Last modified: 2018-12-15 by rob raeside
Keywords: voc |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
by Mark Sensen, 14 November 1996
Before the VOC was founded there were several "voorcompagniëen"
(pre-companies):
- In 1592 the "Compagnie van Verre" (Company from Afar) was
founded by 10 wealthy Amsterdam merchants. In 1593 they sent Cornelis de
Houtman to Lisbon to collect information; when they found that it was feasible
they sent de Houtman and Gerrit van Beuningen with 4 ships on their way
to the East Indies, returning in 1597. This was the First Voyage, resulting
in hardly any profit, but its psychological effect was vast: it could be
done! A new fleet was sent, led by Van Neck and Van Warwijck, which led
to enormous profits, and later to the founding of the VOC.
- Middelburgse Compagnie, founded 1598, part of the VOC 1601
- Veerse Compagnie, same dates
- Oude Compagnie, founded 1598 in Amsterdam, sent 1598 van Neck
& van Warwijck on their way.
- Magellanse Compagnie, founded 1598 in Rotterdam; sent September
1598 Olivier van Noort around the world with 4 ships; he returned with
one only, and the company was nearly bankrupt; in 1602 part of the VOC.
- Rotterdamse Compagnie, founded 1598, sent in June 1598 a fleet
around the world, but apart from the discovery of the Sebaldinen (aka Falkland
Islands) the expedition ended in disaster.
- Brabantse Compagnie, founded in Amsterdam
- Vereenigde Zeeuwse Compagnie, a merger in 1600 of the Zeeuwse
companies (Middelburg and Veere).
- Vereenigde Compagnie te Amsterdam, founded 1601 as a merger
of the Amsterdam companies; sent in 1601 Heemskerck with 8 ships to the
East Indies.
- Compagnie van De Moucheron, founded 1600, sent Van Spilbergen
to the island of Corisco at the coast of Equatorial Guinea, to make it
a refreshment point; it reslted in utter disaster and the foundation of
the VOC ended De Moucheron's aspirations in the Netherlands. He probably
founded another company in France, where he died.
There were c. 15 voorcompagniëen, which sent c. 65 ships
on their way.
Van Oldenbarnevelt, the political leader of the Netherlands ("Raadpensionaris")
forced them more or less to unite on 20 March 1602 in the Vereenigde
Oostindische Compagnie. The VOC was ruled by 6 regional chambers, who
deputized one or more members to the most powerful college: De Heren
Zeventien (Lords Seventeen). The chambers were in Amsterdam,
Middelburg,
Delft, Rotterdam,
Hoorn
and Enkhuizen.
Ruled by Amsterdam (8 seats), Middelburg (4), Delft, Rotterdam, Hoorn
and Enkhuizen (one seat each); one seat reserved for the Staten
Generaal. (Dutch Parliament). The Heren Zeventien met variably
in Amsterdam or Middelburg, that is: 6 successive years in Amsterdam, two
in Middelburg.
It was one of the most successful (and ruthless) companies ever; at
the end of the 18th century it was nearly finished, and in 1806 it was
dissolved.
Source: "Vademecum van de Oost- en West-Indische Compagnie",
by Peter van Wiechen, 2002.
Jarig Bakker, 20 Feb 2010
The upper stripe of the flags of the VOC and GWC was at first orange,
and changed like in the Dutch flag to red between 1630 and 1660.
A variant of the VOC-cypher shows an "A" instead of the "V". Some say
the "A" stands for Amsterdam and was used by this chamber, other say it
stands for "Algemeene Oostindische Compagnie" ["General East India Company"].
The (six) chambers of the VOC (Dutch United East India Company) had
their own flags: the town flag with the VOC-cypher, above this the initial
of the town.
Eg. [gmc17] National Geographic
Oct.1917 gives this flag as the one Henry Hudson used when he was in
service of the VOC during his 3rd expedition.
Mark Sensen, 17 November 1996
Whitney Smith in his "the Flag Book of the United States" comments that
"occasionally, the VOC was shown upside down which has mislead some authors
into supposing that the correct initials were AOC". Obviously upside down
does not produce a "C" the right way around so it means that there has
been seeing what was expected to be seen rather than what was actually
portrayed though why the monogram should be shown upside down bewilders
me. Anyway it might explain why a google search for "Algemeene Oostindische
Compagnie" produces no results i.e. the flag did not really exist and the
company which has "conveniently" met the criteria also does not exist.
Apart from the "other version" shown by Mark as the 2nd flag in the series,
it is shown by David Eggenberger in his "Flags of the USA" and by Loughran
1979 though he shows a red upper band. As a possible answer, if it can
be accepted that there was no such flag, or that there was no such company,
could it be that "Algemeene Oostindisch Compagnie" is a mistranslation
of "algemeene Oostindische Compagnie" which could be [?] interpreted as
"commonly [known as the ] East India Company.
Neale Rosanoski, 18 Feb 2010
Regarding the "A" used by Hudson: in 1609 he was sent on his 3rd voyage
by the VOC itself, not some small company (which is probably meant by "Algemeene".
