This thesis concerns the transfer of firearms technology from the Dutch East India Company to Siam at the end of the seventeenth century. It shows that the transfer of both weapons and of experts...Show moreThis thesis concerns the transfer of firearms technology from the Dutch East India Company to Siam at the end of the seventeenth century. It shows that the transfer of both weapons and of experts with skills related to firearms were organised through diplomatic exchange and gift giving. Changes in this transfer were mainly shaped by the Siamese, although they were unable to force the Dutch to fulfill all their wishes.Show less
This thesis examines the effects of the so-called Nayaka kings on Kandyan kingship in the first decade of the Nayaka period of the Kandyan kingdom (1729-1750). The thesis concludes that the decade...Show moreThis thesis examines the effects of the so-called Nayaka kings on Kandyan kingship in the first decade of the Nayaka period of the Kandyan kingdom (1729-1750). The thesis concludes that the decade before the Nayaka kings rose to power shows remarkable continuity with the first decade after the Nayaka kings ascended the Kandyan throne, and it is therefore difficult to state that the Nayaka ascension can be seen as a clear break with the former dynasty. The ceremonies at the court do not show any sign of an increased divinization, both Sri Vijaya Rajasinha (1739-1747) and Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747-1782) even had a bigger emphasis on becoming/being an ideal Buddhist ruler, a Cakravarti.Show less
In 1684, amidst calls for reform and action against corruption, the directors of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) appointed a ‘Committee of Redress’ and dispatched Commissioner General, Hendrik...Show moreIn 1684, amidst calls for reform and action against corruption, the directors of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) appointed a ‘Committee of Redress’ and dispatched Commissioner General, Hendrik Adriaan van Reede, to inspect VOC trade posts and their staff in Asia’s ‘Western Quarters’, which includes Coromandel. This study is an attempt to determine the extent to which van Reede’s actions and decisions in Coromandel can be justified within the framework of the Committee’s original objectives, given how this is not satisfactorily explained in extant historiography. Further, the dominant view in extant literature on this subject is that the VOC directors’ ulterior motive for setting up this Committee was to replace those in Coromandel linked to the Rijckloff van Goens Sr. faction with those linked to their own. Therefore, this study also takes factionalism across the VOC’s rank and file into account. To answer the overarching question, this study relies substantially on archival research and literature review. Archival material considered for this study includes VOC records such as interrogations, statements, missives, and reports, as well as correspondence between van Reede, the VOC directors, and the VOC leadership in ‘Batavia’. This reveals two points of note. First, that van Reede was carefully balancing between serving the interests of the VOC directors and his own; and second, that he did not specifically target the van Goens Sr. faction in Coromandel.Show less
The colonial petition is a valuable source to get insight into the condition of colonised humanity. This thesis discusses forty-four petitions written in 1790 by peasant-cultivators in the Matara...Show moreThe colonial petition is a valuable source to get insight into the condition of colonised humanity. This thesis discusses forty-four petitions written in 1790 by peasant-cultivators in the Matara district. The petitioners transmitted these petitions to colonial officials in the first three months of an uprising in the countryside of Sri Lanka. The question this study aims to answer is: “How do petitions written during a protest in 1790 convey the resistance, negotiation, and experience of Dutch colonialism by inhabitants of the Matara dessavony?”Show less
This thesis explores slavery in Dutch Mauritius (1664-1710) through an analysis of the extent to which slave resistance in its myriad forms influenced the nature of the slave regime, society and...Show moreThis thesis explores slavery in Dutch Mauritius (1664-1710) through an analysis of the extent to which slave resistance in its myriad forms influenced the nature of the slave regime, society and colonial power. Its main objective is to achieve an understanding of how slavery operated in a marginal VOC outpost by exploring its social world; the various levels of social interactions between slaves, convicts, vrijburgers and company servants; the main characteristics of slave resistance; colonial fear and phobia of insurrections; and the intersections between slavery, law enforcement, and the community. It examines the dynamics of imperialism from below in the same way as Clare Anderson explores the life and work of South Asian convicts transported across networks of the British Empire in the Indian Ocean in the latter part of the 19th century. Despite being framed through concepts of slave resistance and power, the primary objective is to bring into focus the world of the slaves, their origins, the nature of their occupations and living conditions, their experiences and struggles, and their ways of organising, socialising, and dissentingShow 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
What is war to whom? The troops roaming on Java in the late seventeenth century were of all shapes and colours. Some came from Sulawesi, some from Madura; some were religious others acquisitive....Show moreWhat is war to whom? The troops roaming on Java in the late seventeenth century were of all shapes and colours. Some came from Sulawesi, some from Madura; some were religious others acquisitive. Usually they operated in small units known as war-bands led by a warlord. Despite the differences between these war-bands, many of them did gather and fight under a single banner. Often they hurdled behind overlords -sunans or sultans- who were in need for additional brawn; a competitive market of martial supply and demand resulted. The king with the most men usually won. Even the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was part of this market and relied on indigenous patrol. In 1677, the Company decided to support the Central Javanese realm called Mataram and thus landed in a diplomatic struggle for troops. This thesis wonders how VOC men reported on these warriors and what clues are given of a Javanese military labour market at odds with the European one. The Dutch commanders would soon find out drawing in allies was as important as winning battles; the extent to which they could enter the networks of warlords and rulers thereby determined much of their victory. This thesis tells how far they did in the two chaotic and bloody years of 1677 and 1678.Show less
