Dutch East India Company

After the voyages of Vasco de Gama, the Portuguese began dominating the cloves trade in the East Indies around 1512. This dominance lasted for over a century until they were eventually expelled by the Dutch.

The 1579 Union of Utrecht marked the beginning of the Republic of the United Netherlands, comprising seven northern provinces that fought for independence from Spanish rule. This period also saw a commercial competition between the Dutch and Spain/Portugal for control over trade routes and resources.

In 1580, the Portuguese crown was united in a personal union with the Spanish crown, known as the Iberian Union. This event had significant implications for the Dutch Republic and the Portuguese Empire.

The fall of Antwerp to the Hapsburg forces led to the rise of Amsterdam as the center of the European 'carrying trade'.

In 1595, the Dutch launched their first expedition to Indonesia, which successfully returned with a large quantity of spices. This marked the beginning of the Dutch fleet's exponential growth and eventually led to the formation of the Dutch East India Company.

In 1597, the Compagnie van Verre, one of the six precursor companies to the Dutch East India Company, sent a fleet under Cornelis de Houtman to the East Indies. Despite significant casualties, the expedition proved the feasibility of a sea route to the East Indies and the Dutch potential to rival the Portuguese.

In 1599, the Dutch reached Banda Naira, a significant source of nutmeg, and Tenate, a center of the clove trade. They aimed to control the market by limiting production on Tenate, leading to a price increase in Europe. This strategic move allowed the Dutch to dominate the spice trade in the region.

In late December 1601, a fleet of five Dutch ships successfully drove away a fleet of thirty Portuguese ships from Bantam, Java. This event marked a significant turning point in history.

In 1602, the States Generaal united six small East India companies in the Netherlands to form the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC), also known as the Dutch East India Company. This merger was aimed at consolidating Dutch efforts in challenging the Portuguese control over the spice trade.

In 1605, under the leadership of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the Dutch East India Company successfully ousted the Portuguese from the Spice Islands, establishing their dominance in the region.

In 1606, King Ekathotsarot of Siam granted land to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Ayutthaya, allowing them to establish a factory to trade Siamese goods such as deerskins, buffalo horns, cowhides, and gumlac, which were later sold in Japan.

In 1607, Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the fourth governor-general of the Dutch East Indies, arrived on the Banda Islands. Known for his efficient yet cruel rule, Coen's legacy on Banda was marked by violence, including the mass murder of Banda tribal chiefs in 1621.

In 1611, the VOC established a trading post in the major Indonesian city of Jayakarta, marking its presence in the region and laying the foundation for its dominance in European trade with Asia.

In July 1612, due to the VOC's commercial success in Asia, the States Generaal allowed the VOC to bypass the stipulated liquidation after ten years as per the company charter.

In 1614, Jan Pieterszoon Coen, a harsh and arrogant accountant, became the director-general of the VOC at the young age of 28. He believed that the spice trade was crucial to Dutch national interest and took extreme actions to secure the VOC's monopoly in the Indonesian islands.

In August 1616, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) formally adopted the Brouwer route, which required ships to cross the Indian Ocean using specific latitudes to take advantage of west winds, shortening the voyage to Java and giving the VOC a competitive edge.

Coen wrote a letter to the Heeren XVII on October 26, 1620, proposing to subjugate Banda and populate it with other people to bring the nutmeg harvest under Dutch control. The Heeren XVII approved of the plan, leading to a massacre in the Bandanese archipelago.

In May 1621, 44 Orang Kaya (local leaders) were killed in the Banda Islands, and captured or escaped Bandanese were sold into slavery. This event led to the Dutch East India Company importing slave labor from Java for nutmeg cultivation, establishing a monopoly over nutmeg and mace production.

In 1622, the VOC, under Jan Pieterszoon Coen's administration, massacred and evicted most of the population on the Banda Islands due to breaches of the nutmeg and mace trade monopoly. This event highlighted the harsh trade restrictions imposed by the VOC.

In 1623, the Dutch in Amboyna executed ten Englishmen, nine Japanese, and a Portuguese trader after a confession obtained under torture, leading to the Amboyna Massacre. This incident fueled the Anglo-Dutch Wars, with the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War resulting in the British Navy destroying the Dutch fleet in 1780, disrupting trade routes between Asia and Europe.

