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Voorcompagnie facts for kids

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De terugkomst in Amsterdam van de tweede expeditie naar Oost-Indië, Hendrik Cornelisz Vroom, 1599, Rijksmuseum SK-A-2858
Return of the second Asia expedition of Jacob van Neck in 1599, by Cornelis Vroom (around 1591-1661)

A voorcompagnie (say: "for-kom-pan-YEE") was a special type of trading company in the Netherlands a long time ago. These companies traded with Asia between 1594 and 1602. They existed before a much bigger company, the Dutch East India Company (VOC), was formed.

These early companies were started by rich merchants from the northern parts of the Netherlands. They also got money from wealthy people who had moved from the southern Netherlands. There was a lot of competition between these small companies. They were all trying to get the best deals and make the most money. This competition was so strong that the government stepped in. They made the smaller companies join together. This is how the powerful Dutch East India Company was created. This new, bigger company then got special rights to trade with Asia for 21 years.

History of Early Trading Companies

In the seven years before the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was officially started, twelve different "voorcompagnieën" were formed. These companies were all trying to sail to Asia to buy valuable goods like spices.

The competition between them was very intense. One historian, Jaap ter Haar, said they were "sailing the coins out of each other's pockets." This means they were competing so fiercely that they were losing money because of each other.

Here are the names of these twelve early trading companies:

  • Compagnie van Verre (Company of Far Away)
  • Nieuwe or Tweede Compagnie (New or Second Company)
  • Oude Compagnie (Old Company)
  • (Nieuwe) Brabantse Compagnie (Company from Brabant)
  • Verenigde Amsterdamse Compagnie (United Company of Amsterdam)
  • Magelhaense Compagnie (Company of Magellan)
  • Rotterdamse Compagnie (Company of Rotterdam)
  • Compagnie van De Moucheron (Company of De Moucheron)
  • Delftse Vennootschap (Delft Partnership)
  • Veerse Compagnie (Company of Veere)
  • Middelburgse Compagnie (Company of Middelburg)
  • Verenigde Zeeuwse Compagnie (United Company of Zeeland)

Between 1594 and 1601, these companies sent out a total of fifteen expeditions to Asia. There were also three other expeditions that tried to go via the North Cape (Norway), but they faced many problems.

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