Dissertation_A Bick_May 25 - DataSpace at Princeton University
Dissertation_A Bick_May 25 - DataSpace at Princeton University Dissertation_A Bick_May 25 - DataSpace at Princeton University
of different councils, including one led by two company directors who were dispatched from the Netherlands for this purpose. Only with Maurits' selection in 1636—with the full title of Governor General—did the company concede the need for stronger leadership to protect and expand the colony. 36 The proposal to create the office of President in 1644 thus represented an effort to rein in the colony's leadership, without returning to the somewhat chaotic situation that had existed before Maurits took office, which had been characterized by frequent changes of personnel and nearly constant bickering between military and civilian authorities. The remaining sources do not indicate whether the adoption of this proposal was particularly contentious. 37 The task of identifying potential candidates for the new offices was far more difficult. Each of the company's chambers naturally sought to advance its own candidates and to take advantage of the patronage opportunities that the offices offered. 38 But staffing the new government also exposed a set of deep ideological divides over what sorts of people were most qualified to serve. Maurits had been selected in 1636 in large part because he was a nobleman, with the military experience and status necessary to place the Brazil colony on a firmer footing. 39 As we will see, at least some actors within the States General and the circle around the Prince of Orange believed that only an individual of noble birth could adequately replace him. By contrast, a number of merchants within the Heren XIX were most concerned to ensure that the new council would have adequate representation by individuals with greater practical experience in trade and commerce. The intensity of this divide was perhaps exacerbated by the pressure under which decisions needed to be taken: by April, Maurits had been gone for nearly a year and the colony had been left in the hands of a relatively junior group of company 36 Den Heijer, De Geschiedenis van de WIC, 43–44. 37 With the exception of a handful of brief extracts, no minutes remain for the December meetings of the Heren XIX. 38 For the Groningen Chamber's efforts in this regard, see Winter, De Westindische Compagnie ter Kamer Stad en Lande, 124–125. 39 Den Heijer, De Geschiedenis van de WIC, 43. 143
servants. These individuals may not have been inexperienced, as Boxer pointed out, but they were hardly in a position to overawe, either. 40 A new council needed to be identified and deployed quickly. The nomination of candidates—indeed the entire process for selecting the new High Council—was kept strictly secret. The Dutch Republic was at the time notorious throughout Europe for the ease with which official secrets could be purchased or otherwise discovered, but this did not mean that specific matters could not be hidden. 41 Most of the discussion at meetings of the Heren XIX was recorded in an official set of ordinary minutes for distribution to the five chambers and the States General, and copies occasionally appear in private collections. Company affairs were also discussed in the individual chambers, provincial assemblies, and the States General, so that information about the company circulated in the form of resolutions or resolution extracts from these bodies. The proceedings for selection of the new High Council for Brazil, however, were recorded in only two places: a separate, secret set of minutes from the meeting of the Heren XIX, and the secret reports delivered to the States General by its own representatives. The business of selecting the new council appears nowhere in official records of the provinces or the States General until the new President was announced on November 18, 1645. 42 From this we might draw two conclusions: first, that the company believed it was critically important to restrict discussion about personnel and to keep disagreements about colonial leadership from spilling into public view; and, second, that the decisions themselves were taken by a small group of individuals behind closed doors. 40 Boxer, The Dutch in Brazil, 1624-1654, 164. The remaining councilors were Hendrik Hamel, a merchant from Amsterdam, Pieter Bas, formerly a goldsmith in Haarlem, and Adriaan Bullestrate, formerly a master carpenter in Middelburg. 41 For a sophisticated discussion of secrecy and politics in the Dutch Republic, see De Bruin, Geheimhouding en Verraad: De Geheimhouding van Staatszaken ten tijde van de Republiek (1600-1750). 42 NA 1.01.03 inv.nr. 4845, entry for November 18, 1645. 144
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of different councils, including one led by two company directors who were disp<strong>at</strong>ched from the<br />
Netherlands for this purpose. Only with Maurits' selection in 1636—with the full title of<br />
Governor General—did the company concede the need for stronger leadership to protect and<br />
expand the colony. 36 The proposal to cre<strong>at</strong>e the office of President in 1644 thus represented an<br />
effort to rein in the colony's leadership, without returning to the somewh<strong>at</strong> chaotic situ<strong>at</strong>ion th<strong>at</strong><br />
had existed before Maurits took office, which had been characterized by frequent changes of<br />
personnel and nearly constant bickering between military and civilian authorities.<br />
The remaining sources do not indic<strong>at</strong>e whether the adoption of this proposal was<br />
particularly contentious. 37 The task of identifying potential candid<strong>at</strong>es for the new offices was far<br />
more difficult. Each of the company's chambers n<strong>at</strong>urally sought to advance its own candid<strong>at</strong>es<br />
and to take advantage of the p<strong>at</strong>ronage opportunities th<strong>at</strong> the offices offered. 38 But staffing the<br />
new government also exposed a set of deep ideological divides over wh<strong>at</strong> sorts of people were<br />
most qualified to serve. Maurits had been selected in 1636 in large part because he was a<br />
nobleman, with the military experience and st<strong>at</strong>us necessary to place the Brazil colony on a<br />
firmer footing. 39 As we will see, <strong>at</strong> least some actors within the St<strong>at</strong>es General and the circle<br />
around the Prince of Orange believed th<strong>at</strong> only an individual of noble birth could adequ<strong>at</strong>ely<br />
replace him. By contrast, a number of merchants within the Heren XIX were most concerned to<br />
ensure th<strong>at</strong> the new council would have adequ<strong>at</strong>e represent<strong>at</strong>ion by individuals with gre<strong>at</strong>er<br />
practical experience in trade and commerce. The intensity of this divide was perhaps exacerb<strong>at</strong>ed<br />
by the pressure under which decisions needed to be taken: by April, Maurits had been gone for<br />
nearly a year and the colony had been left in the hands of a rel<strong>at</strong>ively junior group of company<br />
<br />
36 Den Heijer, De Geschiedenis van de WIC, 43–44.<br />
37 With the exception of a handful of brief extracts, no minutes remain for the December meetings of the Heren XIX.<br />
38 For the Groningen Chamber's efforts in this regard, see Winter, De Westindische Compagnie ter Kamer Stad en<br />
Lande, 124–1<strong>25</strong>.<br />
39 Den Heijer, De Geschiedenis van de WIC, 43.<br />
143
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