Historical Organization
Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie
Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie
Also known as: VOC
Details
Organization Timeline
The States General grants the VOC its charter
đź“… 20 March 1602The States General merged competing Dutch pre-companies into the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) and gave it a monopoly over Dutch trade in a vast area between the Cape of Good Hope and the...
Coen calls for forces to break Bandanese resistance
📅 29 September 1618VOC Governor-General Jan Pieterszoon Coen appealed to the company’s directors for more soldiers, ships, and money to confront Bandanese resistance and English competition. The appeal shows how the...
The VOC conquers Jayakarta
đź“… 30 May 1619VOC forces captured the Javanese port town of Jayakarta. The company destroyed much of the settlement and built its fortified administrative centre there, later called Batavia (today Jakarta). This...
Coen proposes to subjugate and repopulate Banda
📅 26 October 1620In a letter to the VOC directors, Coen argued that Banda should be subjugated and repopulated to secure the company’s nutmeg monopoly. The proposal made the colonial aim explicit: displace the...
Coen’s invasion fleet arrives at Fort Nassau
📅 21 February 1621A large VOC fleet led by Coen arrived at Fort Nassau with European troops and Asian auxiliaries. The expedition was organized to defeat Bandanese opposition and enforce the company’s spice monopoly....
Bandanese defenders repel a VOC landing party
đź“… 7 March 1621A Dutch reconnaissance and landing party attempting to find a beachhead on Lontor came under fire and was pushed back. The defense demonstrates that Bandanese communities were active military...
The VOC launches its main offensive on Lontor
📅 11 March 1621Coen ordered a coordinated assault on several positions on Lontor. VOC troops captured strategic locations, driving defenders and residents toward the island’s interior. The campaign targeted the...
VOC forces occupy Lontor’s coastal settlements
đź“… 12 March 1621By the end of the assault, VOC forces held key lowland and coastal areas while Bandanese people retreated to the hills. Occupation did not end resistance. The seizure enabled the VOC to destroy...
Bandanese leaders are arrested and interrogated
đź“… 21 April 1621VOC authorities arrested Bandanese orang kaya (community leaders) and used torture during interrogations about an alleged conspiracy. The proceedings supplied a justification for executions and...
The VOC executes Bandanese leaders
đź“… 8 May 1621VOC officials executed dozens of Bandanese orang kaya after coercive interrogations and a summary proceeding. Scholarly accounts commonly identify 44 people, while figures and descriptions vary across...