The Dutch East India Company, the VOC (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie ) was founded in 1602 and was the first company with permanent capital, tradable shares and limited liability. Its aim was to... Show moreThe Dutch East India Company, the VOC (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie ) was founded in 1602 and was the first company with permanent capital, tradable shares and limited liability. Its aim was to monopolise the trade in valuable spices as nutmeg, mace and cloves found only in a remote part of the Indonesian Archipelago. This trade had been in the hands of the Portuguese. The first major steps were taken by Jan Pieterszoon Coen (1587-1629) who founded Batavia on Java in 1619 and in 1621 seized the monopoly of nutmeg and mace in a merciless campaign in the Banda Archipelago. Antonio van Diemen (1593-1645) entered the service of the VOC under a false name after his bankruptcy as merchant in Amsterdam to escape his creditors. Under the protection of Coen, he quickly moved up the ranks. The tenure of Antonio van Diemen as governor-general (1636-1645) was decisive for the VOC. Before Van Diemen was appointed, the Company had been avoiding a direct confrontation with the Portuguese. In audacious campaigns the Portuguese were dealt a definitive defeat. It concluded the phase during which the Company established primacy over the sea trade in Asian waters. This state of affairs would continue until far into the eighteenth century. Show less
