This thesis investigates the records of the Dutch Factory in Japan (NFJ) of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to determine the stability of information that was produced and processed by VOC...Show moreThis thesis investigates the records of the Dutch Factory in Japan (NFJ) of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to determine the stability of information that was produced and processed by VOC servants in the early eighteenth century. To accomplish this, the information on a single event was compared using several different VOC genres that played a key role in transferring the news from Japan via Batavia to the Dutch Republic. It led to a surprising result. Rather than undergoing significant changes, the contents initially recorded by servants remained consistent when copied into new VOC genre documents.Show less
The Dutch East India Company has been ascribed many faces and many colours during its existence, and these still echo throughout the public debate and national discourse. This thesis will...Show moreThe Dutch East India Company has been ascribed many faces and many colours during its existence, and these still echo throughout the public debate and national discourse. This thesis will contribute to new directions in the historiography of Dutch Empire by focusing on the Dutch East India Company governors and the narratives they communicated in the so-called 'Memories van Overgave', how these changed between 1700-1750, how these differed between three different regions: Bengal, Ambon, and Ceylon, and what the implications are for the organisational identity of the Dutch East India Company. In order to do so, this thesis employs a new analytical framework that positions the governor in the centre of two different relations: the relation he had to the institute he was a part of, and the relation he had with the proverbial 'other' he encountered. Everything combined, this will show the multi-faceted nature of the governors, the Dutch East India Company, and that the identity of the Dutch East India Company was not static, but flexible and ever-changing.Show less
This thesis seeks to examine how the reliance of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) on the mutasaddi (governor) of the imperial harbour town of Surat differed between the governorship of Diânat...Show moreThis thesis seeks to examine how the reliance of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) on the mutasaddi (governor) of the imperial harbour town of Surat differed between the governorship of Diânat Khan (1699-1701) and the governorship of Haider Quli Khan (1716-1719). As the years surrounding the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707 saw local mutasaddi strengthen their position, the VOC reconsidered its approach to problem-solving. The comparison between these two governorships makes it clear that the VOC displayed a clear preference for a local solution negotiated with the governor. During the governorship of Diânat Khan, reaching out to the emperor was still considered as an option. However, it was seen as a more expensive and less effective alternative that required support from local government officials to work. Two decades later during the governorship of Haider Quli Khan, the VOC made it clear that they had lost faith in the emperor’s authority within Surat. They relied more heavily on the governor than before for matters of security, trade and conflict-resolution. Examining these periods shows that the VOC dealt with a much wider range of officials than often assumed, preferred the efficiency of a deal with the governor over a deal with the emperor, and worked with local government to approach the emperor when local authority was not enough to solve an issue.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
In 1746 the Dutch East India Company (VOC) launched an invasion of the Rameshvaram island located between Sri Lanka and the Indian mainland. This thesis combines new VOC archival material with...Show moreIn 1746 the Dutch East India Company (VOC) launched an invasion of the Rameshvaram island located between Sri Lanka and the Indian mainland. This thesis combines new VOC archival material with existing literature on the combatants to answer the question what the military conflict reveals about India's balance of power at the dawn of British Raj as well as to show the interesting relationship between the Company and the Setupatis of Ramnad.Show less
Deze scriptie gaat over de aanwezigheid in en het eventuele permanente vertrek van de VOC uit Cambodja. Aan de hand van secundaire literatuur en diverse VOC archiefstukken wordt deze gereconstrueerd.
Kijk op de Compagnie' belicht het scheepvaartverkeer van de VOC in Azië in de jaren 1680-1700 aan de hand van reisgegevens van fluitschepen. Deze data zijn ondergebracht in een aparte database.
The thesis examines the attempt of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to establish a trading post on the mainland of China from 1660 to 1690. It tries to explain the reasons why the Dutch suspended...Show moreThe thesis examines the attempt of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to establish a trading post on the mainland of China from 1660 to 1690. It tries to explain the reasons why the Dutch suspended their direct trade in 1690 to rely on foreign shipping, mainly carried out by Chinese junks. It considers political, economical and cultural impacts as well as the Dutch and Chinese/Manchu mentalities.Show less
