Francisco Pelsaert (also known as "Pelsart") (c1590-1630) was a Dutch sea captain who skippered the Batavia and became famous for a mutiny which occurred after becoming stranded at Houtman's Abrolhos off Western Australia.

In June 1629 the Batavia under command of Francisco Pelsaert was wrecked on a reef off the Australian westcoast.

This reef is part of the island group called Houtman Abrolhos. The wreckplace of the Batavia lies on present Beacon Island. Of the 341 crew, forty drowned trying to reach a small island, the rest succeeded. The island held no water or food, therefore the commander decided to try and make for Batavia (now called Jakarta) on Java and get help. He left with the ships boat together with some officers. In his absence a mutiny evolved under the command of a company official called Jeronimus Cornelisz. This Jeronimus saw himself as founder of a new kingdom where there would be room only for his followers.

Over a hundred people were slaughtered by him and his accomplices. A group of soldiers under the command of Wiebe Hayes managed to resist attack from this self-styled king on a neighbouring island. When Pelsaert returned he managed to overcome the mutineers with the help of these soldiers. All were tried and most were hanged, some received whiplashes or were keelhauled. Two young mutineers were cast away on mainland Australia and nothing was ever heard from them. A team of archaeologists recently researched Beacon Island and found several skeletons: victims of Jeronimus Cornelis. Efforts are being made to identify these remains. The shipwreck and subsequent killings became known in the 17th Century as The unlucky voyage of the ship Batavia. This story was published and distributed keeping the memory of the ship alive.

In the 1970s the wreck of the Batavia and many artefacts were salvaged. Partly they are now on exhibition at the Batavia Gallery in Fremantle, West-Australia.