Dutch colonies

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The map shows all areas that ever belonged to the Dutch colonial empire (dark green: possessions of the Dutch West India Company , light green: possessions of the Dutch East India Company ).
1974 Conference on the Koninkrijksstatuut , Dutch cinema news

The Netherlands was one of the most important colonial powers in the world , especially in the 17th century . The Dutch trading empire peaked around 1650 when about half of world trade was handled by the Dutch ( Republic of the Seven United Provinces ). This epoch is also called the Dutch Golden Age .

The Netherlands lost its colonial claims to large parts of Dutch Guiana in 1815 ( Congress of Vienna ) to the British Empire .

The Dutch East Indies declared themselves independent as the Republic of Indonesia in 1945. After a war of independence , the Netherlands accepted independence through a "transfer of sovereignty" in 1949. In 1954, representatives of the Netherlands, Surinames and the Netherlands Antilles agreed on the Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden . It still complements the Dutch constitution and prescribes rules for cooperation. Since then there is no longer talk of colonies, but of parts of the empire overseas (overzeese rijksdelen).

After Suriname became independent in 1975 after lengthy negotiations, the six islands of the Netherlands Antilles still belonged to the kingdom. Aruba broke away from this association in 1986. There were lengthy deliberations and negotiations about greater autonomy or independence for these islands. The Dutch Antilles construct was finally dissolved. Since 2010 the kingdom has consisted of the four countries Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao , and Sint Maarten . The other three islands Bonaire , Saba and Sint Eustatius have been special municipalities of the Netherlands since 2010 , without belonging to a Dutch province. They are also called the BES Islands or the Caribbean Netherlands .

Dutch colonialism

With the arrival in Bantam on Java in 1596 , Captain Cornelis de Houtman broke the Portuguese monopoly of spices in the East Indies

Dutch colonialism and the rise to a colonial power began with the wars of independence against Spain . At first the Netherlands were only interested in European trade and money transactions, but at the beginning of the 17th century they also had to become involved globally, as Spain and Portugal closed the ports to Dutch ships. In contrast to Spain and Portugal, Dutch colonization began with the introduction of trading companies , the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the Dutch West India Company (WIC). The largest of these companies, the VOC, attempted to open up a thriving Asian market through trade and land leases with local rulers. Slowly the company brought huge areas under its ownership and thus built a spice monopoly.

With the decline of the VOC and WIC at the end of the 18th century, the decline of the Dutch colonial empire began.

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Detailed overview

In addition to the (former) colonies, the following list also includes fortified bases, possessions that were only partially or briefly under Dutch rule, as well as spheres of influence, i.e. native states that had concluded trade agreements with the Dutch.

America

New Netherlands

New Netherlands was a Dutch colony in North America from about 1624 to 1667. The main town of the colony was New Amsterdam , later New York . After the war with the English there was an exchange with the colony in Suriname.

  1. From 1625 the place New Amsterdam was created. The Dutch exchanged goods worth only 60 guilders for the island of Manna-hatta with the Indians living there . The colony was conquered by the British in 1664.
  2. Fort Nassau was founded in 1614 and lasted four years. Fort Oranje was built on the same site in 1624 (the settlement that was being built nearby was called Beverwyck, later Albany ), which was conquered by the British in 1664.
  3. The Swedish colony New Sweden was from 1645 taken over by the Dutch gradually until the Swedes finally revealed in 1655, and the colony in New Amstel was renamed. During the war with the British, the colony came under British rule from 1664 to 1673, before finally becoming British from 1674.
Dutch Brazil

The Dutch Brazil colony existed in northeastern Brazil from 1624 to 1654 in order to limit the dominance of the Portuguese there. In 1654 the colony was recaptured by the Portuguese.

Dutch Guiana

Dutch Guiana was a collective name for Dutch colonies on the north coast of South America. These included from west to east: Pomeroon, Essequibo (1616 to 1814), Demerara (1752 to 1814), Berbice (1627 to 1814) and Suriname (1667 to 1975). After the war against Napoleon in 1815, all other colonies except Suriname fell to the British. In 1831 these now British territories were merged to form British Guiana .

Netherlands Antilles
Dutch Virgin Islands

The Dutch Virgin Islands are a former colony. It essentially consisted of four islands.

  1. The island of Saint Croix was settled by the Dutch and the English around 1625. The Dutch withdrew around the 40s of the 17th century. The British colony was conquered by the Spanish in 1650. Today the island is part of the American Virgin Islands .
  2. The islands of Tortola , Anegada and Virgin Gorda were settled in the middle of the 17th century, but were conquered by the British about 20 years later (around 1672). Since then, the islands have been part of the British Virgin Islands .
Tobago

The island of Nieuw-Walcheren / Tobago changed hands several times. It was a Dutch colony from 1628 to 1677. Today the island is independent together with Trinidad .

