St Eustatius gives a salute to an American ship

A colonial officer reported that the Aluku stronghold at Buku was protected by marshland and a concealed path. The fort’s location and defenses helped Maroon communities withstand VOC-style colonial...

A witness account records Baron’s raid on Poelwijk. Baron and Boni’s Aluku forces attacked plantations and freed enslaved people, undermining the labor regime and colonial authority. The account comes...

The Battle of Buku formed part of the Boni wars. Dutch forces eventually entered and destroyed the fortified settlement, but the Aluku had used its swamp setting and defenses to resist capture. This...

The Society of Suriname instructed Colonel Fourgeoud to protect the colony from Boni and Baron. The order expanded a militarized campaign against Aluku communities. Colonial authorities recruited free...

A record of an interrogation contains a statement attributed to Boni. The source was created by colonial officials after a person connected to Boni’s community was captured. It offers evidence of...

The declaration opened the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War and exposed the vulnerability of Dutch colonial trade and overseas settlements. Britain targeted Dutch shipping and possessions as part of a global...

Admiral Rodney’s forces captured the Dutch island and confiscated property and trade goods. The raid targeted a Caribbean entrepôt used by many nations, including suppliers to the American Revolution....

After a raid lasting several days, British privateers departed with Dutch merchant vessels from Demerara and Essequibo. British forces subsequently took control of the colonies. Enslaved Africans...

The preliminary Anglo-Dutch articles ended the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War. Dutch colonies and trading stations had been occupied during the conflict, and imperial powers negotiated their return and...

The treaty ended the American War of Independence and accompanied parallel settlements among European powers, including the Dutch Republic. Captured Dutch possessions in Asia and the Guianas were...