'Wars Overseas' is the first comprehensive overview of Dutch military action in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. 'Wars Overseas' focuses on Dutch military actions outside Europe in the early-modern period. Those actions were rooted in the Eighty Years’ War, the conflict between Spain and the northern Netherlands that led to the creation of the independent Dutch Republic. The Republic was determined to trade in tropical products from Asia, Africa and the Americas, commodities on which the Iberians had had a monopoly for a century or more. To do so, however, it would have to fight. The fledgling State did not itself have the resources for such an undertaking and effectively left it to two monopolistic trading companies, the Dutch East India Company or VOC and the Dutch West India Company or WIC. In Asia, through an adroit policy of war and diplomacy, the VOC built a powerful trade-based empire that lasted for almost two centuries. The WIC began with a large-scale offensive in the Atlantic area, operating in both Africa and the Americas, albeit with less success than its sister company in Asia. In those conflicts overseas, empire builders like Jan Pietersz Coen and Johan Maurits of Nassau played crucial roles. How did they act? What resources did they have? And how did the military revolution in Europe impact the process of Dutch expansion overseas? 'Wars Overseas', the first comprehensive overview of Dutch military action in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, examines these and many other questions in detail, while thematic chapters focus on the deployment of sailors, soldiers and ships, on weapons and fortification-building, and on the confrontation with non-European allies and adversaries. 'Wars Overseas' focuses on Dutch military actions outside Europe in the early-modern period. Those actions were rooted in the Eighty Years’ War, the conflict between Spain and the northern Netherlands that led to the creation of the independent Dutch Republic. The Republic was determined to trade in tropical products from Asia, Africa and the Americas, commodities on which the Iberians had had a monopoly for a century or more. To do so, however, it would have to fight. The fledgling State did not itself have the resources for such an undertaking and effectively left it to two monopolistic trading companies, the Dutch East India Company or VOC and the Dutch West India Company or WIC. In Asia, through an adroit policy of war and diplomacy, the VOC built a powerful trade-based empire that lasted for almost two centuries. The WIC began with a large-scale offensive in the Atlantic area, operating in both Africa and the Americas, albeit with less success than its sister company in Asia. In those conflicts overseas, empire builders like Jan Pietersz Coen and Johan Maurits of Nassau played crucial roles. How did they act? What resources did they have? And how did the military revolution in Europe impact the process of Dutch expansion overseas? 'Wars Overseas', the first comprehensive overview of Dutch military action in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, examines these and many other questions in detail, while thematic chapters focus on the deployment of sailors, soldiers and ships, on weapons and fortification-building, and on the confrontation with non-European allies and adversaries. Table of contents; Introduction; 1. The First Military Actions Overseas (1590-1602/1621), Henk den Heijer; PART I Expansion in Asia and South Africa 1602-1814, Gerrit Knaap; 2. The Founding of an Asian Empire (1602-1635); 3. Consolidating the Empire (1635-1685); 4. Expanding the Empire (1685-1780); 5. The Empire’s Downfall (1780-1811); 6. VOC Soldiers and Seamen; 7. Naval Forces, Fortifications and Firepower; 8 Life on Shipboard and in Garrisons; PART II Bases in Africa and America 1621-1814, Henk den Heijer; 9. Expansion in the Atlantic Area (1621-1654); 10. Securing Outposts and Colonial Possessions (1654-1780); 11. From Company to Government (1780-1816); 12. Non-European Enemies and Allies; 13. Soldiers and Sailors in the West Indies and West Africa; 14. Ships, Fortresses and Weaponry; Concluding Observations; Notes; Bibliography; List of Tables; List of Maps; Index; About the Authors; Illustration Credits