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

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

3. The Caribbean

4. Sierra de Santa Marta, Colombia

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. The Eighty Years’ War
Before the war Holland consisted of a confederation of 17 small provinces
War lasted
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

10. 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

11. 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 ( ) they had small outposts all over the world

12. Some Former Dutch Colonies
New Amsterdam ( )
Ceylon
South Africa
Indonesia
Surinam (Dutch Guiana)

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

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

15. Netherlands Antilles

16. 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

17. Aruba Bonaire Curacao

18. Oranjestad, Aruba

19. Oranjestad, Aruba

20. Natural Bridge, Aruba

21. Bonaire

22. Bonaire

23. Curacao

24. Willemstad, Curacao

25. Sint Maarten

26. Philipsburg, Sint Maartin

27. Philipsburg, Sint Maartin

28. Share Nice

29. 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

30. 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

31. Sint Eustatius

32. Fort Oranje

33. 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

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