Speelman, Cornelis Janszoon (1628-1684), served as governor general of the Netherlands Indies (now Indonesia) from 1681 to 1684.
Speelman was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. When he was 16, he sailed for the Indies as an assistant. For many years, he worked for the Dutch East India Company in Batavia (now Jakarta). By 1652, he had reached the rank of merchant. In 1655, Speelman was promoted to accountant general. In 1663, he was appointed governor of the Dutch territory of Coromandel in India. The managers of the East India Company accused him of private trading, and he was suspended from his job. But in 1666, they appointed him commander of a military expedition against Makassar in Sulawesi. He was successful.
In 1669, Speelman commanded a second expedition to the same place. He succeeded in conquering Makassar and was appointed a member of the Council of the Indies. Following further military successes, at the beginning of 1678, he was appointed director general of the Netherlands Indies. In 1681, he became governor general. Speelman also brought the state of Banten under Dutch control. He died in Batavia.
