Voorcompagnie

A voorcompagnie (pre-company) is the name given to trading companies from the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands that traded in Asia between 1594 and 1602, before they merged to form the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The pre-companies were financed by merchants from the Northern Netherlands and rich immigrants from the Southern Netherlands. Because of the deadly competition, the government forced the smaller trading companies to unite and form the (United) East India Company. In its turn, it received the exclusive rights for the trade with Asia for the following 21 years.^[1]

Return of the second Asia expedition of Jacob van Neck in 1599, by Cornelis Vroom (c. 1591-1661)

History

In the seven years before the founding of the VOC, 12 pre-companies were formed:

Compagnie van Verre Nieuwe or Tweede Compagnie (New or Second Company) Oude Compagnie (Old Company) (Nieuwe) Brabantse Compagnie (Company of Brabant)

Verenigde Amsterdamse Compagnie (United Company of Amsterdam) Magelhaense Compagnie (Company of Magelhaen) Rotterdamse Compagnie (Company of Rotterdam) Compagnie van De Moucheron (Company of De Moucheron)

Delftse Vennootschap Veerse Compagnie (Company of Veere) Middelburgse Compagnie (Company of Middelburg) Verenigde Zeeuwse Compagnie (United Company of Zeeland)

According to Jaap ter Haar, "they were sailing the coins out of each other's pockets and the shoes off each other's feet".^[2] In total fifteen expeditions were sent between 1594 and 1601, excluding 3 troubled expeditions via North Cape (Norway).