The Dutch East India Company at the Dawn of Modern Capitalism: “Civilized Dispossession” on the Banda Islands
On 15 March 1599, the people of Banda Island (Banda Lonthoir), in what is now eastern Indonesia (see Figure 1), beheld a foreign ship with an unknown flag. It turned out to be the Geldria, commanded by Dutch Admiral Jacob van Heemskerk, spearheading a Dutch merchant fleet. About two decades later, a violent and repressive attack… Read More »
