During the Enlightenment, the Netherlands were one of the world’s great imperial powers. They were then one of the freest countries in the world. They had a large measure of freedom of religion, as well as a high measure of free markets. These things contributed to make them one of the greatest powers of their time. This might seem ironic, because Holland was then (and still is now) a small country. But its robust economy gave it power far beyond its numbers. The Dutch colonial empire rose to be one of the greatest empires in the world. But, eventually, most of that empire was lost, and the Dutch Empire then went the way of many other great empires of the past. Obviously, there is a darker side to this colonial empire, as there was with every other such empire in history. But there may still be a few things to learn from their astonishing success story. And we might also be able to learn a few things from this empire’s decline and fall.
The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, circa 1670
Holland wins its independence from Spain, and starts colonizing during the Renaissance
This fascinating story begins in the sixteenth century, during the European Renaissance. The Eighty Years’ War was beginning in the 1560s. The Act of Abjuration was in 1581. This basically meant that a number of Dutch provinces were then declaring their independence from Spain. This declaration would soon be followed by the Instruction of 12 April 1588. This formally created the “Dutch Republic.” The Dutch sent expeditions to the East Indies, starting in 1595. In this period, the Dutch began to rule portions of the East Indies, basically modern-day Indonesia. And the Dutch-Portuguese War began in 1598. The Dutch East India Company was chartered in 1602. This would create some colonies, among other places, in the Indian subcontinent. The Dutch West India Company was chartered in 1621. This would colonize, among other places, the Dutch West Indies in the Caribbean. They would also colonize parts of West Africa as well. In that same year, the Dutch also began to colonize the Guianas. Also in 1621, the Dutch began to colonize the Americas, eventually colonizing New Netherland (around present-day New York). In 1624, the Dutch began to colonize parts of Formosa (modern-day Taiwan). In 1640, the Dutch began to colonize parts of Ceylon – basically modern-day Sri Lanka. The Peace of Münster was in 1648. This resulted in the official recognition of the Dutch Republic by Spain, from which the Netherlands had previously been ruled.
Dam Square in the late 17th century
The Dutch Golden Age, the war with Portugal, and some additional overseas colonies
This century has been cited as the “Dutch Golden Age.” This is because of their relatively high degree of freedom of thought, and toleration for different religious and political ideas. The arts, sciences, and trade all flourished in Holland during this great century. The money from this trade explains how it was sometimes able to confront larger European powers. The Dutch soon began their Cape Colony in Southern Africa in 1652. The aforementioned Dutch-Portuguese War ended in 1663, after many years of fighting. And the Dutch island of New Amsterdam (modern-day Manhattan) was transferred to England in 1664, as part of the Anglo-Dutch Wars. This is the heart of what is today “New York City.” The Dutch colony in Formosa (modern-day Taiwan) began to be colonized in earnest in 1668. And the Netherlands fought a series of three wars with England during much of this period. They went on and off from 1652 to 1674. During one of these wars, a simultaneous war with France began in 1672. Thus, the Netherlands remembers this year as the “Rampjaar” (or the “Disaster Year”). This latter war lasted until 1678. Later in that same century, Holland took part in the Nine Years’ War – also called the “War of the Grand Alliance.” France would enter this war in 1689. Thus, some would mark this as the beginning of the “Second” Hundred Years’ War between England and France.
Dutch troops led by the Prince of Orange assault the French at the battle of Malplaquet
The Netherlands has its own revolution, around the same time as the French Revolution
The Netherlands then took part in the War of the Spanish Succession. This ended with the Peace of Utrecht in 1713. Holland also took part in the War of the Austrian Succession. However, Holland remained neutral during the subsequent Seven Years’ War. During the American War of Independence, the Netherlands were allied with the American rebels against the British Empire. But this last Anglo-Dutch War did not go quite so well for the Netherlands. Holland never really recovered from its defeat in this war. During this war with Britain, there was a revolution much closer to home for Holland. It was called the “Batavian Revolution.” Soon, France was also sucked into the French Revolution at home. During the Batavian Revolution, the Dutch West India Company was disbanded in 1792. The French Revolutionary Wars began in that same year: 1792. The “Dutch Republic” was then replaced by the Batavian Republic in 1795, ending the “Batavian Revolution.” The Dutch also lost the Cape Colony (in Southern Africa) to the British in 1795. The Dutch also lost their colony in Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) to the British in 1796. And the Dutch East India Company was disbanded in 1799. Napoleon Bonaparte also came to power in France in that same year: 1799. This effectively ended the domestic French Revolution. In 1802, the French Revolutionary Wars ended. But they were soon replaced by the Napoleonic Wars in 1803. In that same year, the Cape Colony was temporarily restored to Dutch rule in 1803. But the British then re-took the colony in 1806.
Battle of Fleurus, 1794 – part of the Low Countries theater of the French Revolutionary Wars
Holland in the Napoleonic Wars, and in subsequent parts of the nineteenth century
The Kingdom of Holland was proclaimed in that same year: 1806. This was yet another successor state to the “Dutch Republic.” The Netherlands were then incorporated into the First French Empire in 1810. There was a provisional government called the “Triumvirate of 1813.” This was then replaced by the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands in 1813. Incidentally, there was also an Anglo-Dutch Treaty in 1814. This confirmed that South Africa was now a British colony. When the aforementioned Sovereign Principality was reunited with the Southern Netherlands in 1815, this created the Kingdom of the Netherlands. That latter state has lasted until the present day. 1815 was also the year of the epic Battle of Waterloo. Thus, it was in the year that the Napoleonic Wars ended. Some would mark this as the end of the “Second” Hundred Years’ War between Britain and France. Regardless, Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830. Luxembourg likewise became independent from the Netherlands in 1890. And the Second Boer War was fought from 1899 to 1902. During this war, Dutch-descended farmers in South Africa revolted against the British rule of the region. Unfortunately for them, they lost the Second Boer War. Nonetheless, there is a strong Dutch element in South Africa today. They speak a language called “Afrikaans.” This language is basically just a variety of European Dutch.
Dutch family in Java, Dutch East Indies – modern-day Indonesia, 1902
Conclusion: The rise and fall of the Dutch Empire both have a great impact upon history
In the Second World War, the Netherlands were occupied by Nazi Germany. Likewise, the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) were then being occupied by Imperial Japan. At the end of the Second World War, Indonesia finally became independent from the Netherlands in 1945. There was a brief colony called “Dutch New Guinea” from 1949 to 1962. In 1954, there was also a new kingdom charter for the “Kingdom of the Netherlands.” And Suriname became independent from Holland in 1975. This effectively ended the Dutch colonial empire abroad. But the “Kingdom of the Netherlands” still existed in Europe. And there are still a few Caribbean islands that remain Dutch possessions even today. Thus, the legacy of the Dutch colonial empire can still be felt in many parts of the world. For example, this influence can still be felt in many parts of the Caribbean, as well as in Indonesia and Southern Africa. To a lesser extent, this influence can likewise be felt in Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and certain parts of the Guianas. Thus, the Dutch colonial empire seems certainly to have left its mark upon history. Obviously, there was a darker side to this imperialism, as there has been with all world empires. But there may also be a few good elements to this story, such as free markets and freedom of thought. Thus, it seems that we can learn much from the great Dutch successes, and also try to avoid some of the mistakes that led to the empire’s decline.
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