The Dutch Empire consisted of the overseas territories, trading posts and colonies controlled by the Dutch Republic and later the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was built largely by two chartered companies, the Dutch East India Company and the West India Company, during the seventeenth-century Golden Age, and included Indonesia, Ceylon, parts of Brazil, New Netherland, Suriname and islands in the Caribbean. It was at its height a major force in global trade, especially in spices, sugar and the slave trade, a part of its history that caused immense suffering. The empire lost many holdings to Britain and Portugal over time, and Indonesia gained independence after a war in the 1940s. The independence of Suriname marked the end of the colonial era, though some Caribbean islands remain part of the Kingdom.
Before and after
- 1623Founding of Barbados
- 1623Founding of Weymouth
- 1623Publication of The Tempest
- 19 June 1623Birth of Blaise Pascal
- from 1624 to 1975Dutch Empire
- 1624Founding of Chelsea
- 1624Founding of New York City
- from 28 August 1624 to 5 June 1625Siege of Breda
- 1625Founding of Quincy
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 11 March 1565Founding of Rio de Janeiro
- from 11 June 1569 to 24 October 1795Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
- from 1603 to 1868Edo period
- from 18 January 1701 to 9 November 1918Kingdom of Prussia
- from 1 May 1707 to 1 January 1801Kingdom of Great Britain
- 1744Rise of House of Saud
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.