📅 21 December 1678
Johannes Heijnsius arrives to take up the governorship. He sends patrols to search for the fighters, but they return without finding them. The occupying government tries to regain the initiative,...
📅 24 March 1679
Heijnsius reports serious divisions among the European settlers: some oppose him, refuse to pay taxes or consider leaving the colony. The war exposes the fragility of colonial rule; resistance...
📅 3 April 1679
The colonial militia begins building a fort at Graskreek on an abandoned plantation. The defensive post is meant to protect plantations along the Commewijne. Its construction shows how the occupiers...
📅 30 May 1679
Heijnsius reports that attacks continue, sugar production has almost stopped and many enslaved Africans are fleeing plantations. Their departure undermines the forced labour on which the colony...
📅 18 August 1679
Heijnsius writes that Indigenous attacks are increasing and that many Africans are fleeing plantations. Together, Indigenous military pressure and African marronage weaken the plantation colony’s...
📅 1 January 1680
Heijnsius estimates that hundreds of enslaved Africans have escaped, possibly about a quarter of the population held on plantations. This is a colonial estimate, not a complete count. Mass marronage...
📅 30 January 1680
Isaac Meza asks permission to take the remaining enslaved people and goods to Barbados. He says many people have been seized or have gone over to the Indigenous enemy. The letter shows Africans...
📅 21 April 1680
Governor Heijnsius dies. His death comes as the occupation is under pressure and colonial authorities are trying to restore military control. The struggle does not end with one governor: resistance...
