Alexander Olivier Oexmelin Biography

Alexander Olivier Oexmelin

(Alexander Olivier Oexmelin or Exquemelin; Honfleur, 1645-Amsterdam, around 1707) French traveler and adventurer.It seems that his real name was Henrick Smeeks.He must have been a Huguenot, which forced him to flee France during the great religious persecutions.He left Le Havre in 1666 (the date on which he began his well-known book), aboard the ship San Juan, belonging to the French Company of the West Indies.He should have reached the French West Indies, but on a ship he was raided by pirates and Oexmelin was sold as a slave on the island of Tortuga.

During his captivity he learned the trade of surgeon from his master, with which he later enlisted in filibustering when he achieved freedom.He was with the Brothers of the Coast and later with famous filibusters, such as L'Olonnais, Morgan and Bertrand d'Orgeron.

He participated in the catastrophic disaster in Puerto Rico in 1674 and was involved in all the major filibustering actions in the Caribbean, such as the two raids in Maracaibo, the two captures of Santa Catalina and the fire in Panama.The date of his return to Europe is unknown, but it was late.He then settled in Amsterdam, where he died after 1707.

Oexmelin recounted his experiences in a famous work published in Amsterdam in 1678.His first Spanish version was titled Pirates of America and light to the defense of the coasts of the West Indies , and was printed in Madrid in 1681 and then in 1793.It has subsequently been printed numerous times, some of them under the title of Buccaneers of America .The book is a fascinating account of the adventures and customs of pirates by a person who lived them personally.It is not a proper historical book and contains some errors, especially chronological ones.

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