Empire by Treaty?: The role of written documents in European overseas expansion, 1500-1800

Martine Van Ittersum

doi:10.2307/j.ctv9hvqf2.11

Empire by Treaty? The role of written documents in European overseas expansion, 1500-1800

Martine Van Ittersum (Lead / Corresponding author)

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Abstract

Treaty-making was integral to European imperialism and colonialism in the early modern period. Europeans did not seek to enter into equal treaties with indigenous rulers or peoples, but to conclude agreements that advanced their own claims to trade and/or territory. Two case studies – the Banda Islands and the Hudson Valley in the seventeenth century – serve to illustrate this point. Of course, the extent to which Europeans achieved their aims depended on local power constellations in Africa, Asia or the Americas, and the diplomatic fallout back in Europe. Still, in a world of endemic violence, treaty and alliance making were essential preparations for the next round of warfare and, thus, empire-building.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Dutch and English East India Companies
Subtitle of host publication	Diplomacy, Trade and Violence in Early Modern Asia
Editors	Adam Chulow, Tristan Mostert
Place of Publication	Amsterdam
Publisher	Amsterdam University Press
Chapter	6
Pages	153-177
Number of pages	25
ISBN (Print)	9789462983298
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv9hvqf2.11
Publication status	Published - 29 Aug 2018

Publication series

Name	Asian History

Keywords

treaty making
claims making
Banda Islands
Hudson Valley
Dutch West India Company (WIC)
international law

Access to Document

10.2307/j.ctv9hvqf2.11Licence: No Licence / Unknown

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Van Ittersum, Martine
- History and Information Studies - Senior Lecturer (Teaching and Research)
Person: Academic

Cite this

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Empire by Treaty? The role of written documents in European overseas expansion, 1500-1800. / Van Ittersum, Martine (Lead / Corresponding author).

The Dutch and English East India Companies : Diplomacy, Trade and Violence in Early Modern Asia . ed. / Adam Chulow; Tristan Mostert. Amsterdam : Amsterdam University Press, 2018. p. 153-177 (Asian History).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

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