The Christian Past of Ayutthaya
'I continue to admire this very large city, on an island surrounded by a river three times the size of the Seine, full of French, English, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese and Siamese vessels, an innumerable number of flat-bottomed boats and gilded galleys with as many as 60 oarsmen .
Hendrick Indijck: The first Dutchman in Angkor Wat
One of the men who risked their lives for the VOC was Hendrik Indijck. It is not clear when exactly he was born, but it is true: according to most historians, this happened around 1615 in Alkmaar. Indijck was a literate and adventurous man.
Dutch wallflowers in Southeast Asia
Most culturally interested visitors to Thailand will come face to face with the impressive statues of what are described in most guidebooks as 'Farang' guards when visiting Wat Pho sooner or later in Bangkok.
The first visit of a Siamese delegation to Europe
Lung Jan has already given some nice descriptions of European travelers to Southeast Asia. But what about the Siamese traveling to Europe? The first time that Siamese ambassadors came to Europe was for a visit to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands in 1608.
A Dutch eyewitness account of the destruction of Ayutthaya
It was the dramatic climax of the Second Burmese-Siamese War (1765-1767). On April 7, 1767, after an exhausting siege of nearly 15 months, Ayutthaya, the capital of the kingdom of Siam, as it was then so beautifully phrased, was captured and destroyed by Burmese troops 'by fire and sword'.
Osoet Pegua, a Dutch concubine in Ayutthaya
It is a striking fact that many strong women have left their mark on the history of Siam. One of these strong women had solid ties with Holland and more specifically with the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or the VOC.
Gerrit van Wuysthoff – a Dutch pioneer in Southeast Asia
The first Dutchman and one of the first Europeans to visit Laos extensively was the merchant Gerrit Van Wuysthoff or Geeraerd van Wuesthoff, during a mission set up by him for the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC in 1641-1642.
Another beautiful historical story by Lung Jan about the forgotten Franco-Flemish, Daniel Brouchebourde, who was personal physician to two Siamese kings.
The disappeared VOC warehouse 'Amsterdam'
The Factorij or the trading post of the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) in Ayutthaya has already caused a lot of ink to flow. Much less was published about the VOC warehouse in Amsterdam, south of Bangkok.
Cornelis Specx: Pioneer for the VOC in Ayutthaya
In recent decades, quite a few studies have rolled off the presses about the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) in Southeast Asia, which also - almost inevitably - dealt with the presence of the VOC in Siam. Strangely enough, until today little has been published about Cornelis Specx, the man we can safely regard as the pioneer for the VOC in the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya. A shortcoming that I would like to rectify here.
The eventful history of the VOC outpost near Phuket
Phuket, the largest Thai island, undoubtedly exerts a great attraction on the Dutch. This is not only the case today, but it was also the case in the seventeenth century.
The VOC Factory in Ayutthaya
In my rather extensive collection of historical maps, plans and engravings of Southeast Asia, there is a nice map 'Plan de la Ville de Siam, Capitale du Royaume de ce nom. Leve par un ingénieur françois en 1687.' In the corner of this fairly accurate Lamare map, at the bottom right of the harbour, is the Isle Hollandoise - the Dutch Island. It is the place where 'Baan Hollanda', the Dutch House in Ayutthaya, is now located.
Jan Struys, a Dutch freebooter in Siam (part 2)
When Struys arrived in Ayutthaya, diplomatic relations between Siam and the Dutch Republic were normal, but that had not always been the case. From the moment Cornelius Speckx established a VOC depot in Ayutthaya in 1604, the relationship between the two mutually dependent parties had many ups and downs.
Jan Struys, a Dutch freebooter in Siam (part 1)
One of the books in my library that I cherish is Three remarkable voyages through Italy, Greece, Lyfland, Moscovien, Tartaryen, Medes, Persien, East Indies, Japan and several other regions, which came off the press in Amsterdam in 1676 with Jacob Van Meurs. printer on the Keizersgracht.
A visit to Baan Hollanda
I admit it: I finally did it…. In all my years in Thailand I may have visited Ayutthaya twenty times but Baan Hollanda always fell outside the window of these visits for one reason or another. This in itself is quite bizarre. After all, the readers who read my articles on this blog know that the activities of the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, better known as the (VOC), can count on my undivided attention in these parts for a long time.
Baan Hollanda in Ayutthaya is open to visitors again
The Dutch embassy reports on Facebook that Baan Hollanda, the information center in Ayutthaya about the history of Dutch-Thai relations, is open to visitors again. The location is on the exact location where the VOC built its first trading post in 1630.
The first Dutch community in Thailand
The Netherlands has a historical connection with Thailand, which once started with trade relations between the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) and Siam. This Dutch trading company had a trading post in Ayutthaya, which was established in the early 1600s and remained there until the invasion by the Burmese in 1767.