Paper short abstract:

This paper demonstrates the continued involvement of Dutch merchants in Brazil’s economy after the Dutch retreat from Pernambuco in 1654. One aspect of this involvement was Dutch participation in the European carrying trade involving Brazilian commodities through the early part of the eighteenth century.

Paper long abstract:

The Dutch colony of New Holland was planted upon the pre-existing Brazilian settlement of Pernambuco between 1630 and 1654, when the Dutch West India Company withdrew from its colonizing ventures in Brazil. Bahia was not occupied by the Dutch, but remained mobilized for war and suffered repeated attacks on its productive capacity. Afterwards, it would not be the same, as the nature of its administration, production, and trade changed significantly as a result of the Dutch presence in Brazil. One of the best-known changes was the creation of a Portuguese 'Brazil Company' to organize Brazil's trade with Portugal under monopoly auspices. This paper demonstrates, however, the continued involvement of Dutch merchants in Brazil's economy, although usually indirect. One aspect of this involvement was in the Dutch participation in the European carrying trade involving Brazilian commodities through the early part of the eighteenth century. The paper will draw on primary sources from the Stadsarchief Amsterdam and various Portuguese and Brazilian archives. It also aims to provoke a discussion about early-modern state power and its limits regarding trade and trade monopolies.