Dutch Maritime Empire

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.

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.

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.

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.