This book traces the 5,800 Swiss Mercenaries who enlisted in the Dutch Colonial Army (KNIL) between 1848 and 1914 to fight in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Between 1848 and 1914 around 5.800 Swiss Mercenaries enlisted in the Dutch Colonial Army (KNIL) to fight in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Following the traces of these mercenaries beyond the confines of the Dutch Empire, this book elucidates the complexities of the nineteenth-century military labour markets and provides an intricate examination of the mercenaries’ socio-cultural backgrounds, their motives, and their engagement with local communities and authorities. In doing so, it reveals the profound effects of colonialism not only on the colonies themselves, but also on the social, economic and cultural landscape of the European hinterland. Between 1848 and 1914 around 5,800 Swiss Mercenaries enlisted in the Dutch Colonial Army (KNIL) to fight in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Following the traces of these mercenaries beyond the confines of the Dutch Empire, this book elucidates the complexities of the nineteenth-century military labour markets and provides an intricate examination of the mercenaries’ socio-cultural backgrounds, their motives, and their engagement with local communities and authorities. In doing so, it reveals the profound effects of colonialism not only on the colonies themselves, but also on the social, economic and cultural landscape of the European hinterland. Table of Contents, Acknowledgements, Table of Figures, List of Tables, A Note on Spelling, Translation and Currencies, 1. Introduction: Swiss Tools of Empire, 2. Swiss Supplies for Dutch Demands: Transformations in a Military Labour Market, 3. Follow the Men: The Many Lives of Swiss Mercenaries, 4. Follow the Money: Colonial Cash Flows and Interlocking Bureaucracies, 5. Trace the Memory: Relics & Representation in the Transimperial Cultural Archive, 6. Conclusion: Swiss Tools of Empire., 7. Bibliography