The Dutch in the Caribbean A Touch of Holland The Dutch in the Caribbean Steven Dutch University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

And the Answer Is.... No, I’m not. My surname has nothing to do with Holland

The Caribbean

Sierra de Santa Marta, Colombia

Family Affair Hapsburg dynasty originated in Switzerland in the 12th century By 1300 their holdings stretched across southern Germany to Austria In 1477, Archduke Maximilian I married Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, and acquired control of the Low Countries

Holland and Spain In 1496 Phillip the Fair married the heiress of most of Spain Never intended as a takeover but all other successors died Philip died in 1506 and his son became Charles V of Spain Hapsburgs control Central Europe, Spain and Holland

Holland and Spain In 1521 the dynasty split The Spanish branch got Spain, much of Italy, and Holland What else happened in 1521? Uneasy relations until King Philip II tightened screws in 1560’s Calvinists revolt 1566

Act of Abjuration, 1581 And particularly when this is done deliberately, unauthorized by the states, they may not only disallow his authority, but legally proceed to the choice of another prince for their defense. This is the only method left for subjects whose humble petitions and remonstrances could never soften their prince or dissuade him from his tyrannical proceedings; and this is what the law of nature dictates for the defense of liberty, which we ought to transmit to posterity, even at the hazard of our lives.

The Eighty Years’ War Before the war Holland consisted of a confederation of 17 small provinces War lasted 1568-1648 Many dispossessed nobles took to sea as privateers (Sea Beggars) Sea Beggars captured one port in 1572 and began expanding to form the eventual Dutch Republic

A Small World War While the war at home dragged on, Holland harassed Spain overseas through proxies Dutch West India Company Dutch East India Company Privateers and pirates Holland smashed Spanish fleet at the Battle of the Downs in 1639 and briefly became a superpower

Traders, not Rulers The Dutch were mostly interested in ports and strongholds, not territory Didn’t have the manpower or wealth to conquer large holdings During the Golden Age of Holland (1640-1700) they had small outposts all over the world

Some Former Dutch Colonies New Amsterdam (1625-1664) Ceylon South Africa Indonesia Surinam (Dutch Guiana)

Empire Without a Country During the Napoleonic Wars (1795-1815), the Netherlands were occupied by France Much of Holland’s colonial empire was lost Portions were restored after 1815, but not all

Holland in the Caribbean Aruba Bonaire Curacao Sint Maarten Saba Saint Eustatius

Netherlands Antilles

The ABC’s Discovered by Amerigo Vespucci 1499 Ruled by Spain for a century Dutch since 1636 Occupied by Britain during Napoleonic Wars British and U.S. Protectorate during World War II Languages: Dutch, Papamientu, English

Aruba Bonaire Curacao

Oranjestad, Aruba

Oranjestad, Aruba

Natural Bridge, Aruba

Bonaire

Bonaire

Curacao

Willemstad, Curacao

Sint Maarten

Philipsburg, Sint Maartin

Philipsburg, Sint Maartin

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Sint Eustatius Discovered by Columbus, 1493 Changed hands many times over the next 150 years Taken by the Dutch in 1636 Became the arms bazaar of the Caribbean Rendered first salute to an American ship, November 16, 1776

Don’t Mess With Britain Lord Stormont in Parliament, 1778: ”If Sint Eustatius had sunk into the sea three years before, the United Kingdom would already have dealt with George Washington” Fourth Anglo-Dutch War Occupied by Britain, 1781, France 1782, returned to Holland 1784

Sint Eustatius

Fort Oranje

Saba Pirate haven in 1600’s Now emerging as a top scuba destination Edwin J. Hill forged a birth certificate to enter the U.S. Navy, won posthumous Medal of Honor for heroism at Pearl Harbor

Mount Scenery (877m) is the highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands