Dutch Empire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dutch Empire
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An anachronous map of the Dutch colonial Empire. Light green: territories administered by or originating from territories administered by the Dutch East India Company; dark green the Dutch West India Company.
Countries today
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The Dutch Empire was a collection of lands controlled by the Dutch Republic. This republic was also known as the United Provinces. Like Portugal and Spain, the Dutch created their own colonial empire. This meant they took control of lands far away from their home country.
The Dutch were very good at shipping and trading. They used these skills to build their empire. At the same time, they were fighting to be independent from Spain. Along with the British, the Dutch were among the first to build colonies. These colonies were often run by large trading companies. The most famous were the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company.
Brave explorers like Willem Barents, Henry Hudson, and Abel Tasman went on many voyages. They discovered new places around the world for Europeans.
The Dutch navy grew very strong. Because of this, the Netherlands became a leading power in global trade. This happened in the second half of the 17th century. This time is known as the Dutch Golden Age. However, the Netherlands later lost many of its colonies and its global power to the British. This happened when French armies took over the Netherlands during the French Revolutionary Wars.
The remaining parts of the Dutch Empire, like the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), stayed under Dutch control. This lasted until after World War II. After the war, many European colonies gained their independence.
Today, the Netherlands is part of a group of countries called the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This kingdom includes the Netherlands itself, plus Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten.
Images for kids
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The formal declaration of independence of the Dutch provinces from the Spanish king, Philip II
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São Luís, Maranhão, Dutch Brazil
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Olinda, Pernambuco, Dutch Brazil
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The Portuguese victory at the Battle of Guararapes, ended Dutch presence in Brazil.
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Primary Dutch and Portuguese settlements in Asia, c. 1665. With the exception of Jakarta and Deshima, all had been captured by the Dutch East India Company from Portugal.
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Overview of Fort Zeelandia on the island of Formosa, 17th century
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Batavia, built in what is now Jakarta, 1682
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Dutch conquests in the West Indies and Brazil
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Reprint of a 1650 map of New Netherland
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View of Table Bay with ships of the Dutch East India Company, c. 1683
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Dejima trading post in Japan, c. 1805
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Expansion of the Dutch East Indies in the Indonesian Archipelago
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Map of the Dutch colonial possessions around 1840. Included are the Dutch East Indies, Curaçao and Dependencies, Suriname, and the Dutch Gold Coast.
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Sukarno, leader of the Indonesian independence movement
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Dutch colonists in Suriname, 1920. Most Europeans left after independence in 1975.
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Contemporary countries and federated states which were significantly colonised by the Dutch. In the Netherlands, these countries are sometimes known as verwantschapslanden (kindred countries).
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Boer Voortrekkers in South Africa
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Dutch family in Java, 1902
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New Amsterdam as it appeared in 1664. Under British rule it became known as New York.
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The Stadhuis of Batavia, said to be modelled after the Dam Palace itself.
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Christian cross, altar, pulpit, and organ in the Dutch Reformed Church in Vosburg, South Africa.
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Dutch plantation in Mughal Bengal, 1665
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The Dutch Empire in 1630
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The Dutch Empire in 1650
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The Dutch Empire in 1674
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The Dutch Empire in 1700
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The Dutch Empire in 1750
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The Dutch Empire in 1795
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The Dutch Empire in 1830
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The Dutch Empire prior to World War II
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The Dutch Empire in 1960
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The Dutch Empire in 1975
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See also
In Spanish: Imperio neerlandés para niños
