photo caption, The Dutch were present in other parts of Brazil, but Pernambuco, for 24 years, was the longest ruler.
On February 14, 1630, a squadron of approximately 60 warships was sighted off the Brazilian coast of Pernambuco. Some say it carries up to 8,000 mercenaries.
The orange-white flags flying at the stern belong to the United Provinces, now the Netherlands. They are ready to wrest those territories from the Portuguese, who under the Spanish monarch Philip IV are now subjects of the Spanish crown.
Its inhabitants can barely defend themselves and the response coming from Spain is slow, so the Dutch succeed soon capture the capital, Olinda, and, more importantly, the port of Recife.
“They have been difficult years. For four years they practically could not leave the fortifications. But little by little they succeeded occupy more territory and remained for 24 years. It was his longest reign“, says George Cabral, professor of the history of colonial Brazil at the Federal University of Pernambuco.
And thanks to this, during the 17th century, Pernanbuco was the center of enormous economic power to the sugar trade. An activity almost as profitable as silver extraction, which the Spanish empire dominated with the mines of Potosí, in present-day Bolivia, or with those of Zacatecas and Guanajuato, in Mexico.
Control of this part of Brazil allowed the Netherlands, through the West India Company, to trade talso with tobacco, spices, Brazilian or slave woods.
photo caption, Olinda was the capital.
“There was nothing comparable in Brazil. At the moment, Pernambuco was the richest region, the largest sugar producer in the world. And that’s why the Dutch attack here,” explains José Manuel Santos Pérez, director of the Center for Brazilian Studies at the University of Salamanca.
British colonists They called it “white gold”. Its extraction and refining was the driving force of the slave trade that brought millions of Africans to America in the early 16th century.
Weaken the Spanish Empire
But this is the second time the Dutch have Between 1624 and 1625 they occupied Salvador de Bahía. Only one year of control before the expulsion, but that already signaled his intentions with Brazil.
There is enormous interest on the part of Europe in exploiting this immense, still unknown territory.
For historians, this Dutch conquest of Pernambuco and five other captains of the sugar-producing northeast It aimed to undermine the economic capacity of the Spanish monarchy and increase its dominance over the Atlantic trade routes.
It was a time when the United Provinces of the Netherlands were emerging as a world trading power with their Dutch East India Company.
But ultimately that’s how it is a chapter of the conflicts between the Dutch and the Spanish in the 16th and 17th centuries.
In 1580 Portugal was left without a successor. Taking advantage of this power vacuum, King Philip II of Spain claimed his Portuguese ascendancy and became Philip I of Portugal, achieving a dynastic union that lasted decades.
For years, The Dutch were partners of the Portuguese in the sugar market. “They had major involvement in the transportation, financing and refining of sugar in Europe. And when wars between Spain and Holland begin, and even more so when the crowns of Portugal and Spain unite, problems arise,” Cabral emphasizes.
They decide to invade the colonies
It is then that the Dutch advance their plans to seize their colonies in America from the Spanish Crown and try to create a trading company to finance the invasion.
“The Dutch They wanted to take all the Spanish colonies in America, starting from Pernanbuco, but they were already looking towards Peru, towards Mexico, the Caribbean and the rest,” explains Cabral. “They start with the points that seemed militarily weakest.”
“It wasn’t easy. In the first phase of the Dutch presence – from 1630 to 1637 – there were numerous skirmishes and clashes to consolidate the dominion. And “despite the tendency to glamorize the Dutch period, “It was a period marked by hunger and violence.”says Professor Cabral.
Constant hunger tormented the soldiers day after day. And when he wasn’t hungry because some bread crusts had arrived from Europe, yes scurvy, blindness, smallpox, dropsy, syphilis or tuberculosis the miseries that weakened men.
“Of the many evils that the West India Company’s army suffered during its years of operation in Brazil, few could compare with disease,” Ferreira Miranda points out.
“Dutch Brazil” is mixed
“We call it Dutch Brazil. But the fact is that the Dutch brought to Brazil a mixed army consisting of Dutch, Flemish, French, English, German, Scandinavianpeople coming from abroad,” he adds.
I’m already in 1637 and 1644, there is a quieter period. It is not a golden age of peace, but conflicts are decreasing a lot.