The VOC ship Batavia wrecked near Beacon Island in the Abrolhos on its maiden voyage. Some survivors, including Commander Pelsaert, went in search of help in Batavia, while a group led by senior officer Jeronimus Cornelisz murdered about 125 marooned men, women, and children.

On June 27, 1634, a significant shipment by the VOC arrived in the port of Amsterdam, including items like Malacca pepper, cloves, blue Ming ware, Korean and Japanese porcelain. This shipment showcased the vast trading network and influence of the VOC during that period.

In 1641, the Dutch were moved to Dejima, a small artificial island in Nagasaki harbour, by the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan. Despite the expulsion of foreigners under the isolationist policy, the Dutch were allowed to remain on Dejima and introduced telescopes, microscopes, and traded Tonkinese silks, resulting in significant profits for the VOC.

In 1652, Jan van Riebeeck established a resupply outpost at the Cape of Storms, which later became the Cape Colony in South Africa. The outpost was set up to service Dutch East India Company ships on their journey to and from East Asia.

In 1658, the Vergulde Draeck shipwrecked, resulting in 79 lives lost. 75 survivors made it to shore, but only 7 crew members managed to sail to Batavia for help. Rescue mission led by the Waeckende Boei found wreckage but no sign of the remaining survivors due to bad weather.

In 1661-1662, the Dutch lost their Formosa outpost to Koxinga, a Chinese military leader and Ming Dynasty supporter, leading to the end of the profitable silk trade for the Dutch East India Company.

In 1667, the British traded their last holding on the 'nutmeg' island Pulo Run with the Dutch in exchange for the island of New Amsterdam, which is now known as New York. This trade marked a significant shift in colonial possessions between the two powers.

By 1669, the VOC became the richest private company in the world with a large fleet of ships, employees, and significant dividend payments. It was a major player in global trade.

After a war temporarily interrupted the flow of pepper to NW Europe, the price of pepper spiked, leading the English East Indies Company to enter the market in 1672 and challenge the Dutch monopoly on the product.

The Slave Lodge was established in 1679 in Cape Town, South Africa. It served as a place where slaves who worked for the Dutch East India Company were housed.

In 1688, the Glorious Revolution took place in England where a Dutch monarch was placed on the throne, marking a significant event in English history.

Around 1700, the VOC reached its peak of power, symbolized by a later shipment that included a $1,000 teapot from Corpus Christi. This period marked the height of the company's influence and prosperity.

The Zeewijk shipwrecked in the Abrolhos Islands in 1727 with 137 people on board. Survivors managed to reach Gun Island after initial casualties. They built a new vessel in Australia and sailed to Batavia with 88 survivors, facing six casualties on the way.

The VOC (Dutch East India Company) massacred 10,000 Chinese workers in the city of Batavia.

The Battle of Colachel in 1741 was a significant event where the Dutch East Indies Company was defeated by an alliance of South Indian principalities, possibly supported by Great Britain. This defeat marked the decline of Dutch power in the Malabar coast and led to the transfer of Dutch forts to Indian principalities.

The Treaty of Mavelikkara in 1753 marked the beginning of the end of Dutch influence in India. The Dutch agreed not to obstruct the Raja's expansion and to sell arms and ammunition to him. This treaty signified the diminishing power of the Dutch in the region.

In 1762, ten VOC ships left the Netherlands with 2,653 people, of whom 1,095 or 45% died on the way to the Cape of Good Hope. Many sailors succumbed to diseases like dysentery, scurvy, typhus, pleurisy, and pneumonia.

In 1780, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) faced significant financial issues due to excessive dividends, high mortality rates among employees, and mismanagement of capital, leading to a precarious financial situation.

In 1798, the Batavian Republic dissolved the Dutch East India Company, taking over its remaining assets. The Company's massive debt was absorbed by the state, transforming its commercial operations into colonial endeavors.

The Dutch East India Company, likened to a modern corporation, was formally dissolved by the government on December 31, 1799. Despite its once significant role in global trade and exploration, the company faced bankruptcy and decline.

On New Year’s Day 1800, the VOC charter, which served as the legal foundation of the enterprise, was revoked, leading to the end of two centuries of the VOC's dominance as the world's largest corporation.