A maritime republic like no other, the Dutch Republic (or United Provinces of the Netherlands) had two births: first as a federal republic free from the clutches of Spain, second as an economic world empire. Unlike its European maritime adversaries, Netherlands was less concerned with establishing lasting colonies in foreign continents and more concerned with controlling global trade. The famed Dutch East India Company steered the Netherlands to great success in battling the Portuguese and establishing ports in Africa, Indonesia, the Americas, India, and even isolationist Japan.
Dutch Maritime Empire Definition
The Dutch Maritime Empire was defined by its commercial success on the high seas, rather than its sheer military might (though its military was not lacking). Indicating a shift in European power from royal absolutism to a new class of entrepreneurs and gentry, the Netherlands became an imperial force not through its king and queen, but by two joint-stock companies. These chartered companies were called the Dutch East India Company and Dutch West India Company. The primary focus of Dutch imperialism was not religion or royal feuds, it was money.
Joint-Stock Companies:
The foundation of modern-day Wall Street, joint-stock companies allowed private investors to purchase or sell stake in a company. Before joint-stock companies, expensive projects such as expeditions to foreign lands were commonly funded by the royal court through taxation. Traders, farmers, and craftsmen had little say in the matter.
When joint-stock companies hit the European scene, private and wealthy investors could now pick and choose which companies and which expeditions they believed would succeed. Markets were freer than ever, but they were driven by the principles of mercantilism, the idea that there were only so many resources out in the world, and that the Europeans must race against each other to take it all. This competition led to the exploitation of many foreign lands and markets by European joint-stock companies, such as the Dutch East India Company.
The Dutch Maritime Empire is considered to have begun in the 16th century, with the Netherlands's liberation from Spain in the 80 Years' War (aka Dutch Revolt). Like the other European Maritime Empires, the Dutch Maritime Empire held colonial territories well into the 20th century, a legacy of nearly 400 years of imperialism.
Fig 1: Map depicting the colonial influence of the Dutch Maritime Empire.
The Dutch Maritime Empire extended its influence into South Africa, Indonesia, South India, and North and South America. For a country smaller than the modern state of West Virginia in the USA, expanding into four foreign continents was no small feat.
Describe the Dutch Maritime Empire
The free and independent United Provinces of the Netherlands was born when William of Orange led the Dutch Revolt (1568-1658) against the Spanish. Independence was achieved in 1581, but the warring continued on European soil and abroad. For many years, the Dutch enjoyed their commercial partnership with Portugal. Portugal would ship spices and other goods from Asia, and the Dutch would manage the distribution of those goods around Europe. What happened to this partnership, and why did the Dutch revolt in the first place?
Fig 2: Art depicting a naval battle between Dutch and Spanish fleets.
Dutch-Iberian Conflict and the Birth of an Empire
The Low Countries of Northwest Europe were united as the Seventeen Provinces by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Spain in 1549. Centralized under the reign of a Habsburg, the Low Countries endured this rule until Phillip II inherited control. Besides taxation and increasing political dispute, it was the battle between Protestantism and Catholicism that exploded the tensions between the Seventeen Provinces and Spain.
Low Countries:
The historical area constituting modern-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, parts of Northern France.
Led by William of Orange, the Protestant northern Low Countries declared themselves as the independent Dutch Republic in 1581. Unfortunately for the trade partnership with Spain, Portugal absorbed by Phillip II of Spain within the Iberian Union (1580-1640) just a year before. Decades of war ensued, but the Netherlands achieved its goal of independence from the Habsburgs in 1648 with the Peace of Münster, as part of the Treaty of Westphalia.
But because of the broken relationship with the Portuguese, the Dutch began engaging in trade with Asia on their own terms. Well before and after the Treaty of Westphalia, the Dutch competed with Portugal in global trade.
The Dutch Chartered Companies
Equipped with the knowledge of Portuguese sailing technology, the Dutch were ready to stake their claim as a maritime power during the Early Modern Period. The Dutch East India Company was founded in 1602. Known in Dutch as the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC, the joint-stock company was given monopolistic reign over Asian trade. Employing its own navy, military, policies, and colonies, the VOC extended its reach into the east.
Did you know? The Dutch East India Company was the first company to ever issue stock.
