Compagnie van Verre facts for kids

The Compagnie van Verre (which means "long-distance company") was an important company in the Netherlands a long time ago. It was one of the first companies that later joined together to form the famous Dutch East India Company, also known as the VOC. This company played a big part in Dutch history and trade.

Why Was the Compagnie van Verre Started?

In 1594, nine people from Amsterdam decided to create the Compagnie van Verre. Their main goal was to break Portugal's control over the valuable pepper trade. At that time, Portugal had a "monopoly," meaning they were the only ones allowed to trade pepper from certain parts of the world. This made pepper very expensive.

The First Big Voyage (Eerste Schipvaart)

To challenge Portugal, the company sent a group of ships on a long journey. This trip was called the Eerste Schipvaart (which means "First Voyage"). They sent three strong ships and a smaller boat called a pinnace. Cornelis de Houtman led this expedition. His brother, Frederik, also worked for the company.

The ships left Texel on April 2, 1595. There were 248 officers and sailors on board. They followed maps and routes described by Jan Huygen van Linschoten. He had traveled these routes before, working for the Portuguese.

Reaching the Spice Islands

On June 6, 1596, the ships finally reached Bantam. Bantam was the most important port for pepper on the island of Java. This was a big step for the Dutch.

During the journey back home, one of the ships, the Amsterdam, was badly damaged. This happened on January 11, 1597. They had to leave the ship behind at the island of Bawean.

The expedition returned to Amsterdam on August 14, 1597. Only 87 people out of the original 248 survived the long and difficult trip.

What Was the Outcome of the Voyage?

From a business point of view, the voyage was not a huge success. They did not make a lot of money. However, it was very important for another reason. The trip proved that the Dutch could also sail to Asia and trade for pepper. They showed that Portugal was not the only country that could do this. This opened the door for more Dutch trading voyages.

Joining Forces: The Path to the VOC

After this first voyage, the Compagnie van Verre started to join with other companies. In 1598, it merged with the Nieuwe Compagnie. Then, in 1597, it joined with the Oude Compagnie.

These mergers continued. In 1601, the combined company merged with the Nieuwe Brabantsche Compagnie. This created the Verenigde Amsterdamse Compagnie.

Finally, in 1602, this large company joined with many others. One of these was the Verenigde Zeeuwse Compagnie. All these companies came together to form one very powerful company: the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The Compagnie van Verre kept a special place within the VOC's offices in Amsterdam.