Siege of Fort Zeelandia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Fort Zeelandia(1661-1662) |
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 Fort Zeelandia, 17th century. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Koxinga's private army Koxinga's private fleet |
 Dutch East India Company |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Koxinga | Frederick Coyett |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 25,000 soldiers and sailors Hundreds of war vessels. |
Garrison: 1,200 unknown number of native allies and civilians Reinforcement: 10 ships, 700 sailors |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| unknown | 1,600 killed or diseased 2 ships sunk 3 vessels captured |
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The Siege of Fort Zeelandia was a big battle in Taiwan. It happened between 1661 and 1662. This battle was led by a general named Koxinga. He fought against the Dutch East India Company. The siege ended the Dutch control over Taiwan. After Koxinga won, he started a new kingdom called the Kingdom of Tungning. Many people say this war changed Taiwan's future for a very long time.
Contents
How the Siege Started
In 1659, Koxinga tried to take over Nanjing but failed. He was a leader who supported the Ming rulers. After his defeat, Koxinga needed a new home for his many soldiers.
A person named He Bin worked for the Dutch East India Company. He ran away to Koxinga's base in Xiamen. He Bin gave Koxinga a map of Taiwan. The Dutch had set up a trading post in Tayoan. This area had two forts.
The Dutch Forts
The main Dutch settlement was Fort Zeelandia. It was located at the entrance to the bay. The governor of Taiwan, Frederick Coyett, was at Fort Zeelandia. He had about 1,800 soldiers with him.
The second fort was Fort Provintia. It was also near the bay. Fort Provintia had about 500 soldiers.
The Siege of Fort Zeelandia
Koxinga's large fleet left Kinmen on March 23, 1661. His fleet had hundreds of ships. About 25,000 soldiers were on board. They arrived at Tayoan on April 2. Koxinga's ships found a shallow path the Dutch did not know about. They landed their troops at Luermen.
Capturing Fort Provintia
Koxinga's soldiers quickly surrounded Fort Provintia. The fort surrendered just two days later, on April 4.
Demanding Surrender
Three days after taking Fort Provintia, Koxinga's men surrounded Fort Zeelandia. They demanded that the Dutch surrender. Koxinga sent a Dutch priest, Anthonius Hambroek, to deliver the demand. However, Hambroek did not ask the Dutch to surrender. He was killed after he returned to Koxinga's camp.
First Attacks and Dutch Help
Koxinga's fleet used cannons to attack the fort. They tried to enter it, but many of Koxinga's soldiers died. So, Koxinga decided to wait outside the fort instead.
News of Koxinga's attack reached Jakarta on May 28. Jakarta was a main Dutch base. The Dutch sent 10 ships and 700 sailors to help Fort Zeelandia. These ships arrived on July 5. They had some small fights with Koxinga's fleet.
On July 23, the two sides fought a bigger battle. The Dutch ships tried to reach the fort. But they had to retreat. They lost two ships and three smaller vessels. About one hundred Dutch sailors were hurt or killed.
The Dutch tried to break the siege again in October. But Koxinga's army pushed them back. Koxinga learned that the soldiers inside the fort were losing hope. Some German soldiers even left the Dutch side. This made Koxinga decide to launch a big attack in December.
On January 12, 1662, Koxinga's fleet started firing cannons again. His ground forces prepared to storm the fort. The Dutch inside the fort were running out of supplies. No more help was coming. So, Governor Coyett raised a white flag, showing they would surrender. The surrender was completed on February 1. The Dutch East India Company left Taiwan on February 17.
After the Siege
After surrendering, Governor Coyett was put on trial. He was sent away to the Banda Islands. Later, his friends helped him, and he was forgiven. In 1675, he wrote a book called Neglected Formosa. In his book, he said that the Dutch company did not send him enough help.
The Dutch East India Company tried to get Taiwan back. They worked with the Qing Empire to fight Koxinga's fleet. But they were not successful.
Images for kids
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One of Koxinga's armored soldiers.
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A Ming junk, a type of Chinese ship, from 1637.
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A painting showing the surrender of Fort Zeelandia.
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Statues of Koxinga and a Dutch representative at Chihkan Tower. This is where Fort Provintia once stood.
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A painting of Fort Zeelandia in 1635. This painting is from The National Archives in The Hague, Netherlands.
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A picture titled "Antonius Hambroek, or the Siege of Formosa."
