Dissertation_A Bick_May 25 - DataSpace at Princeton University

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thereafter. 49 His appeal presumably stemmed from this service, and perhaps also from Groningen's relatively neutral status in the long-running feud between the Amsterdam and Zeeland chambers of the company. Whatever the Company saw in him, however, was not reciprocated. Julsinck refused the position outright, on the rather flimsy grounds that he was bound by oath to serve out the remainder of his term as Burgemeester of Groningen. 50 By this time it was already late June and the company's directors, along with the States General, were getting anxious. The selection process had taken far too long, and little more had been achieved in the intervening months; with winter approaching, it would soon be too late to dispatch the new council to Brazil. In April the directors had raised the President's salary from 1,000 to 1,250 guilders per month—a considerable sum, against which the directors of the North Holland chamber vigorously protested—in the hope of attracting qualified candidates. 51 Their first two choices had refused even this. No records remain for the discussions with candidates three and four: Albert Ruyl, Stadspensionaris (Pensionary) of the city of Haarlem, and Nanning de Keyser, Secretaris of the city of Hoorn. 52 But presumably they refused also, perhaps privately, for Hendrick van der Capellen reported to the States General in late July that no candidate had yet agreed to the position and that the matter would have to await resolution at the next meeting of the Heren XIX, scheduled to take place in Middelburg in September. 53                                                          49 Groninger Archief 1700 inv.nr. 16, Lijst van Gezagdragers vermeld in het Regeringsboek afkomstig uit het Gemeente-Archief Groningen, 1594-ca. 1811, 81. 50 NA 1.01.07 inv.nr. 12564.17, Extract van de vergadering van de Heren XIX, 27 Juny 1645. 51 Ibid., Extract wt die secrete notulen der vergaderinge der Negentien t' Amsterdam gehouden zeder de 22 April 1645. Boxer states that Maurits' salary had been 1500 guilders per month, plus expenses, though proposals drafted in 1636 list the astonishing sum of 50,000 guilders per year. See NA 1.01.07, inv.nr. 12564.20; Boxer, The Dutch in Brazil, 1624-1654, 69. 52 Ibid. 53 NA 1.01.07 inv.nr. 12564.17, Rapport Sommierlyck gedaen by die Heeren vander Cappelen toe-Ryssel, Herbers, en Nykerck van di principaelste Poincten inde besoignes van die vergaderinge der Negentien t'Amsterdam voorgevallen zeder Martio 1645.   149
Why did these candidates all refuse what would appear to have been a quite prestigious and lucrative position? We catch a glimpse on an answer from the case of Alexander van der Capellen, Hendrick van der Capellen's younger brother and the fifth name on the list. Alexander was born into a noble family from Zutphen along the United Provinces' eastern border with Germany sometime between 1590 and 1600. He studied law, history, and Arabic at Leiden and spent several years abroad, primarily in France. When he returned to the United Provinces in the early 1620s he was selected to join the city council of Zutphen; shortly thereafter he was appointed deputy from Gelderland to the Generaliteitsrekenkamer (Generality Accounting Officer), the Raad van Staat (Council of State), and finally the States General. Around 1635 he moved into the circle around the Prince of Orange, Frederik Hendrik, whom he served as a trusted advisor under the latter's death in 1647. 54 Like other Dutch nobleman of the period who chose to remain active in state service, he maintained his estate in Gelderland but spent the majority of his time at the court and in the daily conduct of public affairs at The Hague. 55 According to one of his descendants—a partial, though not therefore necessarily inaccurate, source—Alexander was a pious but un-dogmatic public servant, who “understood fundamentally the limitations of our system of government, and likewise the difficulties involved in reforming it.” 56                                                          54 Alexander van der Capellen, Gedenkschriften van Jonkheer Alexander van der Capellen, Heere van Aartsbergen, Boedelhoff, en Mervelt, ed. Robert Jasper van der Capellen (Utrecht: J. v. Schoonhoven en Comp., 1777), xxxiii; Molhuysen, Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek, 569–570. Vol. 1. 55 Van Nierop, Van Ridders tot Regenten: De Hollandse Adel in de Zestiende en de Eerste Helft van de Zeventiende Eeuw, 151. 56 Van der Capellen, Gedenkschriften van Jonkheer Alexander van der Capellen, Heere van Aartsbergen, Boedelhoff, en Mervelt, xlii. “De gebreken van ons Staatsbestuur kende hij grondig; doch hij wist te gelijk, hoe moeielijk het zij, dezelven te verbeteren.”   150
Page 1 and 2:
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
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The group consisted of Henderick Sc
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XIX. Each chamber selected delegate
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Inden naeme den heeren amen Saturn.
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Middelburg’s decidedly incestuous
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Illustration 6. Portrait of Johanne
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crucial role that he played in its
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When the meeting resumed on Monday
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and to steer the discussion towards
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were chosen from among the ranks of
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emphasized the considerable sums in
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4. Johannes de Laet as “Informati
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devote myself to my books.” 129 A
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interests were adequately represent
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De Laet's substantive work in the A
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that, even at the beginning, De Lae
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De Laet’s presence at the meeting
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confessions under interrogation and
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Brazil this meant the Heren XIX, wh
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Illustration 7. Portrait of Willem
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peaceful settlement along the fring
Page 109 and 110: By analyzing the successive changes
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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 and 120: placed next to his description of t
Page 121 and 122: That these two provisions remained
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: (Receiver General) of the United Pr
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
Page 171 and 172: On June 22, 1645—just a week befo
Page 173 and 174: 5. Wolter Schonenborch and the Ritu
Page 175 and 176: with the WIC presumably did not go
Page 177 and 178: Haecx recorded in his diary that on
Page 179 and 180: wavered, for De Laet, who was many
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Page 183 and 184: 1. Introduction Chapter Five Free T
Page 185 and 186: left relatively open. 6 Where monop
Page 187 and 188: community saw greater profits in pr
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Page 191 and 192: trouble paying its bills, especiall
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Page 197 and 198: With the verhoging stalled, and ani
Page 199 and 200: e handled without gloves.” 55 In
Page 201 and 202: “walking the land half-naked” f
Page 203 and 204: While the resolution as a whole sho
Page 205 and 206: along with the two powerful Amsterd
Page 207 and 208: Cornelis Melijn, of a patroonschap
Page 209 and 210: 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
Page 291 and 292:
Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Na
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1624-1654, edited by Marianne L. Wi
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