Through the VOC, the Dutch Maritime Republic began excelling in Indonesia during the 17th century, controlling the island of Java through the city of Jakarta and the vital Strait of Malacca. Other Southeast Asian territories controlled by the Dutch included Colombo, Ceylon, and Cochin, taken through struggle against the Portuguese Maritime Empire. Ships sailed into Indonesia and riches flowed back to the Netherlands.
Fig 3: Flag of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
The Dutch East India Company's less successful brother was known as the Dutch West India Company, the Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, or GWC. The GWC operated in the Atlantic scene, particularly sites along the West African Coast, Brazil, the Caribbean, and the North American East Coast. The company found some success in competition against the Portuguese and Spanish, mainly in outright capturing its competitor's colonies, but every success was overturned. The African Slave Trade proved lucrative to the GWC, but it never reached the heights that the VOC did.
Dutch Maritime Empire at its Height
Some historians consider the dominance of the Dutch Maritime Empire to be the Dutch Golden Age, defined mainly by the rapid growth and success of such a small country. The Dutch Maritime Empire reached its height during the mid-17th century. Through establishing its own colonies and wrestling others out of Portuguese hands, the Dutch Republic's colonial holdings were at its zenith by 1660.
Fig 4: Art depicting the Dutch port of Dejima in Japan.
On the southern tip of Africa (known as the Cape of Good Hope), the Dutch established the Cape Town colony. The colony was as a resupply station for ships passing between Europe and Asia and acted as a launching point for Dutch vessels to travel straight to Indonesia, avoiding the dominantly Portuguese Indian Ocean.
Sometimes, the height comes right before the fall. Portugal would soon lose New Amsterdam to England in 1664, and the Cape Town settlement later be taken by the British in the late 18th century. Gradually, the Dutch Maritime Empire waned as more powerful countries such as France and especially England threatened to conquer the world.
At the same time, the Dutch North American colony of New Amsterdam had swelled to a population of 10,000, sustaining itself from the profits of the fur trade. Across the world, the Dutch had taken the Portuguese trading port at Dejima, an artificial island connected to the coast of Nagasaki in Japan. For the next two hundred years, the Portuguese enjoyed exclusive trading rights with the Japanese through Dejima. From America to Japan to Africa, the small country of the Netherlands had extended its reach across the world.
Dutch Maritime Empire Social Structure
The Dutch Maritime Empire's social structure resembled many of its European competitors. Through the success of the joint-stock companies, people were becoming increasingly aware that monarchies did not need to possess absolute power over their peoples. The Dutch Revolt had already revealed how much power the general populace had when it banded together in a common cause.
Fig 5: Art depicting the stock exchange courtyard in Amsterdam.
During the Dutch Golden Age, the bureaucracies and social orders of yesterday were weakening, as a new caste of wealthy businessmen and landowners replaced them. Seeing as these wealthy businessmen and joint-stock companies were the new primary taxpayers of the Netherlands, their influence on the Dutch States General only continued to grow.
Dutch Maritime Empire Culture
What differentiated the Dutch Maritime Empire from other European countries was its inclusive culture. In cities such as Holland, the outcasts and exiles of other countries were freely welcomed. Fascinating figures such as Baruch Spinoza had been pushed out of other countries for their radical ideas, but the Netherlands accepted them. An influx of bright thinkers with specialized skills came to the Netherlands, further promoting the growth and development of its urban centers, economy, and naval power.
Dutch Maritime Empire - Key takeaways
- The Dutch Maritime Empire was a European naval power based primarily on commercial dominance in Indonesia and other regions. From the 17th to the 20th centuries, the Dutch Maritime Empire's colonial holdings waxed and waned.
- The Dutch Maritime Empire was born from the Dutch Revolt, an independence movement led by William of Orange against the Habsburg Spanish ruler Phillip II.
- The Dutch were formerly engaged in a trade partnership with the Portuguese, but the Dutch Revolt and Iberian Union shattered that relationship, forcing the Dutch to take trade matters into their own hands.
- The Dutch East India Company was a powerful joint-stock company that propelled the Dutch state into maritime dominance. The Dutch West India Company was less successful, but still important to Dutch expansion in the Atlantic.
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