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was described as a subsidy, to be paid in five annual installments of 200,000 guilders each. 50 In the March draft, however, the language was changed so that half of this amount came in return for company stock, with the States General “enjoying and sustaining profit and risk in the same manner as all other participants in the company.” 51 Here, and for the first time, the States General appeared in the charter as an owner. The resolutions of the Amsterdam city council make clear that Amsterdam's merchants opposed all three of these changes. Most upset were the merchants trading to Guinea, who had long argued that the charter should be restricted to America alone, and were justifiably concerned that their profitable trade would suffer as a result of inclusion within the monopoly company. 52 On April 10, 1620 the city agreed to the new draft with the important qualifications that the new chamber given to Groningen and Friesland must not serve as a precedent for discussions about the VOC, and that: Concerning the ten-hundred thousand [i.e., one million] guilders to be furnished as a subsidy to the West India Company, it is understood that, while we consent to the foresaid sum, the Generality must not be a participant with part of the company, or in any case not further than with three-hundred thousand guilders, leaving seven-hundred thousand guilders as a subsidy; and that the Generality does not appear in the meetings of the foresaid company with more than one person, who may appear as president, though without any responsibility to direct the company's affairs. 53                                                          50 NA 1.01.07 inv.nr. 12564.1, fol. 98b. 51 NA 1.01.07 inv.nr. 12564.1, fol. 40. “Welverstaende dat wy mette helft vande voorschreve thien hondert duysent guldens, sullen ghenieten ende dragen winste ende risico gelijck alle andere Participanten in dese Compagnie genieten ende dragen sullen.” 52 See Van Rees, Geschiedenis der Staathuishoudkunde in Nederland tot het Einde der Achttiende Eeuw, 2:80. 53 Stadsarchief Amsterdam 5025 inv.nr. 11, entry for April 10, 1620. “Voorts wat belangt de Tienhondert Duysent gul. by de Generaliteyt tot subsidie van de voors. Westindische Compagnie te furneren, Is verstaen, dewyle de voors. Somme tot subsidie geconsenteert is, dat de Generaliteyt nyet en behoort met eenich gedeelte van dien In de zelve Compagnie te participeren, Immers In allen gevalle nyet verder volgende voorgaende Instellinge als met Driehondert Duysent guldens, blyvende de Sevenhondert Duysent guldens suyvers tot subsidie, Dat mede de Generaliteyt nyet meer als een persoon, In de vergaderinge van de voors. Compagnie en behoort te hebben, die wel neffens den president zoude sitten sonder nochtans eenige directie te hebben.”   109
That these two provisions remained in the final charter, despite Amsterdam’s explicit protests, is remarkable. It strongly suggests that others saw them as extremely important, and demonstrates that the States General and its allies were in a position to push back against Amsterdam’s interests at this crucial stage in the negotiations. Van Rees pointed out long ago that from 1619 Usselincx encountered increasing hostility from delegates at the States of Holland, but that he remained a welcome guest at the States General, which continued to entertain his periodic requests for financial support. 54 The crucial issue here was not—or at least not only—that the States of Holland opposed Usselincx's proposals for peaceful colonization, but rather that they did not want the company's coveted new directorships to be subordinated to a quasi-aristocratic council of noblemen with strong ties to the Prince of Orange and the States General. 55 Once Usselincx’s draft had been decisively rejected by the States of Holland, and the 1606 draft resuscitated as the basis for discussion, the representatives of the States General and the court sought changes that would grant them additional powers, especially over war and government. They were unsuccessful in their bid to preside over the meetings of the company’s board, but by giving themselves veto power over decisions about war and the right to send multiple delegates, they reserved the right to establish an informal Raedt van Indien within their own ranks; a body that could meet regularly and become intimately familiar with the problems of colonial administration, just as Usselincx had advised. The modification that gave the States General a substantial ownership share in the new                                                          54 Van Rees, Geschiedenis der Staathuishoudkunde in Nederland tot het Einde der Achttiende Eeuw, 2:109. 55 For the Amsterdam elite's interest in the directorships, see Elias, Geschiedenis van het Amsterdamsche Regentenpatriciaat, 78-79.   110
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GOVERNING THE FREE SEA: THE DUTCH W
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Abstract This dissertation takes a
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IV. “In the Service of Merchants
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for making the archive such an enjo
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Institute for International and Reg
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List of Tables 1. Delegates to the
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Illustration 1. Het West-Indische H
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eported to have said; any money sen
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nexus of commerce and power for whi
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Europe the Dutch Republic is emblem
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Although the VOC frequently used vi
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Van Dillen argued that over time th
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the Western Hemisphere.” 46 Far f
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anxieties it generated, and what pl
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capital from Zeeland in the south a
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number of document series within th
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character of Dutch political instit
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Illustration 2. Vergaderzaal van he
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ecords must be traced backwards—a
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of note.” 93 But it is clear that
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formative periods in the company’
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enhance the role of central authori
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trade in which the company had only
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5. A Note on Sources This dissertat
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1645. 110 The manuscript is found i
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period 1620-1636. 115 For the remai
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at São Salvador da Bahia de Todos
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the revolt pushed the colony’s fa
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Amsterdam newspapers did publish st
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year by the Hoge ende Secrete Raad
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the Portuguese, had crossed the Rio
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ead aloud, two resolutions were pas
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On Wednesday, the same day the ship
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with subtle differences of fact and
Page 69 and 70: The group consisted of Henderick Sc
Page 71 and 72: XIX. Each chamber selected delegate
Page 73 and 74: Inden naeme den heeren amen Saturn.
