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<v Speaker 1>Hello and Welcome to Western CIV. Episode four hundred and fifty.

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<v Speaker 1>Dutch colonization. In fourteen ninety two, when Columbus famously crossed

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<v Speaker 1>the Atlantic under the Spanish flag, the Dutch were also

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<v Speaker 1>under the Spanish flag because they were under Habsburg rule

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<v Speaker 1>is part of the Spanish Empire. The seventeen provinces of

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<v Speaker 1>the Low Countries, which is modern day Netherlands, Belgium and

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<v Speaker 1>Luxembourg were an important commercial and industrial hub in Europe.

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<v Speaker 1>They hadn't yet emerged as a global maritime power. By

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<v Speaker 1>the mid sixteenth century, things began to change. The Protestant

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<v Speaker 1>Reformation and the growing resentment against Spanish rule set the

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<v Speaker 1>stage for conflict the Eighty Years War, which lasted from

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen sixty eight and sixteen forty eighth. The Chief and

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<v Speaker 1>I talked about on again and off again throughout the

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<v Speaker 1>last year or so of this show was a struggle

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<v Speaker 1>from independence, but it wasn't just a land war. In fact, critically,

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<v Speaker 1>it pushed the Dutch to the seas. There, the maritime

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<v Speaker 1>world that they found became both a battleground and an

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<v Speaker 1>economic opportunity. Now the Dutch, of course, were natural seafarers,

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<v Speaker 1>their geography low lying, criss crossed by rivers, and facing

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<v Speaker 1>the North Sea made them adept at water management and navigation.

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<v Speaker 1>Their ports, especially Amsterdam, were bustling with trade. When war

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<v Speaker 1>with Spain broke out, Dutch merchants and privateers that's basically

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<v Speaker 1>government sanctioned pirates, started to challenge Iberian dominance on the seas.

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<v Speaker 1>Spain and Portugal had divided the non European world between themselves,

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<v Speaker 1>as we know with the Treaty of Tortoisis in fourteen

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<v Speaker 1>ninety four, but the other European powers, the English, the French,

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<v Speaker 1>and the Dutch, did not recognize this division. So instead

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<v Speaker 1>the Dutch started building a powerful merchant fleet and began

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<v Speaker 1>targeting Spanish and Portuguese holdings and trade routes. Now, several

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<v Speaker 1>technological innovations were crucial to the Dutch maritime expansion. The

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<v Speaker 1>first was the development of the flute ship. The Dutch

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<v Speaker 1>developed the flute, a type of ship that was lighter, faster,

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<v Speaker 1>and more cost efficient than anything else at the time.

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<v Speaker 1>It had a narrow deck, which reduced toll fees at

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<v Speaker 1>foreign ports because generally it was by measurement, and a

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<v Speaker 1>large cargo hold, maximizing the volume of goods transported. The

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<v Speaker 1>flute's efficient design required a smaller crew, lowering operational costs

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<v Speaker 1>and making Dutch trade highly competitive. The Dutch were also

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<v Speaker 1>leaders in cartography, map making, and navigation. The creation of

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<v Speaker 1>highly accurate nautical charts and sea atlases by map makers

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<v Speaker 1>like William Blau allowed for safer and more efficient voyages.

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<v Speaker 1>Dutch sailors also adopted and refined navigational instruments like the

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<v Speaker 1>astrolab and cross staff, enhancing their ability to navigate long distances.

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<v Speaker 1>There were also innovations in ship building. Dutch shipyards were

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<v Speaker 1>at the forefront of shipbuilding techniques. They used standardized mass

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<v Speaker 1>production methods that reduced costs and increased speed of ship construction.

