7 - Naval Forces, Fortifications and Firepower

Summary

To conquer and defend its colonial empire the voc had a complex military infrastructure and a wide range of materiel. Some things, such as fortresses and firearms, were essentially military in character; others, such as shipyards and armed merchantmen, combined the military with the mercantile. This chapter deals with the military infrastructure and equipment of the voc. Its naval forces were, of course, the key element in the Company's arsenal. Yet from the very beginning it was clear that fortifications were indispensable as bases for its forces and bastions during land battles. As the voc became increasingly territorial in the seventeenth century, so the importance of a well-equipped army that could undertake large-scale expeditions grew. What was the relationship between the voc's naval power, its system of fortifications and its arsenal, and the military developments outlined in the previous chapters?

In the early years the voc's main competitors were European, the Portuguese in particular. As we have seen, though they shared the same military tradition they could not match the Dutch in troop numbers or maritime power. By the second half of the seventeenth century, however, many of the Company's enemies were Asian. In what ways did the voc adapt its military resources to deal with these new adversaries? Was its military advantage over local societies primarily technological, or was there more to it? And was the Company able to withstand Asian opponents who were increasingly adopting European equipment and European-style warfare? We also look at the Dutch response in terms of its materiel when at the end of the eighteenth century the main threat to the voc came once again from an European rival, this time the British. Finally, we examine the costs of the voc's military apparatus.

Ships Built in the Dutch Republic

As we have seen in the previous chapters, when the voc was founded it was with a dual purpose, namely to undertake both trade and warfare. Naturally that affected the type of ships it built. The space required was determined by the cargo to be carried. On the outward journey that was mostly people — sailors and soldiers primarily — with provisions for the voyage and the items that were necessary for operating overseas, including equipment and weaponry.