Since the middle of the 6th century, the Dutch had been making sustained attempts to find out a route to India and the East. As early as in 1565 they opened up by trade with Russia and begun to explore towards China. In 1593, under William Barents, they made their first determined effort to reach Asia by the Northeast Passage.

The first Dutch expedition to successfully reach the East Indies was of Cornelius Houtman in 1596. He concluded a treaty with the ruler of Java and opened up the Spice Archipelago to Holland. He was greatly impressed by Huyghen Van Linschoten who had come to Goa and on his return to Holland published a book dealing with the sea-routes to the East.

Linschoten’s book, published in 1596, produced a great sensation in Western Europe. It was translated into several European languages. He was Holland’s pioneer of the discovery of commercial possibilities in India and the East. Numerous others, fitted out by the Dutch, followed the expedition of Cornelius Houtman. Houtman himself undertook a second expedition to India. Between 1595 and 1601, as many as fifteen voyages had been made by the Dutch to the East. The Dutch clearly felt the need to stop the private voyages and display a united front.

By 1596, the Dutch navigators had rounded the Cape of Good Hope and reached Sumatra and Bantam. In 1602, for carrying on trade with India, the Dutch States General (Parliament) sanctioned the formation of the United East India Company. The Dutch challenged the long-established Portuguese power as well as the English who came to India almost simultaneously to establish their hegemony.

In 1602 several companies formed an association within their different provinces into one huge association. Thus, ‘The Dutch United East India Company was formed.

It was granted an exclusive right to trade with India and the East Indies for 21 years. It was given ample powers of attack and conquest the state. Being a national undertaking, it constituted a national force. Right from the early years of its trade, the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) was determined to establish and defend an exclusive trade in superior spices and pepper.

The Dutch soon monopolized the entire ‘spice’ trade to Europe. At the same time, they enjoyed a huge coasting trade with the ports on the Indian and East African coasts. The Dutch reaped large revenue from their tolls and customs.

They followed a skilful administrative system in the islands, which preserved their commercial monopoly. They suppressed the local inhabitants at the same time enjoyed enthusiastic national support. These things enabled the Dutch to realize their dream of commercial monopoly.

Dutch Settlements in India

The Dutch settlements in India were all unfortified trading posts, except for the fort of Geldria at Pulicat. What took them to India in the first instance was the requirement of the archipelago than of the European market. It was a distinctly subsidiary interest.

The spices of the archipelago were exchanged for cotton from Gujarat and the Coromandel Coast. Admiral Van der Haghen opened up trade with the Coromandel Coast. He planned to set up a permanent factory at Masulipatam. Another factory was founded at Pettapoli (Nizampatam).

The oppressions of the local governors were heavy. There was little relief even after a mission to the Sultan of Govalconda secured Farmans fixing the duty levied at 4 %. Soon another factory was founded at Devanampatnam (Tegnapatam). Later, it became famous as Fort St. David, under English occupation.

A treaty guaranteeing a limited levy on goods was obtained from the representative of Krishnappa, nayaka of Gingee. He permitted the Dutch to rebuild an old fort at Devanampatnam and a factory at Tirupapuliyur.

In 1610, after the negotiations with the king of Chandragiri, the Dutch were permitted to found another factory at Pulicat. Portuguese opposition persisted for some years. They attacked on Pulicat (June1612) from their base at San Thome. The factory, after being rebuilt was named Fort Geldria. Geldria was threatened soon after its foundation by a prospective attack by a Portuguese fleet the plan did not materialize. Pulicat continued to serve as a place of refuge for the neighbourhood.

Textiles sent from Bantam and Batavia constituted the chief export of the Coromandel ports. Indigo was exported from Masulipatam. Rice, diamonds and slaves for Batavia were also exported. Apart from spices, the chief articles of import to the Coromandel were sandalwood and pepper from the archipelago, copper from Japan, textiles from China. The spices of the archipelago were exchanged for cotton from Gujarath and the Coromandel Coast.

In 1617 the directorate of the Coromandel Coast raised to the dignity of a ‘government’. The chief of Pulicat became the governor and extraordinary councilor of the Indies. Negapatam acquired from the Portuguese in 1659, superseded Pulicat as the seat of the governor and as the strategic centre of the Coromandel in 1689. It was equipped with a strong castle.

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A factory started at Porto Novo in 1680 was a prosperous centre of cotton weaving. Sadraspatam was noted for the special excellence of its textiles. Devanampatanam and Masulipatam were very busy ports. The chief of the factory at Govalkonda, Nagalwanche and Palakollu were noted for indigo and dyeing. There were also factories at Draksharam and at Bimilipatam further north.