Africa

Angola

The Portuguese colony of Angola was under Dutch rule from 1641 to 1648, after which it fell back to Portugal.

Equatorial Guinea

The island of Annobón , conquered by the Dutch in 1641, went to Spain towards the end of the 18th century.

Benin

In the area of ​​Benin, on the slave coast , there were several small Dutch bases: Ouidah (1670s to 1680s / 1702 to 1724 or 1726); Jaquim or Jakri (Godomey) with the Fort Zeelandia (1726 to 1734); Offra (1675 to 1691); Appa or Ekpé (1732 to 1736).

Gold coast

The Dutch had no colonies on the Gold Coast , but rather the fortified bases listed below .

  1. Cape Apollonia ( Benyin ): Fort Apollonia (16__ to 1768/1868 to 1872), then sold to the British ( Sumatra Treaty )
  2. Ankobra : Fort Elise Carthago (1650)
  3. Axim : Fort Santo Antonio (February 1642 to 1664/1665 to 1872), then sold to the British
  4. Princes Town : Fort Hollandia ( Fortress Groß Friedrichsburg ) (1725 Fort until 1814/1815 abandoned / 1687 to 1698/1711 to 1712/1732 to 1804)
  5. Dixcove : Fort Metaal Kruis (1868 to 1872), then sold to the British
  6. Butri : Fort Batenstein (1656 to 1665 / 166_ to 1872), then sold to the British (Sumatra Treaty)
  7. Takoradi : Fort Witsen
  8. Sekondi : (1782 to 1785)
  9. Sekondi : Fort Oranje (1640 or 1670/75 to 1872), then sold to the British (Sumatra Treaty)
  10. Shama : Fort San Sebastian (1637 to 1664/1664 to 1872), then sold to the British (Sumatra Treaty)
  11. Komenda : Fort Komenda (1868 to 1872), then sold to the British (Sumatra Treaty)
  12. Komenda: Fort Vredenburgh (1688 Fort until 1782/1785 to 1872), then sold to the British (Sumatra Treaty)
  13. Elmina : Fort Conraadsburg (formerly Portuguese Fort St. Jago) (1637 to 1872), then sold to the British (Sumatra Treaty)
  14. Cape Coast : Cape Coast Castle (Swedish name: Carolusborg) (1637 to 1652)
  15. Mouri : Fort Nassau (Ghana) (1624 Fort / 1598 or 1611/1612 to 1664/1665 to 1782/1785 to 1867), then by contract to the British
  16. Cormantin : Fort Amsterdam (Ghana) (1665 to 1721/1785 to 1867), then by contract to the British
  17. Anomabu : (1640 to 1652)
  18. Egya : (1647 to 1664)
  19. Apam : Fort Leydsaemheyt ("Patience") (1697/1698 to 1782/1785 to 1868), then by contract to the British
  20. Senya Beraku : Fort Goede Hoop , (1667 or 1705/06 Fort until 1782/1785 to 1868), then by contract to the British
  21. Ussher Town ( Accra ): Fort Crêvecoeur (1649 to 1782/1786 to 1868), then by contract to the British
  22. Kpone : (1697 to April 1700)
  23. Keta : Fort Singelenburgh (until 1737)
Congo

In Central Africa there were the colonies of Loango (Boary) (1648 to 1686/1721 to 1726) and Ngoyo or G'oy.

Madagascar

The Dutch ran a factory in Madagascar in Antongil Bay from 1641 to 1647.

Mauritius

The island of Mauritius belonged to the Dutch from 1598 to 1710. Settlement began in 1638. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Dutch crossed over to South Africa. The island later became French.

Mozambique

The capital Maputo is located in the area of ​​the former colony Delagoa Bay . There the Dutch built Fort Lydsaamheid , which was maintained from 1721 to 1730.

Nigeria

The Dutch bases in Nigeria were Benin City (1705 to 1736), Badagri (1737 to 1748) and Epe (1732 to 1755).

Sao Tome

In 1599 and 1641, the Dutch fleet was able to briefly occupy the island near the equator.

Senegal

At Cap Vert (Senegal) there was also a colony (1617 to 1700) that was taken over by the French.

St. Helena

1600–1651 the Dutch occupied the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic (see history of St. Helenas ).

South Africa

In 1652 a supply station was built at the Cape of Good Hope . The Dutch colony there grew steadily in the 17th and 18th centuries. The location was an important station for the trade route across the water from Europe to Southeast Asia. When the British also laid claim to the Cape Colony at the end of the 18th century , the colony was occupied in 1795 ( capitulation in Saldanhabucht ), but returned in 1802. From 1806 the colony was finally British. From 1810 to 1812 it was occupied by the Napoleonic French Empire in the course of the British-French colonial conflict . In 1814 the colony finally became British again.

Togo

In today's Togo there was a small colony called Aneho from 1731 to 1760 .