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<v Speaker 1>The use of wind powered sawmills, pioneered by Cornelius Cornelia

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<v Speaker 1>Zun awesome name by the way, revolutionized the timber industry,

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<v Speaker 1>providing a steady supply of materials for shipbuilding. Finally, there

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<v Speaker 1>were financial innovations. The establishment of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange

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<v Speaker 1>in sixteen oh two and the creation of joint stock

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<v Speaker 1>companies like the Dutch East India Company which is I

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<v Speaker 1>usually referred to actually by a different name on it

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<v Speaker 1>to that minute, allowed for the pooling of resources and

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<v Speaker 1>the spread of risk. This financial infrastructure provided the capital

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<v Speaker 1>necessary for large scale maritime ventures and encouraged investment in

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<v Speaker 1>overseas trade. And of course, the Dutch fleet was equipped

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<v Speaker 1>with naval artillery. These well armships had an edge in

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<v Speaker 1>military conflicts, and the Dutch, because of the protracted conflict

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<v Speaker 1>with the Spanish, were experts in fortification design. They could

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<v Speaker 1>build robust trading posts and forts which helped to secure

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<v Speaker 1>their overseas territory. But as I talked about a moment ago,

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<v Speaker 1>the key innovation was the establishment of the Dutch East

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<v Speaker 1>India Company, and we'll turn to that right after this.

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<v Speaker 1>In sixteen oh two, the Dutch established the and here

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<v Speaker 1>we go on this one beringi osti Douche Company, the VOC,

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<v Speaker 1>which thankfully from here on out I'm going to refer

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<v Speaker 1>to as the Dutch East India Company. This was truly

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<v Speaker 1>a game changer. The Dutch East India Company was the

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<v Speaker 1>world's first multinational corporation and the first ever to issue stock.

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<v Speaker 1>It had quasi governmental powers. It could wage war, negotiate treaties,

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<v Speaker 1>and establish colonies. Now, the Dutch East India Company's primary

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<v Speaker 1>target were the Spice Islands modern day Maluca Islands in Indonesia.

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<v Speaker 1>That was where there were cloves, nutmeg, mace, which are

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<v Speaker 1>all worth their weight in gold. The Portuguese had a

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<v Speaker 1>foothold there, but the Dutch, with superior naval power and

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<v Speaker 1>ruthless tactics, began to push them out. By the early

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<v Speaker 1>seventeenth century, the Dutch controlled the key parts of the

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<v Speaker 1>Indonesian archipelago, including Batavia, which is modern day Jakarta, which

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<v Speaker 1>became their administrative center in Asia. While the Dutch East

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<v Speaker 1>India Company focused on Asia, the Dutch also set their

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<v Speaker 1>sights on the Americas and Africa. In sixteen twenty one,

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<v Speaker 1>they founded the West Kidish Companae or the Dutch West

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<v Speaker 1>India Company. Its goals were threefold, weaken Spanish and Portuguese

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<v Speaker 1>control in the Atlantic, create lucrative trade routes, and established colonies.

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<v Speaker 1>The Dutch West India Company was active in the Caribbean,

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<v Speaker 1>the coast of West Africa, and the Americas. It played

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<v Speaker 1>a key role in the Atlantic slave trade, transporting enslaved

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<v Speaker 1>Africans to work on sugar plantations in the Caribbean and

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<v Speaker 1>South America. One of the Dutch West India company's most

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<v Speaker 1>daring feats was the capture of the Spanish treasure fleet

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<v Speaker 1>off Cuba in sixteen twenty eight by Admiral peihein a

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<v Speaker 1>major blow to Spain's finances. But the Dutch weren't just raiders.

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<v Speaker 1>They were colonizers too. Some of the key footholds they

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<v Speaker 1>established included New Netherland. In sixteen twenty four, the Dutch

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<v Speaker 1>established a colony along the Hudson River in North America,

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<v Speaker 1>stretching from modern day Albany to the tip of Manhattan.

