Up to 1631, the VOC did not make one cent of profit. That is why trading in shares was invented. It is incorrect to say that the Netherlands up to that time were rich because of the VOC. After that time, yes. But initially the Netherlands were rich because of the baltic trade, called the "mother trade" in the Netherlands. Also good moneymakers were herring, whales and the mediterranian trade. NOT trade in spices yet. Also it should be more emphasized that for the Netherlands, in 1602 it was still in the middle of it's 80 year war of independence against Spain and Portugal. The VOC was made with sovereign powers not to make money, but the damage the enemy. Trade was an object, but it only served as an incentive to invest in the war so that the Dutch state was a bit relieved of that and could concentrate on territorial defence and fighting the English and French in European waters (for which the VOC had to lend out ships anyway). It was an innovative idea to keep tax low. It was later when things increasingly derailed with the VOC, both morally and financially. But... do not make the mistake to see it through 21st century morals. We are talking about 17th century morals here. Trade was survival of the fittest, and the Geneva convention or human rights were not invented yet. Humans were people who were protestant christians. The rest was not to worry too much about.
I've only just recently discovered the true extent of the power wielded by the VOC -- touched on briefly within Sapiens. Thanks for this university style lecture. Really expands my understanding on this truly fascinating corporate empire.
My grandfather vividly remember how ruthless Bolanda (Netherlands armed forces in Sumatra my homeland) about that time when they took his buffalos and goats by force and no pay. Also asking him and his fellow Bataks to pay "balasting" which was 50% of the produced paddy rice from all of his fields to be given to them every time they harvest. In Christmas 2019, I and my wife and my two sons enjoy Christmas in Amsterdam. My sons love Amsterdam. The people are all friendly to us. I wish we all learn from the past and make good of what we learn to make the world a better place to live for all nations. Let's us help maintain United Nations as our forum to eliminate all forms of social injustice from the face of our world, our home. Thank you for sharing.
Slave traders first, then products. Also, if you lay over a map of star forts, and their timeline of being built, lo and behold, it unveils world history and explains many wars in the world!
Read up about the first fort at Saybrook, CT. , that burned down in the Pequot war. And the founding of New Haven. My 9th great grandfather was there. He was an original proprietor of Norwich, CT. We're descended from a long line of nobility from England who were going to flee to Saybrook if King James became too corrupt. I'm descended from at least 4 noble lines that I've identified with DNA tests and documents. Many of them were Knights. The battle at Mystic Fort in Connecticut, at the request of Uncas, was the first recorded official War that an organized European militia took part in in "American" history. And MANY of those men were sons or grandsons of VOC Dutch East India Company. Saybrook was the only bought and paid for colony. It was move in ready before the colonist ever left Plymouth port in England.
One could actually invest in the VOC with much lower capital than 3000 guilders. The smallest among the initial investors in Amsterdam had contributed only ƒ50, which was worth more or less 1.5 oz t of gold, or "a few thousand bucks".
Most Dutch hardly know who Coen is, let alone see him as some national hero. They're well aware of the barbarism the VOC brought to these lands. The school curiculum does not hold back when it comes to the glory of the VOC and the Darkness it held. I know this: for I used to teach this curiculum. It's actually pretty well balanced. He might be some hero for some extreme nationalists who tend to overlook the flaws and overstate the glory for politics sake, but everybody else wont have a clue and might have only heard his name drop somewhere. The real national hero is probably still Johan Cruiijf. lol.
Most older Dutch people had to read Saïdjah en Adinda, or Multatulli in high school. So it was definitely spoken about in school when I was young. And all young Dutch know about it because it’s in the curriculum for history.
About de Houtmans first voyage/ not allowed to land on St. Helena: Too bad I couldn´t see your facial expression. But the joke comes through anyway. :) I don´t know if you´re familiar with the movie "a bridge too far". The whole voyage reminds me a bit of the last scene, where the british commander of the paratroopers states: "I came with 8000 men. I leave with 2000. I´m not so sure if it was a succsess." But there are always different perspectives and I really enjoy how you teach us a bit about a chapter of history. I also liked for example how you summarised the conflict on Java. I´m not Dutch, but I say bedankt. Also to some of the people who wrote comments, which I normally hardly read.
At 12:20 the speaker asserts to show the foundational charter of the VOC of 1602 but it is a receipt for 250 guilders being the first installment of a capital payment received in Antwerp on August 16, 1723, obtaining rights ("octroy") in the capital of a company called (in English) Empirial Indian Company, It may not have anything to do with the VOC at all as the Dutch did not have or did not recognise an emperor from 1575 onwards, which led to the 80 years war that ended in 1648, parallel to the 30 years war, remember?
Interesting how the economic need for chattel slavery and apartheid as the financial foundation of the VOC is not discussed at all and not typed out in this presentation anywhere.
Because the VOC wasn’t involved in slaves. That was another company, that traded across the Atlantic Ocean. Apartheid has nothing to do with the voc. Apartheid was installed in 1948, more than 100 years after the voc was dissolved.
Venetians became eventually Thé Black Nobility,although it's a quite new name it's span thé whole history of Mankind ,from thé early Babylonian Dynasty over Ptolmean Ancient Egyptian Dynasties to Thé Black Nobility intermarried in thé upper echelons since ,they never dispeared through marriages they always Change names,but it are thé same bloodlines since thé Beginning of mankind that ruled
No mention of the Battle of Colachel? That is the ONLY instance of an Asian King (dom) defeating a major European power. This was in 1741, led by the Travancore King Marthanda Varman.....
Nonsense. Wagner scarcely draws a breath without the say-so of the relevant authorities. Contemporary ‘Muscovy’ has eclipsed the Dutch in every conceivable manner since even long before the times of Tsar Alexander & the defeat of Napoleons’s Grand Armee.
The VOC did not trade in slaves much; slave trade made up less than 0.5% of their total trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. Most of the slaves they acquired and moved around were meant to be used as labour within the organisation itself, not for resale. The VOC did not consider slavery to be a for-profit activity. The Dutch WIC (West Indische Companie) is the company that was very active in the transatlantic slave trade. But even though slavery was a large part of their efforts, trade in other goods was still more profitable.
