John Batman
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John Batman (21 January 1809 - 6 May 1839) was an Australian explorer best known for founding the city of Melbourne, Victoria. Although he has been recognized for his accomplishment in founding Melbourne, he had committed a number of atrocities especially during the Black War. In the Black War, he participated in the Black Line, an act of ethnic cleansing where British soldiers and convicts forcibly imprisoned Aboriginal people onto the Tasman Peninsula, with attempts to deport them into a "manageable" area.
Death edit
Batman eventually died of syphilis on May 6, 1839 at the age of 38.
Trivia edit
- In 1835, Batman wrote a treaty requesting the purchase of Wurundjeri lands near Port Phillip in Victoria, but the treaty was rejected by the colonial government, as Australia was declared terra nullius. Batman's treaty was the only treaty that negotiated land purchase with Aboriginal Australians.
- British artist John Glover had a feud with John Batman and described him as "a rogue, thief, cheat and liar, a murderer of blacks and the vilest man I have ever known".