François Pyrard de Laval

Pyrard François de Laval (* 1578 in Laval, † 1621 in Paris) was a French navigator who is known for his recording of the islands of the Maldives.

On July 2, 1602 suffered Pyrard and a handful of sailors on the Baa Atoll (Maldives ) shipwreck. The group was captured by locals and spent five years as an involuntary guest in Malé. During this time Pyrard Dhivehi learned. Due to these languages ​​, he was able as the first Europeans to study and understand local customs.

In February 1607 Pyrards group managed to escape by taking advantage of the chaos that was triggered by an attack of Bengal. Back in France, he wrote a three -volume work on his involuntary stay and the Society of Maldives, entitled Voyage de François Pyrard de Laval: contenant sa navigation aux Indes orientales, Maldives, Moluques, et au Bresil et les divers accidens qui lui sont arrivez en ce Voyage pendant son séjour de dix ans dans ces Pais. (Paris, nd )