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<v Speaker 1>The settlement at the southern tip of Manhattan Island became

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<v Speaker 1>New Amsterdam, which of course is later going to become

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<v Speaker 1>New York City. New Netherland was a strategic and commercial

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<v Speaker 1>outpost focused on the fur trade with Native American tribes

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<v Speaker 1>like the Iroquois Confederation. The colony attracted a diverse population,

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<v Speaker 1>including Dutch, Walloon, German, Scandinavian, and even Jewish settlers, fostering

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<v Speaker 1>an early spirit of cosmopolitanism. The purchase of Manhattan from

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<v Speaker 1>the local Laponte people in sixteen twenty six, famously for

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<v Speaker 1>Goodsworth about sixty guilders, remains one of the most iconic,

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<v Speaker 1>though and mythologized moments in colonial history. There was also

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<v Speaker 1>Dutch Brazil. The West India Company captured a large swath

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<v Speaker 1>of northeastern Brazil from the Portuguese, focusing on the sugar

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<v Speaker 1>prediction region of Pertumbuco. The Dutch established their capital in

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<v Speaker 1>Recife under the leadership of John Maurice of Massau. Dutch

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<v Speaker 1>Brazil became a center not just for sugar plantation, but

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<v Speaker 1>for scientific exploration and cultural exchange, attracting artists, cartographers, and

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<v Speaker 1>naturalists who documented the region. However, resistance from Portuguese settlers

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<v Speaker 1>and enslaved Africans, alongside support from the Portuguese crown, eventually

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<v Speaker 1>led to the Portuguese reconquest of Brazil in sixteen fifty four.

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<v Speaker 1>The Dutch were more successful in the Caribbean. The Dutch

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<v Speaker 1>captured several islands there, including Kurracao, Aruba, bon Air, St. Stavis, Seba,

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<v Speaker 1>Saint Martin. Kirk how became a significant hub for the

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<v Speaker 1>Atlantic slave trade and a center of commerce due to

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<v Speaker 1>its deep harbor and strategic location. Saint Eustacius gained fame

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<v Speaker 1>as the quote unquote Golden Rock due to its thriving

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<v Speaker 1>trade economy and played a critical role in supplying goods

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<v Speaker 1>and arms during conflicts, such as later on the American Revolution.

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<v Speaker 1>Then there was Surrenam and Guana. Though initially settled by

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<v Speaker 1>the English, the Dutch seized Surrenam in sixteen sixty six

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<v Speaker 1>under the Treaty of Breda, trading their claim to New

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<v Speaker 1>Netherland New York for control over the South American territory.

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<v Speaker 1>Surrenam became a significant plantation colony, reliant on African labor

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<v Speaker 1>for sugar, coffee, and cotton production. Then, of course, there

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<v Speaker 1>was West Africa. The Dutch took over Portuguese forts along

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<v Speaker 1>the Gold Coast which is modern day Ghana, in sixteen

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<v Speaker 1>thirty seven, establishing a dominant role in the Transatlantic slave trade.

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<v Speaker 1>These forts served as key points for the export of

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<v Speaker 1>exslaved Africans to Dutch colonies in the Americas and Caribbean.

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<v Speaker 1>By the mid seventeenth century, the Dutch had succeeded in

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<v Speaker 1>carving out a global maritime empire. The Peace of Westphalia

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<v Speaker 1>in sixteen forty eight formally recognized Dutch independence from Spain,

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<v Speaker 1>and the Netherlands entered its Golden Age. Amsterdam became a

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<v Speaker 1>center of Europe, especially financially. Dutch art, science, and culture flourished. However,

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<v Speaker 1>it wasn't going to last forever. As we will find out,

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<v Speaker 1>the English and French were rising maritime powers, and the

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<v Speaker 1>Dutch would soon find themselves in a series of naval conflicts,

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<v Speaker 1>especially with England in the Anglo Dutch Wars. That, however,

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<v Speaker 1>is a story for another day. Next week we begin

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<v Speaker 1>the long and detailed story arc on Jamestown. I hope

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<v Speaker 1>you're excited, because this one has been fun.