Hudson's discoveries in the East of the USA were not to the liking of the
VOC, and Hudson proceeded on his 4th voyage, sent by London merchants.
In the Netherlands some Amsterdam merchants were interested, but they were
refused the monopoly by the VOC. A few companies were founded along the
Hudson river, competing vehemently; in 1614 they merged into the Compagnie
van Nieuw Nederland, which got a monopoly for 4 years. In 1621 this company
became part of the West Indische Compagnie
(WIC).
Source: "Vademecum van de Oost- en West-Indische Compagnie",
by Peter van Wiechen, 2002.
From own observations of flags on 17th century paintings and drawings
I concluded that the VOC-monogram was rarely used abroad - it might only
lead to confusion. I have never seen the "AOC" monogram, as used by Mark
Sensen, and as seen in Loughran (1979), and in van der Laars (Wapens,
Vlaggen en Zegels van Nederland, 1913). The last is really not an "A",
but a "V" upsidedown; it looks like an "A" because it contains a small
"V" between the "O" and the "C", which looks like a small line. I don't
know whether the one in the National Geographic Oct.1917 was based on the
one of van der Laars, though.
Jarig Bakker, 20 Feb 2010
This image is from a 1813 publication: "Collection of the principal
flags of all nations in the world from the best authorities".
Anonymous book.
Edited by Brightly and Childs, Bungay, Suffolk, England.
Edition date: 1813.
D.Prothero, 7 Mar 2010
Other versions of the cypher showed a "Z" (for "Zeeland") above, some
also with a "M" below:
Mark Sensen, 28 March 1998
A painting by Ludolf Backhuysen with a view of the Rotterdam
harbour shows a yacht with a white flag with the Rotterdam cypher and red-white-blue
stripes at the top and bottom. According to Jos Poels (in [vxn]
Vexilla
Nostra no. 214) white flags with tricolour stripes at the top and
bottom were used by administrators of the Navy Admiralities in earlier
centuries. Maybe this was a flag of an administrator of the VOC Rotterdam
Chamber?
Mark Sensen, 30 July 1998
There was also a cypher for the Cape (with a small "c"), but it's unknown
if it was used on flags.
Mark Sensen, 30 July 1998
See also: Earliest flags over South Africa (ed)
This
webpage shows a different version of the Netherlands East India Company
Flag (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC for short) than what are
shown at FOTW (as far as I can see).
Zane Whitehorn, 28 Mar 2003
There were quite a few different VOC flags, for use by different Chambers
(places of settlement). This flag was for Cape Colony, see this
webpage. The link just provided and an image in "Ensiklopedie van Suidelike
Afrika", 1967, suggest that it was indeed used on flags after 1652. I've
made a gif, using Mark Sensen's images, for this Cape Colony VOC-flag.
On the cited FOTW-page Mark Sensen queries: "There was also a cypher for
the Cape (with a small "c"), but it's unknown if it was used on flags."
Jarig Bakker, .28 Mar 2003
The version of the VoC flag on this
page really should not have been placed on the Homepage of an article
dealing exclusively with the Dutch East Indies, as the cypher used on this
flag refers in particular to the Cape of Good Hope (Caab de Goede Hope
in 17th Century Dutch).
In "National and Provincial Symbols" by F.G.Brownell (1993),
page 10:
"More common was the use of the company's cypher, a combination of
the letters VOC (Vereenigde Nederlandsche Oost Indische Compagnie), over
which a small letter C for Cabo (Cape), was sometimes placed.
The flag flown was either that of the Netherlands, or that of the Company,
which was the Netherlands flag bearing the Company's cypher".
Note that the above does not specifically mention a flag with the Company's
cypher with above it a small letter C. It does show us that such a cypher
combination existed however and that its use on flags used on ships with
the Cape of Good Hope as their homeport must assumed to have been in use.
The cypher can also be viewed on the same page in the above mentioned
book, as well as in C.Pama's Lions and Virgins (1965) Fig. 12.
Caabse Vleck was a very early name for Cape Town (Kaapstad) but I have
not been able to find the material relating to this.
I have a few photocopies of early paintings of the Cape of Good Hope.
The first is a watercolour dated 1655/56 and is the oldest known painting
of the settlement. It is headed: Aldus Verthoont hem de TAFEL BAY Geleegen
Aen CABO de BONA SPERANCA.
Three other drawings by Johannes Rach dated 1762 are handwritten underneeth:
Gezigt van Cabo de Goede Hoop.
So more than a Century after the landing of Jan van Riebeeck at the
Cape it is still known as "Cabo". This is probably why a C was added to
the cypher and not a K, which would have been the obvious choice if the
settlement had been known as Kaap de Goede Hoop.
Although we know the cypher with the C was in use at that time by the
Company in the Cape, I have never been able to find any evidence that a
flag with such a cypher was ever used, whether on land or on ships, but
would presume that when the Governor of the Cape boarded a ship for travel
he would use such a distinctive flag. Other ships operating from the settlement
might have used such a flag as well.
Andre van de Loo, 29 Mar 2003