In de historiografie is er veel aandacht voor de nederlaag van de VOC in de Slag om Colachel. De VOC verloor hierin van het Indiase koninkrijk Travancore dat onder leiding stond van Marthanda Varma...Show moreIn de historiografie is er veel aandacht voor de nederlaag van de VOC in de Slag om Colachel. De VOC verloor hierin van het Indiase koninkrijk Travancore dat onder leiding stond van Marthanda Varma. Een bijzondere gebeurtenis, maar waar minder aandacht voor is, is de steun van de EIC aan Travancore. Dit speelde een grote rol, zowel voor als tijdens de Slag om Colachel.Show less
Between 1677 and 1698, Asvathi Tirunal was rani of Attingal. This is a small region in Kerala, India. In historical research, the importance of the political role of the rani in this area is often...Show moreBetween 1677 and 1698, Asvathi Tirunal was rani of Attingal. This is a small region in Kerala, India. In historical research, the importance of the political role of the rani in this area is often neglected. That is why in this thesis, the following question is answered: ‘To what extent did Asvathi Tirunal (r.1677-1698) exercise political power in South Kerala and where was this power derived from?’ By using the source material of the Dutch East India Company, the political influence of the rani was analyzed. We can conclude carefully that the rani of Attingal was able to exercise political influence in the area, mostly because of the cultivation of pepper on her lands and her role as mother of surrounding kingdoms. In this period, there was not one independent ruler in Kerala, and political power was divided between the rani, the king of Travancore and the pillamar. More research (including Indian source material) is necessary to reach a better understanding of the political power of the ranis of Attingal.Show less
This thesis looks at the role and usage of colonial archival documents in the knowledge production of the eighteenth-century Dutch East India Company (VOC), through a case study of the Overgekomen...Show moreThis thesis looks at the role and usage of colonial archival documents in the knowledge production of the eighteenth-century Dutch East India Company (VOC), through a case study of the Overgekomen Brieven en Papieren (OBP) of the regional establishment of Malabar. By looking at documentary practices regarding the OBP, conceptualised as an early modern colonial archive, this research traces its epistemic potential through several stages: creation and selection on the Malabar Coast, dispersion through the information network of the company and dissection by the Haags Besogne. The findings presented here show that the epistemic potential of the OBP was eroded in every stage and only partially actualised by company officials in the Dutch Republic. In line with recent studies on early modern colonial archives, this thesis raises scepticism towards the equation of knowledge and empire through colonial archives, but offers new arguments and explanations for doing so.Show less
This thesis provides an insight in how cross-cultural relations took place and how the VOC legal system functioned in the 17th century in a multi-cultural place like Cochin on the southwest coast...Show moreThis thesis provides an insight in how cross-cultural relations took place and how the VOC legal system functioned in the 17th century in a multi-cultural place like Cochin on the southwest coast of India. This is done through legal sources that are from fort Cochin. Of these legal sources the emphesis lies on cases between non-Europeans vs Europeans and non-Europeans vs non-Europeans.Show less
This thesis defines slavery in eighteenth-century Cochin. By relying on courtcases and acts of transport, this thesis shows how slavery in eighteenth-century Cochin is connected with caste, VOC-law...Show moreThis thesis defines slavery in eighteenth-century Cochin. By relying on courtcases and acts of transport, this thesis shows how slavery in eighteenth-century Cochin is connected with caste, VOC-law and categorization, and local power structures.Show less
In de 17e en 18e eeuw voerde de Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie handel op de Malabarkust. De belangrijkste reden waarom ze in dit gebied handel dreven was de grote hoeveelheid peper van...Show moreIn de 17e en 18e eeuw voerde de Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie handel op de Malabarkust. De belangrijkste reden waarom ze in dit gebied handel dreven was de grote hoeveelheid peper van hoogwaardige kwaliteit waar deze organisatie een monopoliepositie over probeerde te verkrijgen. Om dit streven te bewerkstelligen was het voor de Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie noodzakelijk om goede relaties te onderhouden met de vier grote rijken in dit gebied (en met name het rijk Cochin) en de grote hoeveelheid kleinere rijken in dit gebied. De heersers van deze rijken hadden echter vaak een ander idee over hun relatie met de Compagnie waardoor er vaak onderlinge verschillen waren tussen de verschillende partijen. Op de problematiek in dit gebied worden theorieen zoals de theatre state, segmented state en de patrimonial state op los gelaten waardoor er een beter beeld naar voren komt van de verschillen in optiek van de verschillende partijen.Show less