In those years, a German nobleman hired by the Dutch company rules in Pernambuco. The task of governing “New Holland” was entrusted to Johan Maurits van Nassau, who arrived in Recife in 1637 and remained there until his resignation and departure in 1644.
I would be Nassau which will transform Recife into a truly cosmopolitan city on the Atlantic coast of South America. He left a legacy of artistic productions present in European museums, scientific research and books.
Recife was full of them special architecture and monumental works. For example, two large palaces were built. One of them had 60 meter high towers; That is, it was something completely different from what was known until then.
“There is also a little more religious freedom, that is, Catholics can practice their religion again, “Jews are accepted with public worship, with an open synagogue and everything,” Cabrales recalls.
The best mayor of Recife
“The memory is so strong that even today if you ask someone on the street, they will tell you that the best mayor Recife ever had was Nassau. Era a character very different from other colonial administrators and left great memories,” he says.
The end of the Dutch presence in Brazil begins millions of kilometers away, in Amsterdam. The market is flooded with sugar and prices drop dramatically.
“Prices are collapsing in such a way that many sugar traders They get ruined. And this works like a domino”, clarifies Santos Pérez.
Since the end of the 16th century, Spain had been fighting the Flanders War against the United Provinces of the Netherlands.
“When companies in Amsterdam start to fail, They urgently ask for the repayment of their credits. Not in installments, but immediately. And this wave of debt requests obviously arrives in Pernambuco,” explains the director of the Center for Brazilian Studies at the University of Salamanca.
The rebellion begins. They no longer had the ability to negotiate their debts, and the collection of high taxes by the West India Company, which administered the colony, led the Portuguese and Pernambuco to take action.
“The locals resisted the Dutch who had barricaded themselves in the city and harassed them so much that they practically didn’t let them leave there,” says Santos Pérez.
Towards Suriname, Essequibo and Belize
Until the final defeat of the Dutch in 1645, men serving in the port of Recife found themselves blocked from leaving the city, and those who ventured out often fell victim to ambushes by Portuguese troops.
“What we see in recent years is this The Dutch do not have sufficient war capacity“Let’s say to counteract this local resistance.”
“When the Dutch lost their colony in Brazil, they conquered another part of the South American continent. on the Caribbean coast”, write Cabrales and Santos Pérez in their book “The Dutch challenge to Iberian domination in Brazil in the 17th century”.
“These factors have made this area an ideal place for sugarcane cultivation,” they add.
They lost Pernambuco, but they set sail, put to sea and found it again other unexplored territories to exploit.
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What were the key factors that led to the downfall of Dutch control in Brazil?
Ured outside faced constant harassment from the local population. This resistance culminated in intense confrontations and ultimately played a significant role in the downfall of Dutch control in Brazil.
The Dutch had ambitious plans to expand their influence in the Americas, eyeing not just Brazil but territories as far as Peru and Mexico. The early years of their occupation in Brazil, from 1630 to 1637, were fraught with violence and hardship, as the Dutch attempted to consolidate their power amid numerous skirmishes and conflicts. Despite an inclination to romanticize this period, it was marked by dire conditions, including widespread hunger and severe health challenges such as scurvy and tuberculosis, significantly impacting the Dutch troops.
With the appointment of Johan Maurits van Nassau as the governor of Pernambuco in 1637, the Dutch administration entered a comparatively more stable phase. Nassau oversaw significant developments that transformed Recife into a vibrant cosmopolitan center, notable for its unique architecture and cultural advancements. His tenure brought about increased religious tolerance, allowing Catholics and Jews to practice their faith openly—a rare occurrence in colonial territories at the time.
However, the decline of Dutch Brazil can be traced back to economic difficulties in Amsterdam. As sugar prices plummeted due to oversupply, the financial health of many sugar traders crumbled, leading to urgent demands for debt repayment that rippled through to Pernambuco. High taxation by the West India Company compounded the locals’ frustrations, ultimately inciting rebellion against Dutch rule.
This resistance culminated in the Dutch defeat in 1645, effectively ending their presence in Brazil as the locals united against them amidst growing discontent and economic strain. The legacies of the Dutch in Brazil, both in terms of cultural exchanges and architectural contributions, remain significant reminders of this unique chapter in colonial history.