Piet Pieterszoon Hein

Piet Pieterszoon Hein (November 25, 1577 – June 18, 1629) was a Dutch admiral and privateer who served the Dutch Republic during the Eighty Years' War, the protracted struggle for Dutch independence from Spanish Habsburg rule. He achieved legendary status by accomplishing what many considered impossible: he remains the first and only naval commander in history to successfully capture a substantial portion of Spain's treasure fleet, which transported enormous quantities of gold and silver from Spanish colonial possessions in the Americas to Spain. This treasure fleet represented the financial lifeblood of the Spanish Empire, funding its military operations across Europe and sustaining its position as the dominant European power.

Hein's most famous achievement occurred in 1628 when he intercepted and captured a significant part of this Spanish treasure convoy near Cuba in what became known as the Battle of Matanzas Bay. The amount of silver and gold seized was so extraordinarily large—valued at approximately 11.5 million guilders, an almost incomprehensible fortune at the time—that it produced far-reaching economic consequences extending well beyond the immediate financial windfall for the Dutch Republic. The sudden influx of such massive quantities of precious metals into circulation resulted in the rise of silver prices worldwide due to the increased supply, disrupting international trade and currency values. For Spain, the loss proved catastrophic, depriving the Spanish crown of desperately needed revenue and contributing significantly to the near bankruptcy of the Spanish state, which was already straining under the financial burden of maintaining its vast empire and fighting simultaneous wars across Europe. The captured treasure funded Dutch military operations for an entire year, strengthening the Republic's position in its independence struggle while simultaneously weakening its Spanish adversary. Hein's spectacular success made him a national hero in the Netherlands, where his daring exploit has been celebrated in songs, literature, and popular memory for nearly four centuries as a symbol of Dutch naval prowess, courage, and the triumph of a small nation against a seemingly invincible empire.