First Dutch Expedition to the East Indies

A 1599 map of the route of the fleet within the bounds of the Portuguese sphere under the treaties of Tordesillas and Zaragoza, displaying the Dutch geographical knowledge at the time.
The fleet of Cornelis de Houtman.
The Banten sultanate.
Shooting on the city of Bantam and attack of the prahus.
Wall painting 'La réception de Cornelis de Houtman a Java and 1595' by Paulides in the Dutch pavilion at the Colonial World Exhibition in Paris, photo KIT.

The First Dutch Expedition to the East Indies (Dutch: Eerste Schipvaart) was an expedition that took place from 1595 to 1597. It was instrumental in opening up the Indonesian spice trade to the merchants that eventually formed the Dutch East India Company, and marked the end of the Portuguese Empire's dominance in the region.


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