Asia

Burma

In the area of ​​today's Myanmar there were the Dutch colonies Mrohaung / Marakan, Siriangh / Syriam, Ava and Martaban in the 17th century .

Ceylon

Colombo was the first city to be conquered by the Portuguese in 1656 after a long siege . Ceylon was gradually taken over by the Portuguese in the following two years and was finally under Dutch rule from 1658 to 1796 after the conquest of Jaffna , before the British conquered the island in 1815. The French occupation of the island followed from 1810 to 1812.

Formosa

A Dutch colony also existed on Taiwan ( Formosa ) from 1624 to 1662. The island was taken by the Chinese.

India

A number of Dutch colonies, bases and factories existed in India.

  1. Bengal
The bases in Bengal were Pipely (until 1635), Hugli-Chunchura (until 1635), Baleswar (until 1676), and Murshidabad .
  1. Surat (1616 to 1795)
In the Surat region (western India) there were factories in Agra (1621 to 1720), Burhanpur, Ahmadabad (1617 to 1744), Bharuch and Vengurla (1637 to 1685).
  1. Malabar Coast
The bases on the Malabar coast in southwest India were Cranganore or Cranganor / Kodungallor (1662), Cochin de Cima / Pallipuram (1661), Cochin, Cochin de Baixo or Santa Cruz (1663), Quilon (Coylan) (1661), Cannanore (1663 to 1790), Kundapura (1667 to approx. 1682), Kayankulam (approx. 1645), Ponnani (approx. 1663) and Travancore .
  1. Coromandel coast
The Netherlands also had several bases on the Coromandel Coast in south-east India. These were Hyderabad (1662, as a trading base of the VOC, 1664 to 1733, as an independent office), Bimilipatnam (1687 to 1795/1818 to 1825), Jaggernaikpoeram / Kakinada (1734 to 1795/1818 to 1825), Daatzeram / Drakshawarama (1633 to 1730), nail bug (1669 to 1687), Palikol (1613 to 1781/1785 to 1795/1818 to 1825), Masulipatnam (1605 to 1756), Petapoeli / Nizampatnam (1606 to 1668), Paliacatta / Pulicat (1610 to 1781/1785 to 1795/1805 to 1825), Sadras (1654 to 1757/1785 to 1795/1818 to 1825), Tierepopelier / Thiruppapuliyur (1608 to 1625), Tegenapatnam (1647 to 1758), Porto Novo (Parangippettai) (1608 to 1825), Negapatnam (1658 to 1781) and Tuticorin / Tutucorim (1658 to 1825).
Iraq

A Dutch post existed in Basra .

Japan

An island called Deshima was raised by the Portuguese in Nagasaki Bay . This was a contract port that was used by several colonial powers (1641 to 1857).

Yemen

In the 17th century, Dutch trading posts were set up in the cities of Al Mukha ( Mocca ) and Aden.

Maldives

In 1654 , as before, the Netherlands put neighboring Ceylon under their protection, and in 1796 they lost the islands to the British.

Persia

In Persia, the Dutch maintained bases in Esfahan (Ispahan) (1623 to 1747), Bandar Abbas (Gamron) (1623 to 1766), and Kharg. Fort Mosselstein (1750 to 1766) and in Band-e Kong (1665 to 1753).

Pescadores

The Pescadores (Portuguese: "fishermen") are a group of islands in the Taiwan Strait. From 1624 to 1661 the islands were controlled by the Dutch before the Chinese claimed the islands.

South East Asia

In Southeast Asia, the Netherlands ruled what is now Indonesia . The colony was called the Dutch East Indies . From 1602 to 1949 trade was conducted in the whole of Southeast Asia. In 1799 the Dutch state took over the holdings of the VOC . As Indonesia, the archipelago has been independent since 1945/1949 (see Indonesian War of Independence , Indonesian Declaration of Independence ). However, even after independence was recognized, the Netherlands and Indonesia formed a Dutch-Indonesian Union until 1954 , and it was not until 1956 that Indonesia finally terminated the union with the Netherlands.

Dutch New Guinea , the western part of the island, was a Dutch colony from 1828/1895 to 1961 and is now part of Indonesia . The Spice Islands ( Moluccas ) became Dutch in 1663 and remained so with British interruptions (1796 to 1802 and 1806 to 1816) until Indonesian independence.

The Malacca region (1644 to 1824) was exchanged with the British for areas on Sumatra .

Siam

The Dutch factories in what was then Siam were in Ayutthaya (1613 to 1767), Patani ( Pattani ) (1602 to 1623), Sangora ( Songkhla ) (1607 to 1623) and Ligor (Ligoor- Nakhon Si Thammarat ) (until 1756).

Tonkin / Annam

Two colonies in what is now Vietnam were Tonkin (1636 to 1699) and Hội An (1636 to 1741).

See also

Web links

Wikisource: Declaration regarding the consuls of the German Empire in the Dutch colonies  - sources and full texts