet".

=== Lieutenant-Admiral ===
He became, after a conflict with the [[Dutch West India Company]] about policy and payment, Lieutenant-Admiral of Holland and West Frisia on 26 March 1629, and thus factual supreme commander of the confederate Dutch fleet, taking as flag captain [[Maarten Tromp]].

He died the same year, in a campaign against the [[Dunkirkers]], the highly effective fleet of Habsburg [[commerce raiders]] and [[privateer]]s operating from [[Dunkerque|Dunkirk]]. His flotilla intercepted three privateers from [[Ostend]]. He sailed his flagship between two enemy ships to give them simultaneous broadsides. After half an hour, he was hit in the left shoulder by a cannonball and was killed instantly. He is buried in the [[Oude Kerk (Delft)|Oude Kerk]] in [[Delft]].