The factories were graded as merchants of different grades such. Two chiefs presided over each factory. The first one had to look after the general supervision and the second had to keep the trading accounts. Each one of the Dutch factories was more or less fortified.

Aurangzeb’s conquest of Govalkonda marked the decline of the Coromandel government. The factory at Nagalwanche was destroyed. The profits of trade fell down in two years and all other establishments worked at a considerable loss. Van Reede transferred the seat of the government to Negapatam.

On the Gujarth Coast a few attempts to explore commercial possibilities were made but in vain. Stimulated by the success of English efforts at Surat, the Dutch governor of Coromandel sent Van Ravesteyn to that port in 1615. In the following year Van Ravesteyn was left in charge of the Surat factory.

He contrived to secure from prince Khurram, a treaty of commerce. After two years of futile effort, Van den Broecke arrived at Surat in October 1620. He was appointed as a director both of Mocha and Surat.

Factories were organized at Broach, Bombay, Ahmedabad, Agra and Burhanpur. The indigo trade became as valuable at Surat and at Broach as cotton. The profits steadily mounted up in spite of occasional acts of extortion by the Mughal officials. The directorate of Surat proved to be one of the most profitable establishments of the Dutch Company.

In Bengal the Dutch first established a factory at Pipli, but soon abandoned it for Balasore. The Dutch constructed Fort Gustavo at Chinsura, which along with Baranagar, was held by them in perpetual fief from the Nawab of Bengal. Subsequently, they established factories at Qasim-bazar and Patna. The profits of the Bengal trade were great. The chief articles of export were cotton cloth, silk, saltpeter and opium, the last of which was consumed in Java and China and yielded enormous profits.

The Dutch in Malabar

The Malabar Coast was under effective Portuguese control. The pepper trade of Malabar was considered to be less valuable than the Coromandel cloth trade. Hence the Dutch ignored this coast. The only port belonging to them on his side was Vengurla, to the north of Goa.

In October 1661 Van Goens appeared with a large fleet off Quilon, and after taking it, sailed for Cranganore. Soon he occupied the island of Vypeen, to the north of the Cochin inlet. He built the fortress of New Orange (Niev Oranje). The operations against Cochin were complicated and difficult. When the situation began to go out of control, the siege was cleverly abandoned.

In November 1662, the Dutch, with a new fleet from Batavia, renewed their siege of Cochin. After the surrender of Cochin in January 1663, Van Goens completed the Dutch conquest of the Malabar Coast by the subjugation of Porakkad and reduction of Cannanore.

Cochin and Cannanore, the Portuguese pleaded, ought to be restored to them. They claimed that these places had been taken after the ratification of the Dutch-Portuguese treaty of August 1661. But the Dutch kept the places to themselves. The Portuguese were unable to recoup the cost of their conquest and fortification.

The Dutch factories on the Malabar Coast, including Vengurla, were under the Commander of Cochin. The Dutch failed in their main aim of securing a monopoly of pepper trade. Smuggling across the mountains and the competition of European rivals were serious obstacles in their way. Zamorin, an independent chief of Calicut proved frequently troublesome.

The Dutch instead of the spices, greatly promoted the export of textiles, which they considered more lucrative. Gradually the Indian textiles found wide acceptance. By the third quarter of the seventeenth century, the popularity of India textiles became sufficiently established. Other commodities exported by the Dutch were indigo, and Bengal raw silk.

The Dutch established their factories in several places such as- Pulicat, Surat, Bimlipatam, Chinsura, Baranagore, Cassimbazar, Balasore, Patna, Negapatam, and Cochin.

In the 17th century the position of the Dutch in India rested on the superiority of their naval power. They broke down the Portuguese monopoly by the open and persistent use of force. They captured their ships supplanting them as the actual rulers of one stronghold after another.

Against the English their naval power was far less effective. Over-centralization and corruption also weakened the Company’s administration. The contributions of Dutch writers to the knowledge and culture of this area is commendable.

The Dutch were very cruel towards their European rivals as well as the natives. Although they succeeded in destroying the Portuguese power, they were finally defeated by the English. In the 17th and 18th centuries there were several conflicts between the English and the Dutch.

In 1759, in the Battle of Biderra, the English gave a decisive blow to the Dutch. In 1781 the English occupied Negapatam and Trincomalee (Ceylon). During the Napoleonic Wars, the English occupied all the Dutch colonies, except for the Indonesian islands.