Page 75 and 76: Middelburg’s decidedly incestuous
Page 77 and 78: Illustration 6. Portrait of Johanne
Page 79 and 80: crucial role that he played in its
Page 81 and 82: When the meeting resumed on Monday
Page 83 and 84: and to steer the discussion towards
Page 85 and 86: were chosen from among the ranks of
Page 87 and 88: emphasized the considerable sums in
Page 89 and 90: 4. Johannes de Laet as “Informati
Page 91 and 92: devote myself to my books.” 129 A
Page 93 and 94: interests were adequately represent
Page 95 and 96: De Laet's substantive work in the A
Page 97 and 98: that, even at the beginning, De Lae
Page 99 and 100: De Laet’s presence at the meeting
Page 101 and 102: confessions under interrogation and
Page 103 and 104: Brazil this meant the Heren XIX, wh
Page 105 and 106: Illustration 7. Portrait of Willem
Page 107 and 108: peaceful settlement along the fring
Page 109 and 110: By analyzing the successive changes
Page 111 and 112: convene in Amsterdam; the following
Page 113 and 114: This formulation, which must previo
Page 115 and 116: Amsterdam or Middelburg. 29 In this
Page 117 and 118: (1566-1626), later burgemeester of
Page 119: placed next to his description of t
Page 123 and 124: provinces. The creation of the WIC
Page 125 and 126: The result was that the delegates f
Page 127 and 128: to the original charter gave the ch
Page 129 and 130: thus shows the political—as oppos
Page 131 and 132: 1/10 of the equipagie and two direc
Page 133 and 134: taken place. Once the draft letter
Page 135 and 136: Table 5. Seating for the delegation
Page 137 and 138: phase of the company’s Groot Dess
Page 139 and 140: to be understood the sending over o
Page 141 and 142: But by far the most important trans
Page 143 and 144: Illustration 8. Map of Mauritstad a
Page 145 and 146: geographers whose works remain a tr
Page 147 and 148: important military, administrative,
Page 149 and 150: noblemen played in overseas adminis
Page 151 and 152: good order, police and justice, and
Page 153 and 154: the council's size and authority, d
Page 155 and 156: servants. These individuals may not
Page 157 and 158: At this point the election was comp
Page 159 and 160: (Receiver General) of the United Pr
Page 161 and 162: Why did these candidates all refuse
Page 163 and 164: Alexander's name was almost certain
Page 165 and 166: None of the remaining records indic
Page 167 and 168: would be profitable and that their
Page 169 and 170: Haecxs thanked them for the honor t
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On June 22, 1645—just a week befo
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5. Wolter Schonenborch and the Ritu
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with the WIC presumably did not go
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Haecx recorded in his diary that on
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wavered, for De Laet, who was many
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privately to Brazil, legally or ill
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1. Introduction Chapter Five Free T
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left relatively open. 6 Where monop
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community saw greater profits in pr
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and close trade to private merchant
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trouble paying its bills, especiall
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means to capitalize the company wit
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director than his trade to Brazil,
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With the verhoging stalled, and ani
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e handled without gloves.” 55 In
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“walking the land half-naked” f
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While the resolution as a whole sho
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along with the two powerful Amsterd
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Cornelis Melijn, of a patroonschap
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this measure, he said, “no one in
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maintaining the company's solvency,
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colony, overestimated the number of
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And Maurits offered another argumen
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Stellingwerf, who sat in the States
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Provinces, plus smaller fees of 3%
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exclude private merchants from the
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clamoring for slaves. 136 The probl
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expedition's success, along with de
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trading locations on the Gold Coast
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directly from New Netherland, and s
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over trade was simply the projectio
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the area in which the company was b
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had not yet been renewed. 4 As the
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to the Dutch state, and that this d
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ookkeeping from late-fifteenth cent
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ambitions. 21 Although neither Spec
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expenses at each of the company's c
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included. 34 In Specx’s estimatio
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calculations yielded a profit of 41
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notes on these documents, suggest t
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It was, of course, a fiction. With
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to hang from the body [...] This sh
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van West-Indien (New World, or a De
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title page of the revised edition a
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It occurred to me that these miracu
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third in the Kort Verhael. This rep
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This extraordinary conclusion might
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enemy” and the positive effects o
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appeared in the late 1630s in the c
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versus settlement. He was also more
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An exceptionally cold winter delaye
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failure of Dutch imperialism from t
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that focuses on political and imper
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support to the WIC, but they also i
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Maurits predicted and which was not
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British Library Additional Manuscri
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Burke, Peter. A Social History of K
Page 285 and 286:
Goffman, Erving. Frame Analysis: An
Page 287 and 288:
Jonge, J. K. J. De Oorsprong van Ne
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Noorlander, Danny L. “Serving God
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Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Na
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1624-1654, edited by Marianne L. Wi
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