Dissertation_A Bick_May 25 - DataSpace at Princeton University

By analyzing the successive changes made over this period—and especially between 1618-
1621—it shows how and why the Heren XIX assumed its unique institutional structure, and the
ways that Usselincx's idea for a Raedt van Indien informed important modifications to the
charter. The second section examines minutes of the meetings of the Heren XIX between 1622-
1624 and asks the deceptively simple question, “How many is XIX?” By reconstructing the
negotiations over who was permitted to attend the council’s meetings, the section demonstrates
the multiple and overlapping lines of accountability built into the Heren XIX’s structure. The
third section looks at the ambiguous position of representatives of the States General within the
company's board and shows the specific operational and symbolic roles they played. The chapter
thus recounts the origins of an early modern company board and deepens our understanding of
politics within the Heren XIX in the 1640s.
2. Competing Drafts for the WIC Charter
Discussions to create a WIC began during the first decade of the seventeenth century. The initial
impetus was overwhelmingly military: in addition to protecting Dutch trading interests, the
company was intended to serve as an instrument to weaken Spain by opening a third front in the
Atlantic and, as much as possible, driving the war from Dutch soil. 14 This aim had become
especially important after the United Provinces’ closest allies, France and England, signed
treaties with Spain in 1598 and 1603, respectively. Formal discussions began in February 1606,
when the States of Holland established a commission to look into the practical steps that would
of Holland (NA 3.01.14 inv.nr. 3164). The 1606 draft is appendix III in Meijer, Liefhebbers des Vaderlands ende
Beminders van de Commercie. I have dated the crucial drafts from January and March 1620 by comparison with
copies in the archive of the States of Zeeland (Zeeuwsarchief 2.1 inv.nr. 2086.1).
14 Ibid.; Den Heijer, De Geschiedenis van de WIC.
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